Chapter – 5

As soon as I stepped into the loneliness of my room, the composure I’d managed to pull together crumbled. I relieved a pained breath as I made my way to the bed.

My fingers massaged my temples as I lay there with no will to change. I couldn’t comprehend why I reacted to Orlando like this. After all, we were never an item. He’d been my childhood crush, nothing more. I was sure every teen girl had one. The crush I had on Orlando was like the crush one would have over their favorite movie star.

Yes, that’s it.

You’re overreacting, Arianna.

My hands found the phone that was carelessly tossed on the bed. Several notifications on my I*******m beckoned me. Opening the app, I noticed several comments about our trip, mostly about how beautiful the place was and how lucky we were.

There were more photos from Alana and Brian, snippets from their pre-wedding photoshoot. I was tempted to unfollow and block them, but I didn’t. I should stop looking, but I also had to remind myself why I shouldn’t break down.

That was what they would expect, for me to break down. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.

“I’m stronger than this. I was happier before I met Brian. I can be happy again.” Chanting this mantra, I made my way to the closet to change for bed.

The warm bed and comfortable sheets were no comfort to my racing mind. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t rein in my thoughts. They were now occupied by Brian and Alana.

I didn’t know what I did wrong for my parents to hate me so much. Hatred was an understatement. After my wild party on my seventeenth birthday, they gradually stopped talking altogether.

Mom once confronted me, but she was never one to listen. She heard half and assumed the rest. The conversation didn’t end well because she kept blaming me despite my apologies. And I politely asked her to fuck off. She stormed off that day and never talked to me again. Dad––he rarely talks and always listens to Mom.

I shouldn’t have hosted the party, I agreed. And I shouldn’t have drunk before I was legal. But it wasn’t a big deal like they said. I never realized paparazzi had slipped into our private party and taken photos.

That night, I was wasted before I knew it, and Mike had locked me in a room with Rosalinda. Mike, who was sober, made sure our innocence wasn’t ruined in a drunken haste.

We woke up with massive hangovers and stinky clothes amidst our own vomit. The stink and the cleaning process aftermath taught me a lesson I would never forget. Mike showed us a few photos of our unconscious state, and I vowed never to lose control again. I never touched alcohol in my life after that night. I’d rather deal with all the shit in my life than dealing with hundreds of hammers pelting my head all day long. Also, the concept of losing control didn’t sit well with me. I, for one, liked the control I had over my life.

I wondered why I thought about that incident all of a sudden. My thoughts wandered back to Brian and how surprised he was when he learned I didn’t drink.

“What’s there to be surprised about?”

“Nothing.” Brian smiled. “I just can’t believe you don’t drink.”

“Oh, right. Why does everyone always assume things that way?”

“Maybe it’s because of your rebellious nature?” His statement was more like a question.

Does he think I am rebellious? “I’m not rebellious, Brian. I’m a girl who likes to live her life without being told what to do and how to do it. I hate when someone constantly breathes down my neck with advice. I’m twenty-four, and I firmly believe I know how to differentiate right and wrong.”

“I get it.” Brian lifted his hands in surrender. “That’s something I love about you.” His smile was genuine. “You’re always yourself, and I like that.” There was a longing in his voice. “With you, I feel like I can be myself and don’t have to think twice about what others think of me.”

“You’re perfect the way you are, Brian. You shouldn’t change for anyone else.”

“Thank you.”

I jerked out of my thoughts and wiped off the tears that had accumulated. The bedroom walls were suffocating me all of a sudden, and I had to get out. My body moved of its own accord to get out of the bed. I grabbed the huge, fluffy blanket to keep me warm and slipped on my flats as I exited the room.

The cold air of New Ikandas hit me as soon as I stepped out of the warmth of the mansion. Goose bumps erupted on my skin, where it was kissed by the air. A shiver ran through my body as I continued to walk to the beach.

The path to the beach was lit by lampposts on both sides. LED lights illuminated the greens and made it look like a paradise at night. I could see the lighthouse not so far away as the sound of the ocean waves wrapped my mind with calm.

This was something I liked about this estate. It was never dark. The Cortezes had good taste in designing the interiors and landscape. Even now, the entire place looked like a mystical garden. Every aspect about it was so calming.

The fragrance of a white flower I didn’t know the name of greeted me as soon as I rounded the corner. Mike said they had imported the plants from India, and they had a mesmerizing scent that calmed me. It was a pleasant mixture of the cool air and the sound of waves––a perfect treat to all my senses.

My hold on the blanket tightened as I made my way to the beach. The sand tempted me to ditch my flats, but the seeping cold kept my temptation in check. I wasn’t a fan of cold, but now it was needed to numb my nerves.

