Chapter 3

The whole vibe flipped in an instant. One second, guests were whispering behind his back, the next they were clapping like crazy. Even his father Thomas Sterling, normally all stoic and serious, gave Lucian a nod of approval. Ariella had genuinely thought the woman causing the scene would set Fiona off. She pictured Fiona flipping out over a mistress showing up, giving Lucian a slap, storming out. But nope-Fiona had nerves of steel. That kind of calm? Insane. Now, Ariella just wanted to bolt, but then she heard Ryan go, "Hey gorgeous, why aren't you clapping? Didn't my brother look awesome up there?" She rolled her eyes at him, totally unimpressed. Awesome, my ass. Her whole plan had blown up. That girl didn't even manage to put a dent in the wedding. Now, she might be in serious trouble. Sensing the shift, Thomas gave a quick signal, and the head of security swooped in to lead the pregnant woman away. After that little hiccup, the ceremony went on without a hitch. The second it wrapped, Ariella skipped the food and dipped out fast. Ryan, still salty about the cold shoulder she'd given him earlier, had been low-key watching her like a hawk-and when she slipped out, he followed. "Hey, where you off to? I could play bodyguard, you know." He was Lucian's brother. If Lucian caught her chatting with him, who knew what he'd pull? She remembered once she'd just exchanged a couple words with the delivery guy, and Lucian went off, accused her of being flirty, and ended up forcing himself on her all night long. "My boyfriend's picking me up. Thanks though," she said, flat as ever. "Cool. But hey, if you're ever thinking of trading him in, I'm a solid upgrade. People call me prime bachelor material," Ryan said, full of himself. "I'm not breaking up with him. See ya." Ariella waved casually, her tone still chilly as she flagged down a cab and slipped inside. Ryan stood there for a beat, staring after the disappearing car. So she wasn't fazed by his looks or his last name? Huh... interesting. ‘Little lady, just wait-we're bound to cross paths again.' Back at the apartment Lucian had set up for her in downtown Marlowe, Ariella beelined for the shower. She needed that water to rinse off not the sweat-but the shame. The memory of him taking her in that hotel restroom clung to her like a stain. She scrubbed hard, again and again, until her skin turned red-but the ache inside wouldn't budge. "Ariella, you're not hurting because you loved him. You're hurting because what he did made you feel so damn small." Her voice was barely a whisper. Tonight, she missed Forrest White more than usual. Deep down, she knew-she still loved him. As for Lucian... maybe it was just the fact that they'd spent so many nights tangled up like that. Maybe her body had gotten too used to him. Back then, Dominic told her, "If you want Lucian to love you, then you gotta love him first. And if you don't, just fake it till you make it. Eventually, you'll end up falling for him for real. Once he feels your sincerity, he'll fall for you too." At twenty, she took those words like gospel. She thought, since she was already his woman, she should try everything to make him fall for her, so they could be together forever. Back then, Lucian bailed out the Rios family financially and saved her dad from trying to jump off a building. The price? She had to be his woman. In other words, his mistress. She was young and clueless, with no other options. So she went all in, trying to forget Forrest, carefully watching Lucian's every move, memorizing his likes and dislikes, doing her best to please him. She thought maybe-just maybe-he had a bit of love for her. Otherwise, why would he keep coming back to her, craving her? But then she saw how gently he treated Fiona. That's when reality hit. All her efforts and fantasies were just naïve. That night, she finally saw things clearly. She was done chasing unreachable dreams. From now on, she'd erase him completely from her world. Ninety-two days. She'd take these three months to rebuild herself. Once she graduated, she'd buckle down and work hard. She'd lift her head up high, walk away from Lucian on her own, and become someone strong enough to protect her family, no longer relying on a man's favor bought with her body. He got married today. Obviously, he wouldn't care what she was doing. So she spent the afternoon browsing bookstores, picked up a few practical books. She read the whole evening. The storm inside her finally started to calm. At 10:30 PM, Ariella took a shower, blew her hair dry, and wrapped herself in a light blanket to sleep. It'd been nearly two years since she didn't have to worry about being forced to sleep with him in the middle of the night. Tonight, she let herself relax and tried to really rest. Half-asleep, she felt a strange tingling on her earlobe-kinda ticklish, kinda annoying. She lifted her hand to swat away whatever it was, but it got caught mid-air by a cold, firm grip. Then suddenly, her whole body was pinned under a heavy, muscular frame. Even in that groggy state, she could feel his fury. "What are you doing here? It's your wedding night..." she began, but the rest of her words got smothered by his wine-scented kiss-rough and urgent. Ariella snapped awake. She stared at that gorgeous face she'd once stared at a million times before, totally thrown. He actually left his bride on their wedding night... for this? But Lucian wasn't giving her a second to react. His kisses were wild and angry, stealing her breath, bruising her lips until they turned red and swollen. "Tell me, did you set up that Zoe at the wedding? Let's see how you like being punished for it..."