Chapter 1 - Cheated

Claire

When this day started, it started with joy. It was my birthday, I'd expected laughter, celebration, not betrayal.

I found myself standing inside my boyfriend's apartment, listening to pounding sounds and lewd moans from his bedroom. My bag fell to the floor and I staggered on my feet.

'No, this isn't happening. It must be a silly nightmare.'

Two days ago my boyfriend Nolan had gone on a business trip, he'd called me just this morning to wish me.

'Happy birthday Baby, I'm sorry I can't come back for your birthday. The meetings have been hectic but I promise I'll make it up to you when I get back next week. Enjoy your day.'

Those sweet words had been lingering in my mind throughout the entire day, how could they be lies?

By coincidence I'd left the dress I'd had custom made for my birthday in his apartment the day I'd come to wear it to get his approval, he'd probably forgotten about it. He'd even praised me on how sexy I looked in the dress and had tried to get me in bed but I stopped him.

The vow I'd made to follow my family legacy of keeping my virginity till twenty one still remained, I'd urged him to be a little patient till my birthday and he'd have my whole body all to himself.

Tonight I'd made plans with my friends to go on a special night out to celebrate my birthday and I had no backup outfit to wear, luckily I had Nolan's spare apartment keys with me so I came to his place right away only to be greeted by sounds of crazy sex from the bedroom.

I took a deep breath.

Maybe I was overthinking, maybe it wasn't him.

What if he'd given his keys to one of his friends and the person brought in a girl to have fun.

Regardless of those thoughts, I had to see for myself.

I walked hesitantly to the door, slowly turning the knob till I could see inside the room. At that moment Nolan grunted his release inside her, I knew that voice.

My heart clenched painfully.

"Babe, you shouldn't have come inside me. What if I get pregnant?"

"It doesn't matter Baby, we're getting married in a few months anyway. It'll be great to start a family early."

He was getting married?

"Bastard!" The curse came out of my throat angrily.

"Shit! What the hell?"

Nolan jumped off the bed hastily grabbing his pants and wearing them.

When I saw the girl's face I was taken aback.

I'd seen him with her several times, but anytime I asked he always told me she was his friend's fiance.

"You liar!" I cried hearing my voice break.

"Babe, isn't she your brother's girlfriend? How dare she break in here like that?" The girl on the bed yelled.

"I should have known. So this is the reason you told me I couldn't come to your apartment unless you invited me. You told me that your Mom frequently comes here and you didn't want her asking questions, you only used to bring me here occasionally. I should have suspected something you bastard!"

"What the hell is she talking about?" The girl looked from me to Nolan.

"Claire, don't talk nonsense. Who the hell gave you the right to break into my apartment? Did you come here deliberately to cause a feud between my fiancee and I?"

The jerk had the guts to play pretend in front of me.

Tears welled in my eyes blurring my vision through the glasses I wore.

The girl on the bed stared at me viciously.

"Oh, so this is what you intend to do. I know girls like you, you're coveting my fiance so you came here to create a lie? Let me tell you something, Nolan and I love each other deeply, nothing you say can ruin our relationship. Disgusting slut, get out of here!"

I swallowed the tears in my throat and scoffed.

How easily I'd fallen for this jerk's words a year ago when he courted me, turns out I was nothing but his other woman.

No wonder he tried to get in my pants impatiently and got angry whenever I denied due to the vow I'd made. My mom had always told me about our family legacy, women in our family always kept their virginity till the age of twenty one, after losing my mom years ago, in memory of her I wanted to keep this legacy so I never allowed any man to touch me.

Whenever Nolan tried to get me to bed I always pleaded with him to wait, I'd planned our special moment for tonight but thinking he was out of town, I rescheduled it to whenever he got back. To think I was actually eager to give my virginity to the lying jerk.

That was probably all I was to him. Another girl he would have fun and sleep with before his wedding.

I felt immense pain in my heart, but I realized that a bastard like Nolan wasn't worth any effort.

"I pity you." I said to the girl covering her nakedness with the sheets, "This bastard cheated on you once, he'll cheat on you again and again. Go ahead and marry him, but expect a lifetime of misery."

Nolan couldn't bear to hear me say another word seeing how the girls' eyes narrowed.

"Shut up!" He yelled at me. "Sorry Baby, I'll get this crazy girl out of here."

Before I could say another word he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of his apartment.

"Let go of me you bastard!" I tried to get his hands off me but he was stronger.

"Now that you know the truth don't you dare try to sabotage my relationship with Fiona, she's way above you and she's the daughter of a very important person. We're getting married, I initially planned to have fun with you after your birthday before breaking it off but what to do, you already found out so don't ever come back here again." He said while dragging me out of the building like some trash he could get rid of.

The anger rose in my chest and I furiously stomped my heel in his leg.

"Argh!"

I didn't stop there, I raised my knee to his groin and felt him recoil in pain.

"A jerk like you deserves that and more. Be happy with your dumb fiancee if she never finds out the cheating bastard you are!"

With that, I turned around and walked out of the building.