At the dinner table, I was tempted to touch alcohol again. But I made a promise that I wouldn’t ruin myself over Brian. I was happy before him. It was only a matter of finding out how to be happy again. I wondered if I’d be so miserable if he had broken up with me prior to all this.

A deep sigh left my lips, and the air puffed out as if I were smoking, something my childish self had enjoyed. The thing about Ikandas, the climate was moderate throughout the year. The summers weren’t too hot, and the winters weren’t too cold.

In the distance, city lights glittered in the night. The estate was located on an island a few miles offshore, with the city on one side and the open sea on the other, with a vast beach. It was the perfect location for a wedding.

The Cortez family also rented the beach for destination weddings occasionally. The only way to get to the island was through the air or through the water. It covered roughly a hundred acres of land and vegetation. There were no wild animals, which was a relief. However, Mike had told me that their estate was an ideal location for migrating birds. The estate would be open for bird lovers and tourists during the day.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

A scream tore through the night, and I realized it was mine when a large hand covered my mouth. I jumped as my grip on the blanket slipped, and my body came in contact with a much colder one.

“Shh, it’s me,” Orlando said when I struggled in his hold.

My body stopped thrashing immediately as hot air fanned my neck. His hold relaxed, and my heart fluttered again. Did he follow me?

“What are you doing here?” he asked as I stepped away and picked the blanket from the ground.

“I couldn’t sleep.” The distant light illuminated his perfectly sculpted face, and I swallowed, realizing I was staring at him. He was shirtless, with only a pair of shorts covering him. The way they hung low on his hips didn’t help either.

Orlando nodded in understanding and turned to walk away. After contemplating for a moment, I decided to follow him. Suddenly, his presence felt good.

“You’re cold,” I said as he took a seat on one of the benches laid out on the beach.

“I’m used to it.”

“My blanket is huge enough for both of us,” I suggested as I took a seat beside him. I didn’t wait before I threw one end of the blanket over his shoulder and brought it around us to hold it together. I shivered from the cold radiating from his body. “You’re freezing.”

A contented sigh left his lips, and they stretched, forming a smile. My heart lurched, seeing how young and handsome it made him look. We sat there in silence, admiring the waves for a while before he spoke again.

“So, Mike said you resigned your job. What happened?”

“Brian happened.” I didn’t hesitate. They all knew about him. In fact, it was my dream to get married on this estate––an excellent wedding and honeymoon.

“You broke up with him?”

“No. He dumped me for my sister. They’re getting married in three weeks.” My voice held the pain that was still raw inside my chest.

“Asshole.”

I chuckled. “And he didn’t even bother to break up with me.”

“When did you find out?”

“Two months ago, when he showed up for one of our family parties,” I drawled. “He proposed to her in front of everyone.”

I still remember that day. Brian had said his family was sending him on a business trip, and he was going to visit their overseas branches. It was the first time he was going away, and I remember how miserable I was when I gave him a teary send-off. Now, when I thought about it, it was the same time my parents sent Alana abroad for the first time. “You are our heir. It’s time you got involved in the family business,” I’d heard Mom say to her.

At that time, nothing crossed my mind. When they both returned two months later, I first experienced the taste of betrayal. The party was hosted in her honor. Dad announced her as his successor, and then Brian showed up. My foolish heart fluttered at the sight, and I wanted to run into his arms and smother him with kisses.

But then he didn’t even glance in my direction. He went to my parents, and greeted them. They spoke in hushed voices before Brian clinked his glass to grab everyone’s attention. When he began speaking, my heart was a nervous mush.

“You know, that night at the party when he began telling everyone how he met the girl of his dreams and how much he loved her, I thought he was talking about me. I believed he finally got his parents’ blessing and was going to surprise me.”

I could still recall that elevated feeling that made it seem like my body was floating on hearing his words. Sobs threatened to spill as I realized what was happening. I never realized the happiness would be sucked away and I’d be pushed into a void of no return.

 “Then he got on one knee and said her name.” My voice broke and my body heaved with a violent sob. “He said, ‘Alana, my love, will you make me a proud man by becoming my wife?’” I recalled his exact words.

Orlando’s hands enclosed me and rubbed my back as I continued to sob.

The crowd erupted into claps and cheers when those words left Brian’s mouth. It felt as if I had plunged face-first from a building. Did I hear that right? I blinked several times and tried to comprehend what I just heard. Alana, not Arianna.

Alana giggled and made her way toward him in slow motion as I stood frozen. “Yes!” she screamed as our parents squealed with joy. My stupid, love-struck brain couldn’t understand what my vision was transferring to it. My twin was now kissing my boyfriend.

“I don’t remember how I made it to my room. I was numb.” Brian stayed over that night, which I found out in the morning, and for several nights after their high-profile engagement. It was the next night I confronted him.