Betrayal Ashes

Chapter 1 Anessa's Pov “Open up this door! Open it up!” I heard bangs coming out as I groaned in pain and turned to the other side of my bed. It was barely morning, so who was outside by this time? My head throbbed as I stirred awake, the faint scent of alcohol and something unfamiliar filling my senses, my body also felt heavy. The soft glow of a dim lamp illuminated the room, and as my vision adjusted, I froze. This wasn’t my bedroom. This wasn’t my house. I instantly glanced down at myself, realizing I was lying in a bed, barely dressed, with only a thin sheet covering me. Panic set in as I turned to my side, and my heart nearly stopped. There was a man lying next to me, shirtless, his back turned toward me. “What…” I whispered, my voice shaky. I scrambled to sit up, my hands gripping the sheet tightly. My mind raced. How did I get here? Who was this man? Before I could even begin to think, the door to the hotel room burst open with a loud bang. I jumped, my eyes darting to the door in terror as several figures stormed in. At the front was my mother in law, Margaret and behind her was my husband, Alaric who was staring at me with a mixture of rage and disbelief. His cold gray eyes burned into me, as if trying to sear the truth out of my very soul. "Anessa!" Margaret's voice was sharp and cutting, filled with anger and disgust. Her usually composed demeanor was gone, replaced by a livid expression I had never seen before. She stormed over to me, her heels clicking loudly against the tiled floor. "How dare you?! You stupid b***h!" She shouted, raising her hand. Before I could react or defend myself, a sharp sting spread across my cheek as her palm made contact with my face. The sound of the slap echoed in the room, leaving me stunned and breathless. "Mrs. Williams wait!" I stammered, holding my cheek, my voice trembling. "I... I don’t know how I ended up here! This isn’t what it looks like!" Alaric stepped forward, his jaw clenched tightly. "Not what it looks like?" he hissed, his tone deadly calm, which was even more terrifying than if he had shouted. "You’re lying in bed with another man, Anessa. Explain that!" I shook my head frantically, my eyes welling up with tears. "I swear, I don’t know who this is or how I got here! Please, Alaric, believe me!" Margaret scoffed, crossing her arms. "Enough of your lies. You’re nothing but a disgrace! And to think I tolerated you all these years, thinking you were worthy of my son!” My heart pounded as the man beside me stirred, groaning as he slowly woke up. He turned his head slightly, and I could finally see his face. He was an older man, years older than me and when he spoke, his breath stank of alcohol and his teeths were yellow. “Baby, who are all these people? What are they doing here? Let's go back to sleep.” His words made my stomach churn. I turned to him in disbelief, my voice trembling with desperation, "I don't know you! Who are you? Why are you here?" The man gave me a lazy smile, clearly still drunk, "Don't be shy, babe. We had a great time last night. You were amazing." "No!" I screamed, shaking my head furiously, "I didn't… This isn't true! I don't even know how I got here!" Margaret's face twisted in disgust as she looked between me and the man, "You have no shame, do you, Anessa?" She spat, her voice dripping with venom, "You’ve humiliated our family enough. Alaric, end this whole thing now!" I turned to Alaric, tears streaming down my face, "Alaric, please! You know me! I wouldn’t! I would never do this! I don't know how I got here, I really don't!” "Enough!" Alaric's voice was like a whip, cutting through my pleas. His face was devoid of any emotion except for the icy rage in his eyes, "You think I’m blind? Deaf? Do you take me for a fool, Anessa?" "No! I swear, I…" "You expect me to believe you were drugged and just happened to end up in a hotel bed with him?" He gestured toward the man, his voice dripping with disgust, "Save your lies. I’m done listening to you." Margaret stepped closer, her glare piercing, "You’ve brought shame to the Williams name. Guards, get her out of here. Now." "No! Wait! Please!" I begged, clinging to the sheet as two burly guards approached me, "Alaric, I don’t know how this happened! I was framed! You have to believe me!” But Alaric didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He simply turned his back to me as if I no longer existed. One of the guards grabbed my arm, yanking me off the bed. "No! Stop! Let me explain!" I screamed, struggling against their grip. "Don’t dirty this room further with your pathetic excuses!" Margaret snapped, "You’re nothing but a gold-digging tramp. Alaric should have listened to me and married Lily instead of you." Her words stung more than the slap, and I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped my throat. As the guards dragged me out of the room, I caught one last glance at Alaric. He stood there, unmoving, his face unreadable. "Alaric!" I cried out, my voice breaking, "Please! Believe me!” But he merely stood there with a frown on his face, “Take her to the house. I'll deal with her there.” The men didn't hesitate to haul me out of the room like a criminal, my bare feet scraped along the cold tiles as I felt eyes on me. I tried to clutch the only thing covering my body, a thin sheet that I had wrapped around my body as I was thrown into the car. A few hours later, we were back at the mansion. “Gather everyone outside.” Margaret said to the butler, who nodded and went in to call everyone. Soon after, all the servants were outside, their stares pricking me. Alaric stood in front of me, his eyes cold and unforgiving. “Strip.”