Chapter 2
848 Words
Catalina's Pov
The music was loud. The bass throbbed in my chest like it was trying to match the broken rhythm of my heart.
Strobe lights flickered across the club, casting people in flashes of color and shadow. Bodies danced, drinks flowed, and laughter filled the air— mocking me.
I shouldn’t have come. But what else was I supposed to do? Should I have sat at home in a wedding dress, crying over a man who never loved me?
Screw that.
I downed the shot in front of me, the burn of tequila momentarily numbing the ache in my chest. “Another,” I told the bartender, slapping the glass down harder than I meant to. He gave me a look but refilled it anyway.
My phone buzzed on the counter. I didn’t need to look. I knew it was Danielle.
Or maybe Tyler. Cowards.
I silenced it.
Tonight, I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to feel it.
I just wanted to disappear into the crowd and pretend I wasn’t the woman who got humiliated at the altar.
I could still hear the murmurs that filled the hall as everyone judged me. I could remember the sinister smile on his face when he called it off.
Right there and then, I told him to stop his joke and let's get married, but he took my sister in his arms and told me he never loved me.
I felt the ground shake beneath me as he left the hall with Danielle. Some guests had a pitiful look on their faces while some had the look of mockery.
I sat on the floor crying my eyes out until no one remained, and I was left alone.
I didn't want to remember all that. I wanted to forget all that happened.
I drowned down the shot in a go and slammed it down for the bartender to refill again.
"Rough night?" a deep voice asked beside me.
I turned, slowly. The man beside me looked like he didn’t belong here. He wore a dark, sharp, and expensive tailored suit. Out of place among the crop tops and loud colors.
His jaw was chiseled, eyes dark and unreadable.
Power clung to him like a scent. It was undeniable, and I could see danger all over him.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked, my voice dry and bitter.
He didn’t smile, but there was something in his eyes. They tend to speak louder than his expression. “Only because I know the look of someone who has just become heartbroken.”
I blinked, my attention focused on him. “And what makes you so sure I didn’t do the heartbreaking?”
He leaned in slightly, his voice low and smooth. “Because heartbreak is written all over your face.”
I looked away, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Then I need more shots,” I said to myself.
“Or a better distraction,” he said, and this time, he did smile. It was just a hint, but enough to make my stomach flip.
I studied him from his head down to his feet. Aside from him screaming wealthy, everything about him screamed control. Command. Mystery.
I didn’t even know his name.
Maybe that was the point. I don't need to know his name for what he is doing in a club wearing a suit.
“And what kind of distraction are you offering, mystery man?” I found myself asking, getting bolder and flirty.
He stood up from his seat and extended a hand. “Let’s dance.”
I hesitated. This was reckless. Stupid. Irresponsible. This wasn't me. I don't go to the club and dance with a stranger.
But it was exactly what I needed.
I slipped my hand into his.
His grip was strong, firm, and steady as he pulled me up from my seat.
He led me onto the dance floor and turned to look at me. The moment his hands found my waist, my body responded like it had been waiting for this.
I acted like his touch did not affect me and started moving my body. He was kinda stiff for some while, but he relaxed eventually and moved with me.
We moved in sync, our bodies close and brushing, the chemistry between us electrifying. I could barely hear the music anymore. Only my heartbeat and his as my chest was pressed on him.
I didn’t even know who he was, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. At this moment, I wasn’t Catalina-the-rejected. I was just... a woman dancing with a stranger who looked at her like she was the only one in the room.
For a single night, I wanted to forget everything. The rejection, the murmurs, and their betrayal.
And I think he wanted to forget something, too.
His lips brushed my ear, and he whispered, “Do you want to forget everything tonight?” He asked, and I nodded, my body still moving with his body.
“Come with me.”
He whispered
And I did.
- Writer
