Chapter 1.

Chapter 1.

— Once upon a time there was a bar...

|Today |

I will never put another drop of alcohol in my mouth for the rest of my existence on earth!

This was the first thought that occurred to me when I woke up the next morning after a night of drinking with a complete stranger. In fact, it only took two glasses of vodka and three martinis to get me drunk. A grunt of pain escaped my parched lips, while my head throbbed in an irritating way. Without much choice and feeling an irresistible urge to pee in the first bathroom that came into my field of vision, I sat down on the bed in one sudden movement, causing a strong nausea to hit me like a runaway truck.

Why did I make up a drink?

Still in the cloud of having just woken up minutes before, I realized that the mattress, on which I was still sitting with my head throbbing and my eyes closed, was strangely too soft for an architect, practically newly graduated and hired by a big construction company like me, to boast as a luxury item in an ordinary bedroom. It was so cozy that I hardly noticed the small details: how I was under the effects of a dog's hangover, a terrible urge to throw out what I hadn't eaten, and the burning between my legs, the result of a wonderful fuck I had with a complete stranger the night before.

Wait! What the hell did I do this time?

— What? — The incredulous whisper jumped through my dry lips all by itself.

Like a slap in the face, my eyes widened and my heart raced.

— What did you do this time, Carina Maria? — I asked in desperation. — Holy shit! — I exclaimed a little louder.

That mattress definitely didn't belong to me. In fact, that room wasn't even mine, to tell you the truth. Oh, no! The room was airy, bright, and very spacious. There was a huge double bed, the same one I was still sitting on, in the center, plus a white sofa to the left and two doors on the right.

It was a room worthy of a Hollywood movie. However, in my case, it would be a low-budget horror movie.

— My goodness! — I ran my hands through my hair, which was tangled and in disheveled curls. — I'm naked. — I whispered as I realized that there were no clothes on my body.

What was already bad became much worse when a soft, hoarse murmur came from my left side. Instantly, I turned my head in the direction of the sound and was confronted with the naked, tattooed, and excessively scratched back of an unknown blonde.

The same blonde I had met the night before at the bar where I was with my two best friends.

| Previously|

Harry Styles' melodious voice sounded throughout the space, while Watermelon Sugar filled the ears with everyone in the luxurious bar. Low lights, expensive and colorful drinks, well-groomed people, and side conversations completed the sexy air of the exquisite atmosphere. Unexpectedly, or not so unexpectedly, I felt a bit uncomfortable and out of place being in a place where my salary could not even pay for a soda water.

Fortunately, I never liked sparkling water. Amen, sisters!

— Why are you making such a dirty face, Cah? — Arabella questioned, laughing excessively, while I couldn't stop staring at the clear liquid inside the small, elegant glass. — Drink up, girl! — she exclaimed in the same tone.

She already had too much alcohol in her body!

Frowning with pure distrust and fear, I looked away from the glass and fixed my gaze on the face of one of my best friends. A wide smile appeared on her red lips and a short laugh was uttered as I arched an eyebrow in response.

— How much is this vodka worth, Bella? How many dollars have you gotten poorer? — I asked suspiciously, without looking away from her amused expression. She just rolled her eyes in response. — Arabella! — I raised my voice so that she would take me seriously.

Again, she rolled her eyes.

It was so exciting the way I was taken seriously by her.

— Fifty dollars, Cah. — she replied, shrugging her shoulders. It was as if she was talking about the weather and not such an expensive drink. — Carina, relax and drink up. — She encouraged, sitting down on the blood-red padded bench beside me. — We brought you here to make you forget about that shitty boyfriend of yours. — she added, bitterly.

Putting the glass aside, I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back on the bench. At that moment, not even Rihanna's wonderful voice seemed loud enough to erase the conflicting thoughts from my head. My desire to be in that luxurious bar was already almost non-existent, and having Arabella remind me why I agreed to go out on a Friday night only made me even more despondent. But on the other hand, she was right, because my relationship of almost a year had come at a critical time to have any salvation.

