The bright sunlight pouring through the gap in the curtains illuminated Esme's face, disrupting her slumber. As she stirred, discomfort surged through her body, the ache intensifying with every move. It felt as though she had undergone rigorous physical exertion, compounded by a pounding headache that pierced through her temples.
"Ugh, why does my head hurt so much?" she grumbled annoyingly.
Esme wanted to sleep a bit longer, savoring the respite from her exhaustion. After all, her exam was finally over, and she saw no harm in sleeping a little longer. However, the glaring sunlight showed no mercy, refusing to let her sleep. To make matters worse, the persistent pain in her head threatened to consume her.
With a groan, she rubbed her temples and cautiously blinked her eyes open, the room's brightness challenging her attempts to fully awaken. Squinting, she surveyed the space, momentarily forgetting that she was not in her room.
Realization dawned upon her gradually, and her widened eyes scanned the room, piecing together the fragmented memories from the night before. The argument with Julian, their painful breakup, the encounter with Silas, and the haze of their inebriated escapade flooded her mind in rapid succession, leaving her feeling disoriented and restless.
As fleeting flashes of their intimate moments lingered in her thoughts, Esme's restlessness grew, a mix of confusion and intrigue enveloping her thoughts. The unfamiliarity of her surroundings amplified her disorientation, and she grappled with the vivid recollections of the previous night's events.
Esme had immediately pulled the blanket over herself and peered down, startled to discover her nakedness. Shock widened her pupils as she gasped audibly. Her heart sank, a mix of sorrow and disturbance flooding her thoughts. In a drunken stupor, she had slept with a stranger—something she had never done before.
"Ewe…" Esme made a face.
The mere idea of someone other than Julian touching her sent waves of revulsion through her.
Clutching the blanket tightly around her, she scanned the room, frantic for any sign of the man. But he was nowhere to be found. The sound of running water from the shower suggested Silas might be inside the bathroom.
Deciding to leave before Silas emerged, Esme leaped out of bed, hastily gathering her scattered clothes from the floor. As she dressed, her eyes flickered towards the bathroom, wary of Silas's potential exit. Once clothed, she swiftly retrieved her phone and purse from the nearby side table.
However, as she turned to leave, a sudden thought struck her. She rummaged through her purse, cursing under her breath when she discovered that she had little cash left. Slamming down a handful of cash on the table, she hastily fled the room, ignoring the throbbing headache and discomfort in her abdomen.
Once in the hall, Esme spotted her bag and snatched it up, dashing out the door without looking back. The cool morning air hit her like a slap in the face, jolting her further awake as she stumbled down the street, trying to put as much distance between herself and the stranger's house as possible.
As she ran, Esme couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that weighed heavily on her conscience. She had accused Julian of cheating, but here she was, sleeping with a stranger mere hours after their breakup. The hypocrisy stung, and she couldn't help but wonder what Julian would think if he found out.
She was ashamed of herself, and she muttered curses again and again.
Halting at a nearby medical store, she swiftly purchased an emergency contraceptive pill, determined to prevent any unwanted consequences from a one-night encounter. As she swallowed the pill, a wave of relief washed over her, but it was short-lived. The memory of Julian's harsh words soon resurfaced, bringing fresh tears to her eyes.
Nothing would have happened that had happened last night if Julian hadn't cheated on her. Esme's anger flared up once again, replacing the guilt that had been plaguing her. She was single, and she had every right to live her life as she pleased.
Defiantly, she grumbled to herself, baring her teeth, "I did nothing wrong."
Attempting to assert her independence, she battled against the tearing pain in her heart. Despite her efforts at bravado, the emotional anguish drained her, leaving her feeling depleted and low.
Esme blinked back her tears, her fingers trembling as she dialed her best friend's number.
Meanwhile, Adelynn, Esme's friend, sat in the hall, leisurely sipping her coffee while skimming through the front page of the tabloid she worked for. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she examined a photo capturing Silas leaving Moon's bar the previous night. The image showed Silas with a woman, but her face was obscured, buried against his chest, and her hair veiled most of her features.
Social media had sparked rumors again about Silas and his alleged connections to various women. Adelynn's chief editor had tasked her with unraveling the mystery of Silas's latest romantic interest, assigning her to craft an enticing, scandalous report on the matter. Despite the obscured identity in the photo, the pressure to reveal the truth weighed heavily on her as she grappled with making sense of the situation.
The shrill ringing of Adelynn's phone jolted her out of her reverie. Seeing Esme's name flashing on the screen, she quickly set the tabloid aside and answered the call, concern lacing her voice.
"Esme, how are you? I've been so worried. I waited for your call all night. Is everything okay between you and Julian?" Her words spilled out in a frantic rush.
Esme's voice, strained and on the verge of tears, replied, "No."
Adelynn detected the anguish in her friend's voice immediately. "Esme, what's wrong? Why do I feel like you're crying? Are you okay?"
"Julian broke up with me," Esme confessed, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. She struggled to continue speaking, choked up by the weight of her emotions.
"Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up," Adelynn declared, ready to leap into action.
Trying to compose herself, Esme wiped away her tears, insisting, "No, Adel. You don't have to come. I'll take a taxi to your place."
"Alright. Hurry here," Adelynn replied, concern evident in her tone as she waited anxiously for Esme to arrive.
Esme hailed a taxi immediately after ending the call and swiftly arrived at her friend's place. Adelynn enveloped her in a comforting embrace. "Esme, oh my god."
Esme couldn't hold back her tears as she hugged her back.
"Don't shed tears over that scumbag. I never liked him," Adelynn declared, her tone laced with disdain. "He's self-centered, focused only on his career. He never cared about your feelings, using and manipulating you for his own gain. Now that he has achieved what he wanted, he has forgotten your sacrifices. He is not worth your heartache, Esme."
Sinking onto the sofa, Esme's expression mirrored her desolation. "He accused me of being selfish and insecure," she recounted, the memory of Julian's cutting words reopening the wounds in her heart. "He blamed me for forcing myself into his life, manipulating his father to trouble Ruby."
Adelynn's expression darkened with anger as she listened to Esme's words. "That bastard," she muttered. "I knew from the beginning that he was a selfish man, exploiting your trust. You're too good for him."
Esme shook her head, feeling a mix of sadness and anger. The pain of their argument weighed heavily on her. "Julian believed everything Ruby said. He didn't trust me," she said, casting a pained glance at her friend. "Our bond, our trust—none of it mattered to him. He chose that cunning woman over me, claiming it was to atone for my and his father's mistakes. Can you believe it?"
Her heart burned with indignation.