Delilah's stomach churned as she absorbed Blake's words. Panic tightened its grip on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
She couldn't remember any of what he was saying. Her memory was frustratingly blank.
"My idea? That's impossible," she muttered, shaking her head. "I don't believe in love at first sight. I don't even believe in love at all."
Blake's expression didn't change, his blue eyes piercing through her. "Maybe you did last night because we are married."
His words felt like a punch to the gut. Delilah staggered back, gripping the edge of the nightstand for support.
She glanced around the room, trying to ground herself in something tangible. But there was nothing. Instead, his words kept echoing in her head.
She was freaking married! Married! And to a man that she knew nothing about.
How did this happen? She knew that she always tended to do reckless things when drunk, hence she always did her best to stay away from alcohol, but this? This took the cake.
The worst symptom of her drunkenness was her loss of memory. Whenever she gets drunk, she never remembers anything that happened during that time.
So, how did she let this happen? Why did she allow herself to get drunk?
She was dumbfounded as she stared at her supposed husband in shock the bitter taste of regret in her mouth.
She swallowed hard, trying to keep her composure. "I don't remember. This can't be real."
"It is," Blake said, his tone more serious now. "But we can talk about everything later. For now, you need to rest. You had a lot to drink."
"How do I know you're not lying?" she demanded, her voice rising with desperation. "This could all be a setup."
Blake's eyes softened, but he didn't move closer. "You can choose not to believe me, but it won't change the fact that we're married. The certificate proves it."
Delilah's eyes darted to the certificate again, the official seal glaring back at her. Her fingers itched to tear it apart, to make this nightmare disappear. But deep down, she knew that wouldn't change anything.
"I don't remember," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "I don't remember any of it."
Blake nodded as if he had expected this reaction. "That is expected. You had a lot to drink last night." he fished out a phone from the back pocket of his trousers, opened it.
"Here, this is us celebrating, after we got married last night," he said, showing her a picture.
Delilah's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the photo. It was indeed her.
There she was, smiling brightly at the camera, standing next to Blake. They were both holding up their left hands, proudly showing off their wedding bands.
Her face was flushed with happiness, her eyes sparkling with what laughter. She didn't recognize this version of herself.
"How?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't remember any of this."
Even if she usually lost her memory when drunk, shouldn't she remember such an important event?
Blake studied her for a moment, his expression a mix of sympathy and something she couldn't quite place. "It was a wild night," he said softly.
Desperation clawed at her insides as she tried to make sense of the situation. "I need to think," she said, her voice breaking.
Blake watched her, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Take your time," he said gently. "But we are truly married, and you wanted this just as much as I did. As I already told you, it was your idea."
Delilah's mind raced as she stared at him, the reality of her predicament sinking in. She was trapped in a nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "What have I done?" she whispered, more to herself than to Blake as she looked down at the wedding band she was holding in her palm.
Needing water for her parched throat and hoping it would help calm her headache, she walked over to the nightstand and poured herself a glass of water from a carafe.
With trembling hands, she gulped down the cool water. The liquid soothed her throat and momentarily calmed her racing heart.
Blake remained quiet as he watched her pace round the room after drinking the water.
As Delilah paced, she tried to think of a way out of her mess. She paused when something occurred to her.
Perhaps she had married Blake because he was wealthy. That would be the only reasonable reason for her to make such a blunder.
There was hope, she thought, as she clung to the possibility of salvaging something from this disaster.
Turning to him, she forced a smile, "Is this your house? Are we in your house?" She asked, looking around the bedroom.
Blake shook his head, "No. This is a hotel," he said, and she nodded.
"I see. It looks like quite an expensive hotel," she observed, "What do you do for a living?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she searched his eyes for any hint of affluence.
Blake hesitated, his confident demeanor faltering for the first time. He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm... in between jobs," he stuttered, avoiding her gaze.
Delilah's heart sank, disappointment crashing over her like a wave. "In between jobs?" she echoed, her voice tinged with disbelief. "So that means you're jobless?"
Blake seemed to sense her dismay. "I know it doesn't sound great," he said quickly, trying to reassure her. "But I'm working on a few things. I just need a little more time."
"You're jobless," she muttered to herself as reality sunk in.
"How did you pay for this room? For the wedding bands?" She asked, and he winced.
"I didn't. You did," he said, and she collapsed on the bed.
Not only was she married, but she was married to a jobless man. No, this couldn't be, she needed to wake up from this nightmare.