— Cah, excuse me, please! — She began to murmur beside me, sounding distressed, minutes later there was silence between the two of us. — I…

I let out another sigh and raised my hand in a plea for her to stop apologizing.

— You're right, Bella. — I confessed, finally discouraged. — Lorenzo and I have no future. In fact, I should have put an end to our relationship already. — I shut up, searching for the right words to say what had been stuck in my throat for three days. — He is cheating on me. — I finally let go.

I expected Arabella to scream and curse and make various crazy plans to rip his balls off with a rusty knife and no anesthesia, but nothing came out of her red lips. I frowned, feeling exceedingly confused, and turned my head in her direction for answers. She stood there with her eyes downcast and an indecipherable expression.

— Arabella? — I called out to my friend and touched her hand on the table, drawing her attention back to me. — Is everything okay, Bella? — I asked, a little worried.

She looked at me with a seriousness that almost never occurred to her. The South Korean descendant was the most fun-loving, free-spirited, and outspoken person I have ever had the pleasure to meet in almost twenty-six years of existence. Arabella Hailey Kwon was a true force of nature, unique and eccentric.

— You're scaring me, Bella.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

— I'm sorry, Carina. — she whispered, finally. I stared at her, relieved that she had finally said something. — How do you know that penis is cheating on you?

I grimaced in pure disgust.

— I found a pair of worn black lace panties in his car when I went to adjust the passenger seat. — I looked at it, in disgust. It was very disgusting. — Whoever the woman was, she left it there with the intention that it would be found. And that wasn't the only discovery for me, Bella. — I shrugged and let go of her hand, staring into the crowd immediately afterward. — Five days earlier, I found a gold bracelet in the glove compartment when I was looking for some candy or gum that he always has in the car, and his mother only wears silver.

Looking around, I watched as she picked up her glass of vodka and turned it over in one go.

— I'm going to find out who she is. — she said angrily.

At the same moment, I turned my head in her direction, finding her with an irritated expression and her lips pressed together in a straight line.

— What do you know that I don't already know, Bella? — I asked in a short and direct manner.

She didn't seem the least bit surprised by my question.

With over fifteen years of almost daily contact and a deep, no-secrets friendship with the South Korean descendant, I had learned to read much more easily than anyone else, so I had full conviction that my friend knew something, or at least suspected it.

— First, I need to be sure of my suspicion and have concrete proof, Cah. — she said, categorically. — Then I will give you the answers you need. But for now, don't tell Grace anything. — she asked, without further details. — Are you going to break up with him?

I opened my mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a brown-haired hurricane, a little drunk, smiling too much, and with smeared wine lipstick.

— I'm home, girls! — Grace hummed, excitedly, throwing herself down on the bench in front of us and holding a glass of some colorful drink. — Wow, what faces are those? — She frowned, looking at us strangely. — Who died? — She laughed, to herself.

— Your notion, Grace. — Arabella retorted, sourly, causing the other brunette's laughter to subside. I looked at her in astonishment. — In accepting drinks from anyone. — She added, in the same tone, shortly after.

Holy shit! Why did I get the feeling that her words expressed much more than a lecture to our friend?

— Jesus, Arabella! — Grace muttered, irritated. — What's wrong with you, girl? It's the lack of sex, isn't it? — She laughed again and drank some more of her drink. — Maybe I can help you with your little problem, in case no woman wants to have sex with you. — she suggested dismissively. — You know, don't you? We can have a flashback. — He winked.

I felt my mouth open into a perfect “O.” Before I could stop her from talking nonsense and, as a consequence, hurting our friend, Arabella rose from the seat beside me in one fell swoop and grabbed my untouched glass of vodka, throwing the expensive drink in Grace's face immediately afterward.

— Go to hell, Grace! — Bella screamed at the top of her lungs as the first tears streamed down her face. — Talk to you later, Carina. — she whispered, choking, before grabbing her purse and disappearing like a hurricane.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, touching the wrinkle that had formed between my eyebrows with my fingertips. Internally, I tried to stay calm and also not to yell at her, because that wouldn't change the fact that Grace had been a jerk to Arabella.

