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1126 Words
Sunlight spilled across the massive bedroom in soft golden streaks.
Elena stirred weakly beneath the silk sheets, her head pounding violently.
Everything hurt.
Her body.
Her chest.
Even breathing felt exhausting.
She groaned softly and tried turning over—
Only to freeze completely.
For one disoriented second, she stared at the luxurious white-and-gold ceiling above her without understanding where she was.
Then memories hit her.
The gala.
Ryan.
Tessa.
The bar.
Alexander.
Her breath caught painfully.
“Oh God.”
She sat up too quickly and instantly regretted it when her head began pounding more violently. Silk sheets slipped down her body as panic rushed through her chest.
The bed beside her was empty.
“What have I done?” she whispered shakily.
She scrambled out of the bed too quickly, nearly falling when dizziness hit her. The sheet tangled around her legs while humiliation burned through every inch of her body. She bends, gathering her dress from the floor with shaky hands. Her heels were tossed near the couch while Alexander’s shirt lay crumpled near the edge of the bed. The sight alone made humiliation burn through her.
This wasn’t her.
She wasn’t the kind of woman who slept with strangers.
Especially not hours after catching her boyfriend cheating.
Tears stung her eyes instantly.
God.
What if Alexander thought she was easy?
What if he thought she was just some drunk woman desperate for attention?
She quickly pulled her dress back on, fingers fumbling badly with the zipper.
The bathroom door suddenly opened.
Elena jerked her head up.
Alexander stepped out wearing only gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips, water droplets still clinging to his skin from the shower. His expression remained calm the moment he saw her awake.
“You’re up.”
Elena immediately looked away from him like his presence offended her.
“I’ll have someone bring breakfast—”
“I don’t want your breakfast.”
Her voice came out sharper than intended.
Silence filled the room briefly.
Alexander watched her carefully. “Why not? Are you upset?”
It wasn’t even a question.
Elena laughed bitterly while pulling on her zipper with shaky hands. “What do you think?”
“You were really drunk last night and—”
“And you took advantage of that.”
Alexander’s expression darkened slightly.
“That’s not what happened.”
“Really?” She finally looked at him angrily. “Because rich men like you are all the same.”
His jaw tightened faintly.
“You see a vulnerable woman and suddenly you become helpful because you think it’ll get you into her bed.”
“Elena.”
“No!” she snapped before he could interrupt. “You don’t get to stand there pretending to be some gentleman.”
Alexander’s gray eyes hardened slightly now.
“Elena—”
“No, let’s not do this.” She turned toward him sharply. “Men like you are honestly disgusting.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed.
“You get women drunk, sleep with them, then act all calm and sophisticated the next morning like it means nothing.”
“I didn’t get you drunk.”
“But you definitely enjoyed taking advantage of it.”
A dangerous silence settled across the room.
Alexander’s jaw tightened faintly, but his voice remained controlled.
“You’re upset. I understand that.”
“Oh spare me the fake understanding.” Elena shoved her phone into her purse angrily. “You rich men really think money gives you access to anything you want.”
His expression darkened slightly now.
“You came onto me.”
“And you could’ve stopped me. You’re the sober one!” she snapped loudly. “What kind of decent man sleeps with a drunk woman he just met?”
That question hung heavily in the room.
Alexander stared at her for a long moment before speaking quietly.
“I took you away from three men who were seconds away from dragging you into an alley.”
Elena flinched slightly.
But only slightly.
“And somehow that makes you a hero?” she shot back coldly. “Congratulations. You saved me so you could sleep with me instead.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly.
Alexander’s gray eyes became unreadable.
“You really believe that?”
“I know your type.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“And I don’t want to.”
She walked toward the bedroom door furiously.
“Elena.”
She stopped but didn’t turn around.
Alexander’s voice came calm and low behind her.
“You’re angry at yourself for this.”
That only made her angrier.
She spun toward him with tears burning in her eyes.
“Don’t psychoanalyze me after sleeping with me!”
Then she stormed out of the room before he could answer.
—
The ride back to her apartment was miserable.
Elena ignored the driver Alexander had arranged for her and took a cab instead.
By the time she finally reached home, exhaustion weighed heavily on her body.
The moment she stepped inside the apartment, her phone buzzed nonstop in her hand.
Ryan.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Elena stared at the screen bitterly before throwing the phone onto the couch.
Twenty-three missed calls.
Countless text messages.
Ryan: Please answer me.
Ryan: Elena, I swear it’s not what you think.
Ryan: I’m outside your apartment.
Ryan: Please just let me explain.
Ryan: Baby, I love you.
Elena laughed hollowly.
Love.
What a joke.
Another message popped up.
Tessa: Elena please talk to me.
Immediately, Elena blocked both of them.
She couldn’t do this right now.
Didn’t want to.
Her head still hurt. Her chest still hurt.
Everything hurt.
She walked into the kitchen for water when her phone suddenly rang again.
Unknown Number.
Elena almost ignored it.
But something made her answer anyway.
“Hello?”
“Miss Elena?”
Her stomach tightened instantly.
“Yes?”
“This is St. Catherine’s Hospital.”
Fear flooded through her body immediately.
Her grip tightened around the phone. “What happened?”
“It’s your brother.”
Elena went completely still.
Her younger brother Daniel had been in and out of the hospital for months because of his worsening heart condition. The doctors had warned her things could become critical eventually.
But not this soon.
Please not this soon.
“He collapsed again this morning,” the nurse explained carefully. “The doctors managed to stabilize him, but his condition is deteriorating faster than expected.”
Elena’s knees weakened.
“No…”
“We’ve reviewed his latest scans.”
Her breathing became uneven.
“And?” she whispered.
There was a brief pause.
Then the nurse spoke again.
“He needs surgery immediately.”
- Writer