Tonight was my twenty first birthday and it started very sour and bitter leaving a wrenching pain in my heart, but I certainly won't let it end this way.

***

"Oh Claire, I can't believe Nolan is a cheating bastard! You were just his other woman?" Leanne, my best friend muttered sympathetically as she pulled me in a hug while I was sulking in my apartment wearing pajamas and covering myself in a thick blanket to drown out my sorrows by wallowing on my couch.

I sighed, leaning into her hug.

"Listen, you were too good for him anyway. Me and the girls thought so but since you loved him so much, we didn't want to ruin your happiness."

"Thank you Lea, I know he's the asshole for lying and cheating but I can't help but feel hurt." I said softly pushing back tears threatening to spill.

"Aww, don't cry." Leanne hugged me again, tighter this time then pulled away again as I sniffed.

"This won't do, today is your birthday. We can't just have you dwelling in heartbreak. I'm going to prove to you that you can do way better. Come on get up."

Leanne tried to pull me up and I didn't move, still sitting weakly.

"I can't do anything today, can we do it tomorrow instead?" I whined.

"No way. I'm calling Jessy and May, we're still having our nights out but only the location will change."

I stared at her weirdly, "What are you planning to do?"

The glint in her eyes told me she was planning something wild.

"Your family legacy ends today right? Now that you're twenty one, you can finally let loose and lose your virginity."

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with...?" Before I could finish my question, Leanne had disappeared into my room searching through my closet, I was certain she would find nothing in there but baggy jeans and plain white tops, my go to outfits.

"Don't you have anything other than casual wear in here?" She asked and I finally got off the couch following her into the room.

"Why buy clothes I won't wear, the only thing I wear Is casual." I shrugged.

She grumbled still searching before her eyes lit up, "What about the present I sent you this morning?"

"It's down there near the dresser. But why...?" She bolted past me again and grabbed the still wrapped box shoving it in my arms.

"Happy birthday bestie, now open it."

I scoffed playfully and began to unwrap the box, a thin fabric was sitting inside. I pulled it up trying to fathom what it was.

"That's a dress, you'll be wearing that tonight since the princess dress you had made is still with that asshole."

"This is a dress? Where's the rest of it?" I joked.

It was tiny and scandalous.

"I got that for you because I thought you'd need something to wear when you lose your virginity to your boyfriend good thing that sucker never got to touch you. Wear that and we're going to a club tonight, you're going to get laid."

I opened my mouth to speak but Lea didn't even let me talk, she pushed me here and there, dressing me up by herself and dabbing makeup to my puffy face.

I looked so different from my usual self. My eyes were laced deep in dark smoky shadows that brought out the light blue in my orbs, my lips deep red like a sultry vixen, the mistress of seduction.

I couldn't believe that I actually looked hot.

Lea watched me in satisfaction, "Guys will be all over you tonight sexy mama." She joked, "Now let's go!"

Before I knew it, we were out of the apartment and in her car.

"I'm not losing my virginity to a stranger Lea." I said as she pulled me into a bustling singles club.

"Yes you are. All your life you've stuffed yourself into this conservative ball, now that you're twenty one it's time to get wild. Don't let yourself miss out on the crazy things in life. Let loose, I promise you after tonight, you won't even remember a jerk like Nolan exists."

It was tempting.

I sighed and then nodded. Leanne squealed and dragged me into the club. We entered a separate booth where Jessy and May were already waiting for us.

"Hi girls." Leanne greeted.

"Hey!!" They cooed.

"Oh my, you look hot!" Jessy commented, eyes flowing over my body.

"Girl, who's Nolan, that bastard is dead, and this hot goddess came out of it. Don't worry about a bastard like him, have fun tonight and get over his sorry ass."

They deliberately didn't show too much sympathy in order not to ruin the mood of the night.

"Thanks girls." I took my seat, pulling down the tiny black dress on my body that barely covered my thighs. It made my boobs and butt stick out, something I wasn't used to.

They sang a happy birthday song making me blow out candles on the cake.

We ordered drinks and chatted for a while before Leanne pulled me to the dance floor.

"Come on, you're not going to attract anyone sitting stiffly in that booth."

She swayed to the booming music winking at me as she twirled her hips.

"Can you beat that?"

I rolled my eyes laughing.

"You asked for it."

With the few glasses of wine I'd had and the music in my ears, my body moved in a sultry way I'd usually keep to the privacy of my apartment, dancing sexily with no one watching.

This time there were eyes watching but I didn't care.

I let the ache in my heart drown away as I danced when a prickling feeling rose on my neck.

I felt eyes watching me, but it didn't feel like ordinary eyes.

I felt a strange chill in my body.

Stopping my movements, I slowly turned to the direction the gaze came from.

Above in the VIP booth sat a man with the aura of a king. His legs crossed as he watched me.

His eyes fixated on me made me feel like my body was melting under his heated gaze.

Deep eyes that looked golden from the distance.

His lips tilted up in a smirk and he stared at me in utter fascination, I felt my heart stop.

Who is he?