CHAPTER 3

ETHAN

I had just received an anonymous message, and the urgency in the words set my nerves on edge.

"Come over to Emeraldo Hotel right now, a life lies in whatever decision you make." My mind raced, trying to decipher who could have sent such a text and why. I didn't need a fortune teller to tell me; someone dear to me was in trouble, and I had to find out who it was.

I looked over at my friends in the club, who were obviously lost in getting drunk. "Guys, I need to go," I said abruptly, grabbing my jacket.

"Oho, your hot boss is calling again," Mike teased, winking at me. "I bet you can’t say you aren’t attracted to her, huh?”

"Oh, please, we all know Ethan is faithful as f*ck to Stella. What hold has that b*tch got on you, man?” Dave shook his head, irritated at the mention of Stella’s name.

Dave and Mike had never liked Stella, not even once. They claimed she wasn’t the type of lady a man should settle for and often complained about the weird negative aura she emitted any time she was around, but I could care less about their opinion. She was the love of my life, and I was about to get married to her.

“Guys, come on. That’s my fiancée you’re talking about. The least you can do is show her some respect,” I said, not wanting to continue the conversation about my love life any further. “Got to go now. We’ll talk some other time.”

As I drove to Emeraldo Hotel, I couldn’t help but feel that this was somehow connected to Stella. She had been acting strangely the past week, and a part of me feared that whatever was troubling her had reached its boiling point.

With an unsettled mind, I picked up my phone and gave Stella a call. Her line was unreachable. This was strange and so unlike her.

I was getting more anxious, I dialed her home phone, but no one picked up.

My worry intensified; I couldn’t help but think she was in real danger, and I needed to make it on time.

Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I pressed down on the accelerator. I had to get to the hotel as fast as I could.

*****

I had just reached the hotel, and I was fifteen minutes behind time. I parked hastily and rushed inside.

The hotel screamed luxury even from afar; its lobby was as big as New York City itself, with its walls reflecting the lights from the chandeliers hung above. It was so easy for one to get lost in such a bustling environment.

The lobby was filled with well-dressed guests moving around, carrying out their various activities without minding each other. I scanned through the crowd, wary of any sign of danger or distress. Finding none, I proceeded towards the reception hall, hoping for some clues.

“GOOD DAY SIR, I AM LUCY, AND YOU’RE WELCOME TO EMERALDO HOTEL.” The young receptionist greeted me with a radiant smile, which was just as welcoming as her words.

“Good evening, Lucy,” I answered, acknowledging her greeting with a soft tone.

“How may I be of help to you, sir?” She asked, maintaining professionalism.

“Uhmm, well, I don’t know if you could-“ I paused, realizing it would be stupid to let her know I rushed here over an anonymous text.

My phone buzzed again with another message: “First floor, Suite 2."

“I guess I’m being monitored. I hope I’m not the target.” I thought, second-guessing whether it was right for me to come alone without informing anyone.

I pulled out my phone, leaving an emergency text for Lizzy. She was the only one I could truly confide in right now.

“You were saying…” the receptionist called out softly, interrupting my thoughts.

“Sorry, would you mind showing me the way to the elevator?”

“That way,” she pointed out to the left.

“Thank you.” I hurried to the elevator, my heart pounding as it stopped on the first floor. I lifted my feet slightly above the ground, wary of each step I made, while I used my eyes to find the number 2 on the doors lined up.

“Ah, there it is,” I exclaimed, running towards it like it had a time bomb attached. As I got closer to the room door, I could hear a faint sound of pleasure coming from within.

“That doesn’t sound like danger. This probably isn’t the right room,” I thought. With a doubtful heart, I checked my phone again, opening the message the anonymous sender had texted to the boldly written text “Suite 2.”

Seeing that I wasn’t standing in front of the wrong room, I decided to walk in, pushing the door of the suite open.

Walking in further, I could see ruffled clothes on the floor. The suite looked like it was booked by two lovers on a honeymoon or something. At least, that was what the atmosphere emitted.

“Ahhhh”

“Uhmmm, harder,''

“Uhmmm”

The moans from the room got intense as I stepped closer to the bedroom. I could sense a familiarity in the voice I heard.

I tried hard to decipher the voice coming from within, resulting in my leg hitting the wine glass.

The sound of the wine glass shattering into pieces was loud enough to wake a deep sleeper, but not those two in there. They were so immersed in their lovemaking that they couldn’t hear a thing.

I paid attention to walking more carefully towards the room door. Peeping through the already-opened door, I was welcomed to witness the shock of my life. My fiancée, Stella, had been the one making those sounds all along.

“Ste.. Stella?” I called out, my voice trembling from shock.

“OmG! ETHAN, what are you doing here? Stella's eyes flickered from shock almost immediately. Her body was still lying naked on the bed, with no decency to wrap her shameless self up with the sheets before questioning me.

“I should be asking you this, Stella. What in the world is going on here?” I yelled, my veins bulging from the anger built in my body. I had just caught my fiancée making out with another man, and what she cared about was why I was present there.

I waited patiently for a response, hoping this was just a nightmare or a big surprise act. I needed an explanation from her. Why was my fiancée here, unclad in the arms of another? I needed to know who the man beside her was. and why did she choose to betray me? I wanted her to say something really bad, clarifying this as a mistake at least.

“What do you think, Ethan? I’m having fun.” Stella uttered, with no single sign of remorse in her words.

Her painful words stung into my soul as I struggled to process my thoughts.

“Fun. Stella…you-you’re over here, in bed with another man, and you call this fun?” I yelled at her, my voice shaky from the pain I was feeling.

“Ethan, I’m sorry, I think you should leave,” Stella muttered, giving me an apologetic look.

“Who is he?” The man beside her raised a brow at her, waiting for a response.

“He’s a friend. Babe, I need a moment with him, please.” Stella turned to face the man, not even batting an eye at me.

“??? BABE?? A FRIEND??….”

I was unable to move, my head sprang in disbelief and rage as I replayed those words. I watched the man walk out of the room. I wondered who gave him the right to ask that; I was the one betrayed. I was the one who should be apologized to. I looked over at Stella, the woman I thought I knew who now seemed like a total stranger.

Her eyes, those eyes I once considered charming and innocent—were nothing but deceptive and cold.

“Stella, I need an explanation. Why? Why did you do this?” I clenched my fist in anger as I spoke. I was trying so hard to be civil and rational.

I watched as she finally sat up, wrapping a sheet around herself. She looked at me, obviously annoyed as if I was at fault for interrupting her sexcapade.

“Ethan, our relationship ended a long time before this. You just didn’t see it. I needed someone more—someone exciting. And you….you were just too predictable, too easy.”

Her words pierced through my skin, each one a fresh cut.

“Too predictable? Too easy? And this is your idea of excitement? Betraying me like this?”

She shrugged as if my pain were a minor inconvenience. “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. But maybe it’s for the best. Now you know the truth, Ethan.”

My heart bled more as she spoke. Her words stung deep into my soul; it all still felt like a dream, more like a nightmare I needed to wake up from.

As I struggled to process my thoughts and respond, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen and froze.

Another anonymous message popped up: "You’re not safe. Leave now before it’s too late."