Chapter Five

Flashback to the day she left home

Lila

My eyes fluttered open as I slowly tried to take in the surrounding. This was definitely not my room or any room I was familiar with. 

My head was pounding hard as I tried to look around. 

That's when I saw him. 

A large body sprawled on bed right next to me. He seemed to be still fast asleep. 

I was about to take a closer look, when the noise of my vibrating phone startled me. 

I quickly got out of bed, still looking around as I tiptoed to the other side of the room careful not to wake the strange man. 

"Hello." I whispered into the phonek, as I tried to collect my clothes that were scattered all over the floor.

"Where the fuck are you Lila?" an angry voice was on the other side of the line. A voice I was too familiar with. A voice I was supposed to be marrying, Eric.

That's when it dawned on me. 

Today was supposed to be my wedding day. 

"I am so sorry, I'm on my way." I lied.

He didn't say another word, he hung up instead but I could feel his irritation over the phone.

I quickly picked up my bag and shoes and tiptoed out, closing the door gently behind me before he could wake up. 

How did I even end up here? I asked myself while looking around. I was in a different city from where my bridal shower had been.

What happened to me at that shower?

The only thing I remembered from the previous night was getting to the party together with my sister and best friend.

Everything else from there was a blur. 

I was lucky enough to get a taxi, I needed to go straight to church where Eric was waiting for me.

There was no way the wedding could go on without me telling him the truth first. 

I really had no choice since I was no longer a virgin, he would find out sooner. 

"Lila, where have you been? Why are you not dressed?" Eric asked, grabbing my arm as he dragged to what seemed like an empty room.

"You are hurting me." I said flinching with pain as I tried to keep up with his big strides.

"I asked you a question Lila?" he repeated almost throwing me across the room.

"I slept with someone else, Eric, last night." I said as tears rolled down my eyes, "I don't know what happened, or how it even happened, I just woke up in bed with a man I don't even know."

"So you cheated on me with a fucking stranger?" he asked furious as he threw his phone across the room.

"I didn’t cheat on you, I swear I don't know what happened." I said as I walked towards him, trying to hold his hand.

But he moved, I saw the way he was looking at me, with so much disgust and it broke my heart. 

"I am sorry, we can still do this, we can still get married. You are the man I still want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you." I said in tears.

"There is no we anymore Lila, we are done. Call the wedding off and while at it feel free to tell everyone why this wedding is not happening anymore."

"Eric please, we can get through this. Please don't so this . I swear I don't know what happened." i tried to plead with him as I followed him down the church steps in tears.

I could hear the background noises, the whispers, but I didn’t care that I was making a fool of myself. I needed him to forgive me, to believe me that I did not do this. 

" Everybody go home, the wedding is off." Eric said before storming off and all eyes were on me.

It didn't take long before I saw my father, he looked furious and he was storming right at me. 

I had two choices, stand there and wait for him to give me hell or just ran away. I immediately ran out the same way Eric had gone. 

I took a cab back home, my head still pounding. 

How much alcohol did I drink last night? I wondered as the hangover started kicking in.

As soon as I stepped out of the car I saw my sister Ella running towards me, worry written all over her face. 

Ella and I didn't have a strong relationship at all, she was my father's favorite but she sometimes helped me out. 

"What happened? Is it true that the wedding is off?" she asked me holding me by my shoulders.

I just nodded as tears started pouring down my face again.

"Come here you poor thing, it's going to be okay." she said as she took me into her arms for a hug and I sobbed for what felt like eternity and she let me cry for however much.

When I finally calmed down she let me go and led me back to my room. 

"So what happened Lila? I thought you loved him?"

"I do love him." I said, trying to hide the tears threatening to start falling again.

"Then I don't understand what's going on. Does he not love you anymore?"

"I slept with someone else, I cheated on him, that's why he called of the wedding." i said in tears unable to hold them in anymore "I don't even know how it happened or how I ended up in that hotel room, everything is a blur from last night.

" Lila... Lila, where are you? I am going to kill you." we both suddenly heard our father's voice yelling from downstairs.

" You think you are just going to embarrass this family like this." he continued furiously.

I slowly went downstairs with my sister Ella holding my hand. 

" Daddy, are you not even interested in what happened?" I said timidly, avoiding his eyes.

"I do not care what happened Lila, I should have known you were going to do something like this. Why can't you just be like your sister, why are you the only one always causing trouble? Do you know what you have caused me? Do you think we are still going to go into business with Eric's father after you embarrassed his son infront of the world?"

" Dad, enough that's enough, can't you see she is upset." Ella chimed in when she saw me start crying.

" No Ella, I'm done with her. I have tried to be patient with her over the years but she is still the same childish girl. I don't want to find you in this house when I come back Lila. I have to go salvage the mess you have done."

"No, please I don't have anywhere else to go dad. I can make him want me back just give me a few days to make things right." i pleaded in tears, but his face was still just as cold.

"Dad, please just let her stay." Ella added and I nodded hoping he would listen to his favorite daughter.

Instead he just looked at me shaking his head with disgust, he walked over to me and looked at me from my head to toe. 

"I had Maria pack up your things, I don't want to ever see you again." he said before he walked away.

All my bags were now under the stairs, some of my clothes in a black paperbag. 

I carried them to the taxi my dad had so courteously called for me and loaded twenty one years of my life into the back seat.

I got in the front seat and before we could pull away, I held my sister's hand and looked up at her. 

"Can you please talk to him? I have nowhere to go."

She burst out laughing sarcastically which took me aback. 

What was so funny?

"Why would I do anything for you Lila?" she said mid laughter, "it was all me."

"What do you mean it was all you!?" I asked confused.

"I drugged you dummy, I am the one that drugged you and had you taken to some strangers room. It was all me. I have been in love with Eric, in fact we have been in a relationship for six months now, we just needed to find a way to get rid of you." she said laughing again.

" What? I don't believe you. "

" Why don't you ask Eric then? Oh wait he just dumped you."

"Are you telling me Eric was in on it?" I asked mid tears.

"Eric doesn't love you, never has. He was just forced to marry you by his father and he needed a reason why he couldn't and now that you cheated on him, he can marry me instead."

Ella started walking away, still laughing as my taxi pulled out of the driveway of the only home I had ever known with nowhere to go.