Chapter 3

Kate's POV

It was the pain that woke me up. It felt like a stubborn chef was pounding inside my head, making sure I didn't roll over to go back to sleep. 

Groaning, I tried to open my eyes, but they felt heavy. Very heavy. When I finally managed to open them, the fluorescent hurt and I had to close them and open them again, slowly this time. 

I sat up from the bed and looked around. The room looked strange, like a….I gasped. 

A hotel room? What was I doing in one? 

Just then, wind from somewhere caressed my body and I realised I was naked. My panic intensified. I looked around frantically, and that was when I saw the body beside me, sleeping peacefully. 

It's back was turned to me, so I couldn't see the face properly. 

I felt the blood drain from my face as I pieced the clues together. I couldn't remember getting to this room, but I can remember every other thing that happened before. 

The wedding preparations, Max cheating, escaping the altar, drinking at the bar. 

Oh God, did I just have a one night stand? With who? 

Carefully, I leaned over to look at the man's face. But he suddenly exhaled loudly and looked like he was about to wake. 

Panic shot up my spine. 

I didn't want him to meet me here. What if he was a creep? 

Frantically, I picked my clothes scattered on the floor and started dressing, keeping my eyes on the man at all times and hoping he would not wake. 

Just as I zipped up the wedding dress, he turned to face me. Leaving the dam zip, I swept my phone off the table and dashed for the door. 

As my hands closed over it, I heard his hoarse voice call out. 

"Hey, stop!"

I didn't. 

I practically flew down the stairs of the bar. Luckily, a cab pulled up as soon as I got out. I gave it my address and jumped in, relieved when I didn't see my one night stand chasing after me. 

After paying the fare for the cab minutes later, I unlocked my apartment and slipped inside before anyone could see me in the wedding dress. 

I was glad I hadn't told anyone about my wedding, neither my neighbors nor the colleagues. 

After plugging in my phone to charge, I stepped in the shower. As the water ran over me, I noticed a soreness in my nether regions. 

My God, I must have had one hell of a night. I had always imagined giving up myself to my husband on my wedding night, and the bliss he would give me.

But now, a random man had taken away that dream. I was a little surprised to discover I didn't regret it as much as I thought I would. 

I didn't think I was ever going to get married anyway. I don't believe in true love anymore. 

As I toweled myself dry, I heard a knock on the door. Without thinking too much about it, I walked to the door with my towel still wrapped around me. 

I opened the door a sliver, saw who it was, and slammed it in his face. 

Max. 

I was pretty sure he was here to apologize, but I was still too hurt to even want to see him. 

However, he refused to leave and continued banging on the door. Not wanting to bring down the neighbours, I finally opened the door with the decision to let him talk himself out without listening to a word he said. 

But his words the moment I opened the door disgusted me. He raked his eyes over my still wet body, his jaws dropped open and he muttered as if he would never have believed it. 

"You're hurt!"

Frankly, I could have snapped his neck off at that moment if I had the abilit. 

"Are you just going to stare?" I snapped, my tone cold. 

He cleared his throat and started his litany of apologies. According to him, I denied him sex, only allowing him hugs and kisses. He was a man and had his desires…..the whole shitload of blah blah bullshit. 

He was justifying himself more than apologising. I was so angered I slammed the door in his face again. This time, I didn't care if he brought the neighbours down. 

Luckily, he left, but my phone started pinging from a cascade of texts right after. I knew without checking they were from him. 

But each ping was like an arrow that shot into my already pierced heart. 

The room suddenly felt stifling and tears burned my eyes. Suddenly, the whole emotions I have been trying to keep off crashed down on me. 

I struggled to keep the tears from falling. I wasn't going to cry for such a pig. 

Thinking of something to keep my mind of him, I thought of work. Luckily, I still had time to get to the office. 

I dressed and took a cab to the office. I was glad I hadn't told anyone about my wedding, or I wouldn't have been able to explain why I was in the office on the first day after the wedding. 

The first thing I noticed as I walked into the building was the hushed whispers. Everyone was openly staring at me, not even bothering to hide it. 

I became extremely uncomfortable and looked at myself, wondering if I had worn my clothes the wrong way. However, they were alright. 

Extremely self conscious, I took the elevator to my floor. I was in for more surprises. 

The sight of the cubicle I shared with three other colleagues decorated as if there was some sort of celebration threw me into confusion. 

What were they celebrating? And where was everyone? 

At that exact moment, heads emerged from below the desk, behind the shelf, all sorts of places. Balloons popped and glitters showered from somewhere. 

I stood unmoving at the door, stunned. What was going on? 

"Congratulations!" Everyone screamed at the same time. 

Suddenly, a terrifying idea flashed through my mind. Had they known about the marriage? How? 

"What's the celebration for?" I asked, fearing the answer even as I walked into the room and dropped my handbag on the desk. 

"Your marriage, of course!" Vera, a colleague said, squeezing my shoulder. 

I paled. How did they find out? Who told them? But why would they celebrate it? My whole life is ruined! 

That's hardly something to celebrate. Unless they didn't know I left the groom at the altar. 

"How did you guys know?" I asked, searching their faces. 

Mae, another colleague who was about the same age as me, rolled her eyes. 

"How wouldn't we know? It's all over the news!" 

My heart skipped a beat. All over the news, as in, that I left the groom at the altar? I was getting more and more confused. 

Vera, seeing the look on my face patted my shoulder. 

"Dear, when you marry a rich and influential figure, there is no way to keep it out of the news. Deal with it,"

Rich and influential? "I think you got the wrong person, guys," I said, suddenly feeling relieved. 

Mae rolled her eyes again and whipped out her tablet. 

"Who is this?" she asked, thrusting it in my face. 

On the screen was a picture of me in my bridal dresses in a man's arms. We were looking into each other's eyes deeply, unaware of our surroundings. The picture had a caption: CEO of Fashion Goddess, Dante Di Benedetto, Caught On Camera With His Bride In A Bar. 

I gasped. 

Fashion Goddess, as in the company where I worked? 

The clues came together in my mind and I felt the blood drain from my face. Seriously? I spent the night with my CEO? 

As if things weren't awkward enough, a gentle knock sounded on the door, followed by a gentle voice. 

"Mr. Benedetto summons Mrs. Benedetto to his office," the voice said. 

Vera, Mae and the others clapped me on my shoulders and ohhed. 

Panic shot up my spine. Mrs. Benedetto? 

But the more important thing was, how was I going to face him?