The CEO'S Revenge Bride

Chapter Three

I woke up with a headache, and there was almost a rhyme to the pounding of it with the sharp sting of sunlight cutting across the curtains. My whole body weighed heavy, and as I shifted, the coolness of the sheets against my bare skin sent a jolt through me. I froze. Bare skin.

A wave of panic washed over me as I wrapped the blanket tighter, trying to recall the pieces of last night. The bar, the drinks, the stranger who stepped in when I made a scene-my heart was racing. What had I done?

The sound of the door opening made me whip my head around. He stepped in—the man from the bar. His tall, broad figure seemed to fill the room, his piercing gaze locking onto me with a mixture of cold indifference and quiet dominance. He leaned casually against the doorframe, but his presence was anything but casual.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice deep and unbothered, as if nothing had happened.

I pulled the blanket closer, my voice shaking. "What... what happened last night? Why am I...?" My words caught in my throat as fear and anger rose in my chest.

His gaze didn't falter. "You don't remember?" he asked, his tone almost mocking.

"No," I snapped, digging my fingers into the sheets. "Tell me. Why am I naked? What did you do to me?

A smirk contorted his lips and he folded his arms over his chest. "What I did to you?" he repeated, a dark chuckle escaping his lips. "That's rich coming from you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I shot back, my voice rising.

"You came onto me," he said baldly, his tone unrelenting. "You were drunk out of your mind, throwing yourself at me like a woman possessed. I tried to stop you, but you didn't exactly leave me much of a choice."

I stared at him in outraged disbelief, my heart pounding. "You're lying."

Am I?" he challenged, stepping closer. His presence was suffocating, the confidence he exuded making the air in the room heavier. "Because I'm pretty sure you were the one who dragged me into that bed, not the other way around."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I shook my head. "You took advantage of me. I didn't want this. I'm married!

That hit a little below the belt. His face darkened, his jaw clenching as he towered over me. "Married?" he spat, the word dripping with disdain. "Don't you dare throw that at me. If you cared so much about being married, maybe you shouldn't have been drowning yourself in alcohol and begging a stranger to take you home.

His words cut deep, and the tears burst through as shame and anger fought a fierce battle inside my chest. "How dare you! You slept with a married woman, and now you try to blame me for it?"

His tone was bitter, eyes narrowing in. "You think I wanted this? Believe me, I have better things to do than clean up after some i***t that can't handle his liquor. I should've left you in that bar."

"Why didn't you, then?" I bit back, trying to sound tough, but my voice cracked.

He took another step, his presence overwhelming. "Because I made a mistake," he said, as cold as ice. "And I don't make the same mistake twice. I have nothing to do with you, your life, or your marriage. You mean nothing to me."

My breath huffed out as if a blade had gone through me in those words. He snatched up his jacket from where it rested on the chair in sharp, brisk movements.

I am done here," he said, moving to the door. "Clean yourself up and find out what you want to do with your life. Just leave me out of it."

And with that, he walked out, slamming the door shut.

I sat and shook, and I sat alone and cried. My whole world seemed to crumble around me. My marriage, my dignity-everything that I thought I had was gone.

I froze, the weight of realization washing over me like a tidal wave. Jennifer. My little girl was still in that house-with them.

Charles and Mia. Two people who obviously did not care about her well-being, too wrapped up in their selfishness to even acknowledge her existence. The image of them laughing and kissing in front of Jennifer, oblivious to her innocence, churned my stomach.

I couldn't stay here. I couldn't let my daughter fend for herself in that toxic environment. I'd already failed her once by bringing her into this mess, but I wouldn't again.

I snatched my clothes from the chair, hurling them on even though my hands were shaking. My body ached, my mind afire, and still I made myself get through it. Every second that I wasted here was another second my daughter spent in that house with those two people who shouldn't be allowed to breathe the same air as her.

I stood in front of the mirror, staring back at my reflection. Pale and red eyes stared back at me from a night of crying. I was just a shell of myself-someone I didn't even recognize. But now, none of that mattered; there wasn't the luxury to wallow in self-pity.

Pulling myself together, I grabbed my bag and rushed out of the hotel room, not even looking backward. I did not care about what anyone would think or what it would look like to be leaving this way. All that was on my mind was Jennifer: her safety, her innocence, and her bright little smile, which I could never bear to dim amidst all this chaos surrounding us.

When I reached the house, my heart pounded so hard, the echo boomed in my ears. I pushed the door open, my hands trembling, and there they were—Charles and Mia—seated on the couch, kissing like two teenagers who didn't have a care in the world.

A wave of fresh anger rolled in upon the vision. Jennifer might be nowhere in sight, but this? Did this have to be what they chose to do in her presence?

I reined in no longer. "Why would you be doing this when there is a child in this house?" I shouted, my voice trembling with the weight of anger.

Mia drew back from Charles, her exaggerated sigh drawing a smirk on her lips. "Oh, so you finally decided to show up. And you think you're in a position to scold us about caring for your child?" she taunted, venom lacing her tone.

Charles leaned back, unruffled, his arm carelessly slung across her shoulders. His eyes locked on mine briefly, icy blue, expressionless. "You really are something, Anna. So concerned now over Jennifer and you left her alone all night, no thoughts, whatsoever, given to that fact. Your daughter must have sat ringside to the drama."

My blood ran cold, the words slapping me across the face like a thunderbolt. "You... You mean Jennifer saw this?" My voice cracked as the weight of my failure crashed down upon me.

"Who cares?" Mia laughed, her hand dismissively waving in the air. She'll get used to it. You've done worse by abandoning her. Go ahead, play the righteous mother all you want.

The room spun, my anger boiling over. How dare they? How could they be so heartless, so cruel? "You're disgusting, both of you," I snapped, my voice rising with every word. "You think this is a game? You think this doesn't hurt her? You're sick!"

Charles stood up, towering over me now, the anger darkening in his features. "If you're done with your little tantrum, Anna, you can go. Nobody invited you anyway."

My eyes teared, but I wouldn't let them see me break. I dug my nails deeper into my palms to keep myself steady. "I am not leaving without Jennifer," I spat out through my teeth.

Mia scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "And where will you take her? Back to whatever bar you spent the night drinking yourself into oblivion?"

My words cut deep, but I did not let that sway me. I was not staying in this house one second longer. Not with them. Not like this. Jennifer deserved so much better, and I