ROXANNE'S P.O.V
My fairytale was crumbling in front of me, but there was nothing I could do. The illusion I had made up in my head was shattering, and I realized just how my own mind was my biggest enemy. How everything that I had carefully glazed over came back, glaring at me. How Damien's inconsistencies now stared right back at me, daring me. That secretary two years ago that he had assured me was nothing. She was, after all, his employee, and he wouldn't have anything to do with her. That time, he had stayed out throughout the night, and he had come back to tell me he had fallen asleep in his car. The strange number in his phone that was saved under my name, but I knew it wasn't me. I blinked hard, my chest heaving as I struggled to breathe. I should have seen it all. I should have known that this... this drunk man speaking gibberish, swimming in despicable acts of shame with no remorse whatsoever, this was the real Damien. Everything else had been a fragment of my own imagination. A shield I had taken to avoid being hurt. A path I had carved out to lead me to a field of dandelions that would later burst into flames and leave me stranded. Just like right now. I was stranded right now. My knees were weak, and I slowly went to the floor, my hands covering my face. My chest felt like it would implode on itself, and I hit it again and again, hoping at first that it would loosen up and let me breathe. At some point, I just kept hitting it because of the pain. Because every hit distracted me slightly from the heartbreaking sight in front of me. "I am sorry," the woman said again, her voice low. "Will you be okay? Do you want a man from downstairs to take the edge off?" I turned to her, and she flinched, her hand on either side of her in surrender. "I mean, it's normally the best option, but I understand if it isn't for you." I bit down on my lips, then slowly stood up, my chest heaving. I walked into the room, my eyes taking the place in. The others were on the floor, all drunk, and I could only imagine how hard they had partied. How little care they had for me who was at home, waiting, practicing the violin for a fucking cheater. It hurt even more that my own brother was here, too. I would have expected him to be the one to shut this down. To tell me he wasn't. He was here, lying on the floor, his back resting on the bed frame of the bed where my fiance had just cheated on me with three call girls. The rest of the friend group was there too, and I recognized each and every face. They were mostly Damien's friends whom my brother had warmed up to because of my relationship with Damien. There was only one face missing, however. Florian Hunt. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to remember the name. He was... the last thing I wanted to think of right now. The last thing I wanted to remember. I walked to where Damien was lying, then slowly pulled off my ring. My finher had a mark from all of the time that ring had stayed intact, and my tears rolled down my cheeks steadily. I leaned and dropped the ring next to him, and without waiting for much longer, lest I lose my mind, I walked away, my fingers clenched into fists. I didn't need guidance to walk out of the place, and I soon found myself at the door, my feet wobbling in the mismatched shoes I had thrown on. I looked up at the sky, my eyes filled with a layer of tears thick enough to blur out the stars. My hand was empty, and I realized I most have dropped my keys somewhere. I couldn't walk back in there for anything. I couldn't let myself see that again. I couldn't let him shatter me completely again. I started to walk forward, abandoning my car, my hair slowly falling in front of my eyes, my lips parted. I had barely gotten to the middle of the road when my feet gave out on me, and I slowly went to the floor, my knees rooted on the warm ground, my lips quivering hard. I didn't know where to go or what to do, but I had zero survival or self-preservation instincts at this point. I just stayed there, in the middle of the road, my eyes watching the stars, like if I looked hard enough, the life, the illusion, the lie I lived just two hours ago would be miraculously given back to me. A loud honking sound caused me to turn to my right, and I swallowed, my tears turning the blinding lights to a sea of separating colours. The sound came again and again, as the light grew brighter and brighter, but my brain had shut down, and I could hardly register that I was in danger, or that I needed to get out of there. I just sat there, watching the car approach me. "Rox!" My brows furrowed, and I started to turn the other way, but I didn't have to. I felt myself being pulled out from the car's path violently. I gave a small