— Why did you do it, Sofia? — I asked, calling her by her first name when she opened her eyes. The brunette, who was sitting in front of me and had already wiped her face with some napkins, had a very calm expression for someone who had just hurt someone else's emotions for exactly nothing. — I knew I would hurt her. — I insisted, beginning to lose what little patience I had left. — I'm talking to you, dammit! — I screamed and slammed the table with a closed fist.

Sofia Grace, who was staring lewdly at a tall dark man across the bar, turned her attention to my face. She stared at me with obvious boredom and rolled her brown eyes, leaving me with no response. Finally, she simply shrugged and raised her arm to a waiter who was passing in front of us at the moment.

— Another martini, please! — she asked politely, still without answering me.

— Just a minute, miss. — The waiter smiled solicitously at her. — Would you like anything? — He turned in my direction. I just nodded my head in the negative. — I'll be back in a moment!

— Thank you, Chris! — She thanked me with a huge smile, after reading his name on her uniform badge.

I wrinkled my forehead.

— Aren't you going to say anything, Sofia?

— What do you want me to say, Carina? — She turned her head toward me and her face contorted into a bitter frown. — That my expensive make-up was worth every dollar invested and wasn't ruined when Arabella acted like a spoiled child throwing vodka at me? — A disdainful smile appeared on her lips. — Well, I'm still pretty and my eyelash mask is still intact. — He leaned his torso forward on the table and approached me. — Relax, Cah, and enjoy the evening. — She winked and walked away.

I opened my mouth to retort, but could not make a sound. I was too indignant and perplexed to have any reaction. In fact, my eyes were burning with tears of anger that I refused to shed.

— Besides, I didn't say anything too much, and I can't do anything if Arabella hasn't gotten over our breakup yet. — He continued, shrugging his shoulders. — Thank you! — She thanked him when the young man put the martini glass in front of her and left after nodding. — Have you seen any guys you're interested in, Cah? — she asked, simple-minded.

— You're an idiot, Sofia. — I whispered between them, getting up and leaving without looking back.

I passed like a hurricane through the people without clearly seeing anyone's face. I just let my feet take on a will of their own and take me anywhere that was as far out of Grace's sight as possible. She was a selfish creature without the slightest empathy! I was heading for the exit, but changed course at the last second and headed for the main bar.

— A vodka, please! — I asked as I sat on the tall red lacquer stool and leaned my elbows on the counter. — Actually, it's two, young man.

The barman just nodded positively.

— Damn… —I mumbled, exhausted, and closed my eyes.

More than two years ago, Arabella had confessed to me that she had been in love with Grace since her freshman year of college, and that, in return, she was in love with the brown-eyed brunette. At the time, I only had the reaction to laugh and mock her, saying that this was not news to me. I felt overflowing with happiness, as they were both my best friends, and I was very happy to see them together as a couple. However, all the good feelings turned into an avalanche of bitterness, tears, and a single broken heart at the end of it all.

— Rough night? — asked a gruff female voice with a strong Italian accent right next to me. — A martini, please! — asked the barman in the same tone.

Suddenly, I opened my eyes and turned my head in the same direction. I felt my breath caught in my throat and my mind went blank for a few milliseconds because I had just met a very attractive and beautiful blonde.

— I'm Beatrice. — She continued, widening her smile. — And you?

All it took was a name, a strange blonde, and a few glasses of alcohol to turn my life upside down.

|Currently |

Don't panic, Carina!

— I'm going to panic! — I grunted, desperate. — I'll freak out! — I repeated, my heart pounding in my chest and my breathing agitated. — Holy shit! — I cursed out loud.

What else could go wrong in what was already a major disaster?

— Buongiorno! — wished the same female voice, hoarse and with a strong Italian accent.

Ah, yes! She wakes up next to me!