3| The wrong room

Astrid

A sharp sting erupted across my check as soon as the words left my lips. I stood there, stunned. My skin was stinging from the impact, but the pain was nothing like the emptiness in my chest.

The two men I wanted love from the most had slapped me twice today, and the reason was my sister.

My gaze flickered to my mother, but she looked away, her lips pressed into a thin line, pretending she hadn't seen anything.

She was always indifferent when it came to me, her only focus was her second daughter. She would always make a fuss when something little happened to Serena, but she didn't even blink an eye when father raised his hand on me.

I blinked, my vision blurred. The sudden ache in my chest was too hard to ignore. Why was it always Serena? I wasn't even asking for all their love. I just wanted them to treat me like I was their daughter, not some random child they picked from the street.

Was that too much to ask?

"Don't you dare talk to your sister that way!" My father growled. "She is your flesh and blood. You should be protecting her, not calling her names."

"What about me?" I whispered, my voice shaking. "Who will protect me? Who will hug me and tell me everything is okay? I'm hurt, dad. I'm so frustrated, I want to die. You didn't even ask why I said those words before you raised your hands on me."

A look of concern flashed in my mother's eyes. She was about to say something when Serena cried harder. "It is all my fault. Please don't be angry with Astrid. I don't want to cause my sister any pain."

I glared at her. She must have chosen the wrong profession because, her acting career would have thrived if she had been an actress instead of a model. How was she able to shed real tears every time?

My mother turned back to me. Her eyes, once filled with warmth, transformed into an icy stare. "Stop talking nonsense. You want to die because of a slap? What about when you pull your sister's hair? Did you know how much that must have hurt her?"

"Hurt her? What a joke." I spat. "She was the one that did something wrong when she decided to sleep with Nathaniel. I caught her having sex with my husband."

My parents were taken aback. They stared at me in shock. But not the shock I expected. It was something else.

"When did you find out?" He asked eagerly.

My stomach dropped, and my hands trembled. I expected many things, disbelief, anger and disgust, but not this question.

I stared at him, my mind struggling to understand what was happening. Then I saw it, a flicker in his eyes. He wasn't surprised or horrified. He was calm, too calm.

"You knew?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "You knew, and you let her destroy my marriage. You let her take everything from me and you didn't even try to stop her!"

"Shut up!" My father snapped, his voice sharp. "I asked you a question. What did you do? Did you upset Nathaniel?"

I wanted to laugh. All he cared about was how I reacted to my husband after I caught him cheating. My parents had always seen Nathaniel as a golden ticket to live a more comfortable life. They took advantage of the fact that he was a millionaire and got whatever they had always dreamed of having. They had never once even thought about their oldest daughter. Their love for Serena was so overwhelming that sometimes I wondered if I was truly their biological daughter.

"S-she told him she wanted a divorce. I tried to stop her dad, but she wouldn't listen. Nathaniel was so furious."

"Are you crazy!" My mother shirked. "What have you done?"

"I did the right thing. I left a cheating husband. What do you expect, mom? I can't stay with someone that sleeps around, especially if that person he is sleeping around with is my younger sister."

My father's eyes blazed with anger. And before I knew it, he held my wrist, yanking me towards the door with force. It would leave a bruise.

"Stop, you're hurting me." I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. He threw me out of the front door, the force sending me stumbling.

"Get out." He snarled. "Better apologize to your husband and beg him to take you back. If you don't, you are not my daughter. I will disown you!"

Without waiting for me to say anything, he turned on his heel, stepping back into the house, and slammed the door shut with a loud bang that echoed in the night air.

***

I lifted the glass to my lips, feeling the burn as the alcohol slid down my throat. The room was spinning, and I barely noticed anything but the whiskey in my hand.

I ran a hand through my blond locks. It was useless. No matter how much I drank, it did nothing to stop the ache in my chest. I lost everything in a day; my marriage, family and my home. I had nothing to call mine. Who was I kidding? None of it was ever mine to begin with. Everything belonged to Serena. The one thing I thought belonged to me. She also took that away from me.

I drowned the rest of my drink and tapped the empty glass. "One more glass."

The bartender glanced at me with concern. "Ma'am, I think you've had enough. Should I have someone escort you back to your room?"

I opened my mouth to complain, but the tall man in front of me interrupted me before I could speak. "You're the only one here, Miss. I don't want to kick you out, but we have a policy to only allow guests here until midnight."

I looked around and sure enough; I was the only one in the bar. I had been drinking here for over an hour and hadn't realized how late it had gotten. I still wanted to drown myself in more alcohol, but I couldn't risk being kicked out of the hotel for acting like a drunkard.

"Sorry for taking your time." I muttered, pushing myself off the barstool. My legs wobbled beneath me, but I forced myself to stand as I walked out of the door.

The floor swayed under me as I stepped into the elevator. My head hurt from all the drinking and I couldn't wait to pass out on my bed.

I stared at the elevator buttons for a second before pressing any number. Leaning against the wall, I watched as it ascended. When the door finally opened, I stumbled out. I had to blink a few times as I stared at the narrow hallway. There was only room in the hallway. No room number. Just a big brown door.

"This is strange. Where did my room go?" I muttered, trying to piece everything together, but the more I tried to use my brain, the more the pounding in my head intensified.

The door was slightly opened, the light inside was dim. So, I just did the most sensible thing any drunk person in my shoes would. I entered the room.

It took me a moment to take in the expensive penthouse. The high ceilings stretched above me, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked half of the entire city.

I was in awe, my eyes drinking everything in.

Nathaniel was wealthy, yet I hardly spent his money on anything. I went to work and came back home every day, while he went out and enjoyed his life. Foolishly, I stayed behind, preparing a lovely home for him to return to. I can't remember the last time I slept in a place as majestic as this. I wasn't thinking anymore. I wanted to just continue drinking and forget about everything.

As if my prayers were answered, I spotted a half bottle of red wine on the small table. Without thinking twice, I brought the bottle to my lips and gulped it down, letting out a sigh of relief.

It kept going until I finished the entire bottle. Maybe it was the alcohol or something else, but I blinked as a strange rush of heat crawled up my neck and settled in my cheeks. My heart started to race, faster and faster, pounding in my chest like it was trying to escape. I shifted uncomfortably, tugging at the collar of my dress. What was happening? Why was it suddenly hot? Just as I was about to remove my dress, the door swung open.

And standing there, dripping with water, was the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. He had a towel slung loosely around his hips, and he was staring at me with wide eyes, frozen in place, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He looked at the empty bottle, then at me with a frown.

My eyes burn as they refuse to blink, afraid that once I close them, he might disappear.

"You have two seconds to explain yourself." He said, his tone making it clear that this wasn't a request. "Or I will make you regret ever walking through that door.”