His warm breath brushed the shell of my ear; a shiver ran down my spine.

“Still want someone to fuck your brain out?” he whispered, his lips grazing my earlobe.

My knees wobbled, betraying me. I hated how responsive my body was to him. But I wanted more. His tongue slid down the side of my neck, slow and deliberate—a small, strangled sound escaped me before I could swallow it.

“See, your body is telling a different story,” he murmured with a lazy smirk, his throat rumbling with a deep chuckle.

But wait! How the hell did I get here? My thought was loud. My eyes swept the strange room, landing on my body. My heart stopped. I realized I had nothing on except my panties. I crossed my arms over my chest. The memory of the bar flooded back in waves.

FLASHBACK (At Night Walk Bar)

With a heavy heart, I left the doctor's office and drove straight to the bar. I needed to find solace in a bottle of liquor.

“Aaah…” I belched. The heat of the gin stung my throat as I gulped it down in one go. Since I wasn't pregnant, I turned to alcohol. I wished it could drown everything—the pain, the humiliation, and the grief tightening my chest.

“Scumbags…” I hissed under my breath, wiping my tears.

“Give me one more,” I demanded. The bartender hesitated until I slapped a few dollar bills on the counter. His face flashed into a satisfied smile. I guessed it gave him the assurance that I could pay for my drink.

“Give me my regular,” a deep voice echoed from my back. He was older, confident, and too hot to be real. Our eyes met. A charming smile spread across his face.

“Good evening, sir,” the bartender smiled at him and abandoned my request to get his.

“Good evening, pretty,” he said as he slid onto a stool beside me. His cologne teased my nostrils. My breathing quickened. His deep baritone voice did something to my body—maybe the alcohol was pushing me. I tried to pull my eyes away, but damn, his buttons were undone, exposing his fine, hairy chest.

I watched him in keen interest as his face contorted into a frown, his lips grimacing as he downed his “regular.”

“Why is your face like that? It’s just ordinary gin,” I blurted, gulping down my drink.

His eyebrow shot up in surprise.

“Really?” he asked as he leaned closer. His eyes were shocked by my overt challenge.

“Give her my regular,” he told the bartender, his grey, fiery eyes locked onto mine like I was a mystery he couldn’t wait to unravel.

“Easy peasy,” I smirked.

The waiter pushed the drink toward me. I downed the drink in two hard gulps. The taste burned my throat, but it couldn’t compare to the pain that burned through my chest.

“Wow… who are you?” he asked.

“Karen…” I bit my lower lip, my face forming into a slow, sexy smile.

“I’m Nathan,” he said, stretching his hand for a handshake.

“Cool, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Anything for a pretty lady,” he grinned.

“I want you to fuck the pain out of my chest,” I muttered, drunk and reckless.

“Interesting…” he nodded.

(PRESENT)

A sudden heat rose to my cheeks as I recalled giving him a lap dance, our bodies grinding against each other to the rhythm of the music. I cringed so hard at the memory of me clinging to him, begging him to take me home.

How could I have clung to a strange man like a lovestruck teenager?

“Oh my.” My head throbbed painfully. I hated getting drunk—it always left me with a terrible hangover.

“Stay away from me!” I shouted, pushing him slightly. I hastily picked up my dress from the floor, covering my chest.

“You were all over me last night. You almost pulled down this building with your noise,” he chuckled, leaning back against the wall.

“Wait… I was… drunk. I didn’t mean any of it,” I stuttered.

The intensity of his gaze was not making things easier for me. My cheeks flushed.

“Relax. Nothing happened,” he said, still annoyingly amused. “You passed out after trying to strip on top of me. I only made sure you didn’t choke on your own vomit,” he explained, pointing at the crumpled clothes placed neatly on the bed. I felt like he read my thoughts.

He uncorked a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass, offering me one.

“Care for some?” he asked. I shook my head; taking alcohol was the last thing on my mind. It had done enough damage.

“So we didn’t…?” I stammered, my curious eyes staring at him in disbelief.

“No,” he said, his lips curled into a smile. “You wished we did?”

“Of course not,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes to hide the tiny flare of heat inside me.

“I’m not trying to be a gentleman, trust me, I’m not.” He moved closer to me. “If we did sleep together, you wouldn’t forget it in a hurry,” he whispered in a deep voice.

I felt so hot inside; everything about him set my body on fire, but men? They weren’t worth it. I’d rather nurse my heartbreak alone with my vibrator.

“I need to change,” I said quickly.

“Go ahead,” he said, marching toward the door to excuse me. I strolled into the bathroom and let the warm water wash away the alcoholic smell. I wore my clothes and stepped out. He was sitting, his gaze focused on his laptop.

“I’m ready to go,” I informed him.

“Do you mind if I drop you off?”

“Oh no, don’t bother yourself,” I declined politely. I couldn’t imagine having an awkward ride with him. Luckily, we would never see each other again.

“If you’re ready to forget about him, text me,” he said and handed me his complimentary card. I placed my hand to take it from him, but his hand remained on it. I wondered how much I had told him about my ex and marriage. My phone rang loudly. I exhaled deeply and thanked whoever was calling me. He let go of the card and went back to his seat. I picked up the card and hurried out of the room. I didn’t know who this strange man was, but I had better go before he drove me crazy.

I looked at the screen; my elder sister was the caller.

“Hello, Karen darling,” her affectionate voice rang out from the speaker. A sense of warmth and familiarity enveloped me. I still had family that loved me.

“Where are you?” she enquired. “I’m back in town.”

“I will text you my location,” I said and hung up. I decided to wait for her at the eatery section of the hotel. I dropped my phone on the table after texting her.

I wasn’t ready to face anyone, but the moment I saw Gracias’s hair bouncing toward me, my chest melted. I needed her.

“Karen!!” she screamed.

I threw myself at her, and her arms enveloped me in a full embrace.

“Gracias!! You’re aging backwards. When did you come back?” I grinned widely, admiring her appearance.

“Of course, I don’t have a man’s problem. I’m child-free and marriage-free,” she teased.

She had always been a rebel. She went to the States to study when she was eighteen and chose to settle there. She turned down every suitor my father tried to set her up with. My father cut off her inheritance and threatened to disown her. She wasn’t interested in my family business and had attained financial independence. So it was easier for her to choose her freedom above anything. My parents didn’t have a choice but to accept her the way she was.

“I came back yesterday. Enough about me. I heard what happened,” she rubbed my shoulder, staring into my eyes.

I wanted to ask her how she knew, but tears trailed down my cheeks. With her, I didn’t have to bottle my emotions.

“They’re terrible people,” she said through gritted teeth, her fist clenched tightly.

Something in me snapped the moment I saw Noel and Sarah, his hand on her waist, her head on his shoulder. They sat at the far end of the eatery while snuggling close to each other. I had to swipe my tears to be sure it was them. My chest hurt with rage storming inside me.

“They will pay for doing this,” I snarled. I stood up from my seat and charged towards them.

“Wait!!” my sister screamed, trying to stop me, knowing that I would cause a scene.

I rushed to where they were seated. I took the wine Sarah was drinking and poured it into her face.

“Here, that’s for being a lying bitch all these years!!”

She gasped, her eyes bulged with horror when she saw me.

I couldn’t hold my tears back. I broke the wine glass and aimed it toward Noel.

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