yelp as I stood, guided by this person's strong arms, my body falling freely into him, my lips parting. "Fuck. Fuck, what were you thinking?" I knew that voice. I knew that person. And I dreaded it. I dreaded this person. I slowly moved, my eyes looking up to him. The two coloured eyes I remember finding extremely attractive on my eighteenth birthday came into blurring view, and I felt my knees go even weaker. One eye was a dark grey, and the other was a light green. None of them looked very happy. "What the fuck are you doing?" He asked, his hand cupping my face, his eyes darting across both of nine. "You are getting married tomorrow, and you want to die today?" "I am not getting married!" I yelled, my chest heaving hard as my eyes met his. "I am not fucking getting married! You should have let me die." "Don't be stupid, Rox." "I was already stupid," I said, my voice low with all the weight of the puzzle pieces that fit way too well for me. "I saw the signs, and I ignored it. I loved him too much, and I knew he was always cheating on me, and yet... yet... I let it get here." My hands came to my face, and I swallowed, tears running down my face like broken dams. I slowly looked up to Florian, my chest heaving. "What do I do? What do I do?" "Let me take you home," he said, and before I could say anything, he leaned, taking me into his arms bridal style. I gave a sigh of exasperation, my eyes flooding with more tears as my body went cold. He turned around and headed towards his parked car, a little distance away from mine.ROXANNE'S P.O.V I slowly turned to Florian, my lips parting, the salty taste of my own tears filling my eyes. He was driving slowly, his sleeves rolled up, his brows drawn as he focused on the highway in front of us.I closed my eyes tight, swallowing hard. "Why are you not with them?""Where were they?"His voice was just as I remembered it. Deep, resonant, smooth. "The strip club. Dirty dreams." I broke into a laugh, but my tears only streamed down my face harder. "I should have known.""It isn't your fault you didn't," he said simply. I watched him, my eyes thin. Florian was one of my brother's closest and oldest friends. Even though his family was much richer than ours, I could remember how he was always at our place every day, especially at the time I was in high school.Looking back now, I wasn't sure why we never got along. Maybe because I was chubby then, but he loved to poke fun at me. I hated it back then, and I couldn't lie, he had been one of the reasons I decided to im
FLORIAN'S P.O.V I could taste her tears on her lips, but she wasn't stopping, and sure as hell, I wasn't going to. The next forty-five minutes that it took to get to the mansion was an absolute pain, and I hated that I had to drive. I wanted to give her all of the attention she wanted, all the things she was looking for by pushing herself on me like this, touch her in all of the places she never showed anyone else so she is never tempted to feel anyone else.We finally got home, and I pulled her into me, her body fitting right in my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist. I opened the door, then turned to the wall, her back softly hitting the wall. She adjusted her legs around me, and I chuckled to myself, my fingers holding on to her.She was breathing heavily, her eyes closed, her fingers holding on to my shirt. I let my hand slowly tuck her hair back in, my eyes looking down at her. I wanted to take it slow. Understand her grief. Maybe. "Do you still want this?"She swallowed,
ROXANNE'S P.O.V I turned slowly to Florian. My hair fell on both sides of my face, so I was hoping he wouldn't see the glances I was stealing. His eyes were focused fully on the road, his hand, adorned with two rings, rested between his thigh and mine.His other hand navigated the steering wheel, his hair falling prettily on his face. I held my breath as my eyes took him in. I remembered just how I had always seen him at least one tier above every other man around. He was that beautiful. He had the stainless charisma that turned girls his way.That's how I knew I didn't have a chance.I shook my head and turned, my knees trembling a little as if to remind me of the very thing I didn't want to be reminded of. I wasn't even completely sure how it had happened, but I knew I wouldn't forget it.I had never expected that I had been waiting so long despite all the times I had come close, only to finally be taken by Florian. Florian. That one man I never thought I would ever be good enough
