Chapter 2: I Become His Wife
772 Words
A soft buzzing sound filled the quiet hotel room, pulling Cathy from the depths of sleep. Groggy, she reached for her phone on the nightstand, squinting at the caller ID. Her father’s name flashed on the screen. A sigh escaped her lips before she answered.
“Cathy, where the hell are you? I’ve been calling you since last night! We’ve been worried sick!” Amelio’s voice boomed through the speaker.
“Dad, I was busy,” she lied, rubbing her temple. She didn’t want him to know she was back home for vacation. Before she could say anything else, something shifted beside her.
Her breath hitched. The warmth. The weight. The unfamiliar presence.
Slowly, she turned her head. A broad chest. Bare skin. A man.
Her heart slammed against her ribs as realization sank in. She was in bed with a stranger. And worse, she was undressed.
A shriek tore from her throat.
“What was that?!” Her father’s voice crackled through the phone.
Panic surged. “A-uh... Dad, I’ll call you back! There’s a rat in my room!” She hung up before he could respond.
Amelio stared at his phone, baffled. A rat? In her room? He shook his head but decided not to push it.
Meanwhile, Cathy scrambled to gather the sheets around her, her face burning with embarrassment.
“A rat?” The deep voice beside her rumbled with amusement.
Her head snapped toward the man now sitting up against the headboard, his tousled dark hair and sharp features making it painfully clear he was fully awake. And infuriatingly amused.
Rafael.
Flashes of last night slammed into her mind, drinks, laughter, heated kisses... her hands on his body. Her doing things she never imagined she would do.
Oh. God.
Her fingers clenched the sheet tighter. She had to get out of here.
Moving quickly, she grabbed her clothes from the floor, but before she could escape, he stood in front of her. Completely. Unapologetically. Undressed.
She gasped and immediately covered her eyes. “What the hell are you doing?! Put something on!”
“Are you planning to run, little kitten?” His voice held a teasing edge. “After everything you did to me last night?”
She swallowed hard, willing herself to keep her voice steady. “We’re adults. Let’s just pretend this never happened, okay?”
He arched a brow. “That’s impossible.” He stepped closer, his voice laced with mock seriousness. “You ruined my innocence.”
That made her pause. “Innocence?” She snorted, unable to hold back a laugh. “You? Innocent? Yeah, right.”
Before she could step past him, he grabbed her waist, holding her in place. “You think you can run away just like that?” He smirked and held up a piece of paper. “Mrs. Rivera.”
Cathy’s heart stopped. “Wait, what? When did I become Mrs. Rivera?” She let out a nervous laugh. “You’re joking, right?”
“Check for yourself.” He handed her the paper.
She snatched it and read the words at the top… Marriage Certificate.
Her stomach dropped. “No. No, no, no. This isn’t real. This has to be a mistake.” But her name was there. His name was there.
Her phone buzzed again. She had barely an hour before her flight.
She shoved the paper back into his chest. “Whatever this is, we’ll deal with it when I get back. For now, I have a flight to catch.”
Without waiting for his response, she rushed into the bathroom, took the fastest shower of her life, and bolted out of the hotel room.
Rafael watched her go, his fingers tightening around the small card she had placed in his hand before storming out. He glanced at the name printed on it.
Cathy Bautista.
His expression darkened. No. It couldn’t be...
Shaking off the thought, he pulled on his clothes and grabbed his phone. “William.”
“Yes, sir?” his secretary answered.
“I need you to investigate someone.” He sent over a picture of the card.
With that handled, he grabbed his luggage and headed to the airport, where he settled into his business class seat.
The moment he sat down, he nearly choked on his breath.
Cathy was sitting right next to him.
She turned, her face draining of color. “Are you following me?!”
He smirked. “What? Why would I? I booked this flight two weeks ago.”
Cathy groaned, sinking into her seat. Just her luck. This was officially the worst vacation ever.
- Writer
