WILD NIGHT

The warm rays of the sun straight on my face pulled me out of a deep sleep. My head is extremely heavy, and everything felt like a blurring image, still sleepy, I mumbled to myself, "What's the time? If I'm late and miss making breakfast, Mother will kill me." The moment I opened my eyes completely keeping aside the sleepiness and looked at my surroundings, the reality hit me hard that I wasn't at home and this isn't my room, this realisation turned into bewilderment.

Memories of last night started to appear in front of me as I saw my clothes scattered across the floor. 

"I can see that you're loving it by the way you're moaning with pleasure under me, right, little lamb?" That husky voice ringing in my mind even now. 

The man from last night wasn't Joseph, nothing is my imagination, moreover the bloodstain on the bedsheet confirmed it I had lost my virginity to a stranger, this confirmation clenched my heart.

Tears began streaming down my cheeks, not because of physical pain but from the emotional turmoil in the heart. Seeing my body covered in blue and violet bite marks filled me with disgust remembering the shameful night. 

I threw the pillow aside, sobbing bitterly, hoping very badly to turn this into a nightmare rather than real, the sound of running water from the bathroom and that same voice brought me back to the present, "I can't attend it" this voice brought shiver in my spine, remembering all the scenes last night.

In a panic, I tried to get up from the bed but was immediately forced to sit back down by the throbbing pain passing through my body, as if a group of elephants had stepped over me. Despite the pain, I managed to gather my scattered clothes and dress hurriedly.

With great difficulty, I walked out of the room, leaving some cash on the table, left the hotel and got into a cab so that I can be in home as quickly as possible.

Sitting in the cab, I couldn't stop the tears anymore, my head swirled with confusion and fear, "What am I supposed to do now? How am I going to explain this to Joseph? Why didn’t Joseph come last night? Who is that man I spent with last night?" 

Lost in my chain of thoughts, until I heard the voice of the cab driver, "Madam, we have arrived at the destination." 

Getting back into my senses, I got out of the cab and walked towards the mansion, each step was painful, my heart heavy with the guilt, while my mind was full of confusion, "How could I explain this? How would I cope up with this situation? But despite everything, I forced myself to keep moving forward.

The extreme silence in the house was intimidating, as soon as I stepped inside, a harsh slap met my face, leaving me stunned, my mother-in-law stood before me, with a furious look.

"Mother," I started, but she cut me off, her eyes reddened with anger.

"Don't you dare call me that with your disgusting mouth," she shouted pushing me aside, I stumbled, trying to regain my balance. The room was filled with my in-laws, Joseph, and my adopted family, all of them glaring at me as if I'm a criminal.

Joseph threw a pile of photos at me, they scattered around me, each one showing me being carried by a man at the hotel into a room, "Your shameless behavior is all over the place, I'm disgusted by you," he clenched his fist controlling his anger.

Ruby joined in, her face twisted with disgust and hatred, "I thought you were just useless with the housework, but you're an expert at selling yourself to men."

I stood there, confused and horrified, not understanding how they had found out, then Joseph spoke again, his voice dripping with despised feelings towards me, "We were celebrating my new position as CEO, and you chose to entertain other men instead, how shameless can you be?"

"Joseph, it's not what you think," I tried to explain, but my mother's hand struck me with a harsh slap.

"We gave you a good husband, while prioritizing your future over our own daughter's, and this is how you repay us? By seducing other men? We're ashamed of adopting someone like you."

Their accusations swirled around me, and I felt utterly helpless, no one was willing to listen to my side of the story, I'm innocent, I was just framed, but why does none are listening to me? Just then, my sister Natalie stepped forward, her voice filled with mocking rather than concern, "Oh, my dear little sister, why would you do something like this? Aren't you satisfied with your husband and in-laws?"

"I didn't do anything!" I screamed, desperately hoping someone would believe me, "I don't know anything, I'm truly innocent."

Joseph sneered, "You didn't do anything? Just entertained another man, right? Those hickeys on your neck clearly showing your innocence."

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face, my mother-in-law grabbed my hair as I winced in pain, "Dolling yourself up to entertain men last night, weren't you? Isn't that why you went outside?" 

"No, Mother, I just went to meet Joseph," I mumbled trying to say the truth, Natalie intervened in the conversation, "Joseph is at home, which Joseph did you go to meet, little sister?" Her accusation made everyone look at me suspiciously. 

"It was Joseph's message that made me go to that hotel," I explained.

"Message? Why don't you show it?" Joseph demanded, I hurriedly searched for my phone but couldn't find it, my mother-in-law shouted at me, "Now you're blaming my son for your sins?"

I don't even know how to prove my innocence as I'm finding for the words to speak, she continued, "Despite you being barren for five long years, we've accepted you, though you're useless, we allowed you to live in the same house as us, is this how you repay our family's kindness? How can you ruin my son's life like this?"

Joseph sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm fed up with this, Mom. I can't let her ruin my life anymore."

"Joseph, please don't say that! I'm innocent, I never wanted this to happen. I've always loved you, even you know that, I was always loyal to you," I pleaded, my voice trembling in pain.

He handed me a set of papers, "Just sign these damn papers and get out of my life while I'm still being nice," he ordered me coldly, I glanced down and saw they were divorce papers, my world shattered in that instant.

I fell to my knees, begging him, "Joseph, I'm truly innocent, I have no one but you, please, trust me, there's no way I would cheat on you, try to trust me for once."

Joseph turned to my adoptive mother, "Even though she's just your adopted daughter, I accepted her as my wife wholeheartedly, but now, after seeing how she cheated on me, I'm still trying to be decent and polite, if she keeps this up, I'll make it public, and your reputation will be at risk."

My mother glared at me, "Bella, we raised you and gave you everything, more than our own daughter, don't ruin our reputation, just leave us for good."

I don't understand why none are trying to listen to me, I'm crying for the entire time, "But I'm innocent, Mom, I was framed for real, I didn't do anything, I don't even know how I ended up in that room."

Joseph glared at me coldly not letting me speak further, "Just sign the papers, I'm not interested in your drama, no one wants to frame an useless woman like you, it's all a part of your plan." 

I looked around the room, with a last bit of hope but all I could see is only disgust on their faces towards me, no one showed me any pity thinking of me as a shameless woman.

I understood, I was left no choice apart from signing those divorce papers, as I signed with with tears streaming down my face, Joseph gave another paper, "you can take whatever you want as a compensation," I smiled bitterly, "I already lost everything, I've no desire towards anything, just answer to my question, did you ever loved me?"

He turned his face away, I just left that paper aside, "I don't want anything from you in return for this divorce." 

Thinking of it as a chance, my mother-in-law dragged me out of the house, with a satisfied look on her face, "finally, we got rid of trash like you, never come back to our lives again, my son will have a bright future now."

As I stood there in tears not understanding where I am at fault to be getting humiliated like this, I heard Natalie's mocking voice, "Hey, little sister, how was your wild night with an old man?"