One night stand
1189 Words
She walked out of the party, not caring at all what anyone would say. The only thing she cared about was her own mind. She was a psychology practitioner, but right now she couldn't even understand the chaos in her own head. Her heart sank. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she felt completely numb. Then a wave of deep anger hit her.
She went into a nearby bar. The moment she sat down, she asked the bartender for the strongest drink he had. The bar was almost empty. It was just her and a man with dark hair sitting next to her.
“I like your eyes,” she said to him, quickly drinking the shot the bartender put in front of her. “Keep pouring,” she told the bartender. “They are so grey and stuff.”
“Thank you,” the stranger replied.
She stared at him, trying to understand his expression.
“What? Are you embarrassed?” she asked, taking another drink right away. “You shouldn't be, you know. I just ran away from my own engagement party, and I really need someone to talk to. I don't have friends, family, or siblings. It is just me. And tonight, I caught my fiancé with another woman—on our engagement night! Does that even make any sense?”
“No,” the stranger said, nodding in disagreement.
She took another drink and ran her hands through her hair. She felt like she was going crazy, totally insane.
“I don't even love him,” she admitted, leaning closer. “I don't feel anything for him. I was forced to marry him by my father, who isn't even my real father. And now I am in this terrible mess.”
She pointed a shaking finger at him, smiling even though her eyes were starting to close. “What about you? What would you have done if you caught your partner in bed with your cousin on your engagement night? Am I a bad person for leaving?”
Suddenly her words broke into heavy crying.
“I did everything they wanted,” she sobbed, resting her head on the bar counter. “I listened to them, I did exactly what they demanded, and this is what I got? Some guests even thought I was a waitress, and I actually served them drinks. I am completely losing my mind.”
She raised her head again and stared at the quiet man. “You are a really good listener,” she whispered.
Two seconds later, her stomach turned and she got sick right there, throwing up everything she had drunk.
“Woah! Woah! Woah!” the stranger said quickly, gently patting her back.
“I’m sorry, man,” he told the bartender, handing him some cash to cover the mess. Then he looked at her. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”
When they got to a hotel room, she immediately collapsed onto the bed, crying out all her pain. The stranger carefully took off her high heels and set them beside the bed. But when he reached to unzip the back of her dress to help her out of it, she panicked and jumped up.
“Here, drink some water. It will help you feel less drunk,” the stranger said.
She took the bottle and gulped it down. She felt a little better.
“You are so nice,” she said, looking at him. “No one has ever treated me this nicely before.”
“Really?” he asked.
She nodded, unable to stop staring into his grey eyes. They felt magnetic, pulling her in. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Heat rushed through her. He was strongly built, and his presence overwhelmed her senses. She had never felt anything like this with Julian. For a moment, everything else disappeared.
The night blurred into fragments of emotion, grief, and reckless escape. Eventually, exhaustion pulled them under, and they fell asleep.
The next morning, she woke with a pounding headache. Her mind was blank about how the night had ended, and her body felt sore. She sat up and noticed a glass of water on the bedside stool. Next to it was a small piece of paper.
She picked it up and read the handwritten words:
“Thank you for last night.”
Unable to remember the man clearly—or anything that had happened—she scoffed, rolled her eyes, crumpled the paper, and threw it across the room.
Just then, her phone buzzed. Over fifty missed calls lit up the screen. The time showed 11:30 a.m. A loud knock came at the door.
Thinking it was hotel staff, she called out, “Give me a minute, please! I’ll be right out!”
She looked back at her phone. The calls were from her father, her cousin, Mrs. Vale, Julian, and Mr. Vale. Then a text from Mrs. Vale made her stomach twist:
“You had better come home immediately to explain your sudden disappearance to the Vale council elders. If you fail to show up, we will permanently remove your father from the board.”
Anger surged through her. She knew it—they were using her father to drag her back.
Part of her wanted not to care. He had never truly cared about her happiness. He had treated her like a puppet all her life. But he had also taken her in after her biological parents disappeared. No matter how unfair it felt, she couldn’t stand by and let him lose his seat on the powerful Vale board.
With a frustrated breath, she got up and left.
When she stepped into the Vale mansion, all eyes locked onto her. Maids and guards watched in silence. Mrs. Vale marched toward her immediately and slapped her hard across the face.
“You wretched girl!” she shouted. “How dare you embarrass me in front of my friends and the entire high society!”
She kept her head down, tears spilling down her cheeks. Through blurred vision, she saw her adoptive father seated in the large conference room surrounded by the Vale elders.
Suddenly, Julian grabbed her throat. No one stopped him. His grip tightened as he shouted, “Where the hell were you last night?”
Before she could answer, someone stepped forward and pulled Julian’s hand away.
“That’s enough,” the man said firmly.
She collapsed to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. When she looked up, her heart stopped.
It was him.
The man from the bar.
The man she had spent the night with.
He met her eyes and gave a subtle wink before turning back to Julian.
“I am your uncle, Julian,” he said coldly. “Show me some respect and let her be. We will deal with her situation later.”
Her mind spiraled.
Lucian Vale.
Julian’s uncle.
The man who had been missing for ten years.
She had really slept with her fiancé’s uncle.
The realization hit her like a shockwave, and a terrified scream tore from her throat.
- Writer