"What the fuck, Florian? How could you fucking do this?""What did I do?" Florian asked, his voice deep, dark, and smooth. "Drive her insane with pleasure when you were planning to drive her insane with pain?""What?" Damien countered, his eyes wide. "What the hell are you talking about?"I swallowed hard, pulling myself away from Florian. "You were at..." I trailed off, blinking the tears away. In as much as Florian was right about his ability to make me forget everything, at least for last night, seeing Damien, those pretty eyes I had loved so much, that face I saw in my happiest dreams...It hurt. All over again. "Fucking speak up, Roxanne! What is yoir excuse for being this bastard's little slut?""Don't you dare call me names. You are the one who went around and broke the vows we didn't even get to make. You are the one who...""Shut up, Roxanne. Shut up." It was my brother this time, and I could see the nervousness in his eyes as he looked towards Damien.My eyes filled even fa
I let out a small whimper as my eyes closed, my chest heaving hard. My face buried in my palm, and I let out a shaky breath. I was trying as hard as I could to not let Florian hear me, but I knew I had gotten loud at some point, and I was grateful that he hadn't bothered to say anything to me.I sighed, closing my eyes. Today would have been my wedding. Yet here I am. I have nowhere to go.I straightened slowly, sniffing hard as I tried to best to compose myself. I turned to Florian. His eyes were cold as he drove silently, his fingers resting between us, the other navigating the steering wheel."I... I will sleep at the office till I can...""You are coming home with me."I bit down on my lips. "That is hardly home, Florian."He turned to me, his brow lifting. "Okay? You have called the Roseville mansion home for twenty-six years. Surely it wouldn't hurt your soul to call my place home for now."I turned away, my eyes brimming with tears. He was right. I had never felt at home in the
I stood in front of the mansion where Florian apparently lived. It was at least twice that of my parent's, and was situated in a quaint, quiet place in the richest part of CA. I looked around. Nature was thriving here, and the mansion itself was victorian style and extremely beautiful."Let's go," Florian said finally as he came beside me. He had handed the keys to a man who had greeted me and said man was currently taking the car away."I..." I started to say, my eyes falling to my feet. I still couldn't shake off the heavy awareness of him that I felt. And the awareness of what we had done last night. "Are you sure this is okay? I could sleep in my office before I find a way to retrieve...""Stay here, Roxanne. Don't be stubborn."I nodded slowly, then swallowed as I felt his hand rest gently on the curve of my waist. Without another word, he pulled me into the massive entrance, his body heating mine up due to how close together we were.The interior was even more magnificent, and I
"Ma'am, please come with me to the bedroom. Sir has asked us to help you settle down before lunch."I tore my gaze away from the path where Florian had taken away from me and turned to the woman. She was young, probably around my age, and dressed in a very neat maid's uniform.I forced a small smile, then nodded. "Thank you."She smiled, then gestured with her hand towards the stairs. I took the path she directed me to, while she fell into step next to me, her fingers elegantly clasped in front of her.I looked around the house, as last night was a complete haze, and I could barely even remember that wr had climbed a stair case. There were dark pieces of art around the house and one on the wall at the very top of the stairs.It was a close-up of a hand. My brows furrowed. Those rings looked like Florian's, and the longer I looked at the painting, the more I saw.I could see the rest from what could have been there, and his fingers seemed to be wrapped around a... chin?I could see the
The bath took longer than I thought, and when I finally pulled myself out of it, the water had gone cold. I wrapped a robe around me and walked. The walk-in closet was just across from the bath, and I thought it was absolutely convenient.I braced myself for yet another discovery as I opened the door. This place had been a whole adventure all through. It made me wonder what else waited. What else could be in there.I opened up the doors, and my lips fell open. Rows after rows of comfortable clothes ranging from hoodies that looked at least two sizes too big, then shorts just like I loved to wear before the whole glow up thing.Now my wardrobe was filled with silk, and I wore them even when it got too hot or felt weird against my skin.I broke into a smile as I walked inside, running my hands on the clothes. This was an absolute dream. There was, for sure, an entire closet for formal dresses and shoes, but the comfortable clothes filled the entire space.I settled on a large Hoodie and