"No, I can't let him think I am scared of him. He can't do anything, he is just bluffing." Bella thought and refused to look back at the man.
With a sharp exhale, she opened the door and trotted out of the room.
"What were you thinking, Isabella? What did you get yourself into?" She questioned herself as she trotted away, clutching her purse tightly.
"What will people say if this gets exposed? What will Dylan say? Oh my God!" She thought in panic.
"Well, no one has to know, by the way..." One part of her mind thought and her eyes shone with hope.
"Yes, it is okay as long as nobody knows." She concluded then inhaled and exhaled sharply to calm her nerves.
After she was sure she had gotten back her breath, she pulled out her phone and dialled Emily's number.
"Where are you? Are you guys left for the airport already?" She asked Emily.
"Yes. We have your luggage so get your butt here right away." Emily replied to her.
"I am on my way." Bella said and ended the call. By then, she was outside the hotel. She turned to look back and check whether she was being followed.
"See? He is just bluffing." She assured herself when she realized the strange man wasn't following her. Then, she hailed a cab immediately.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where were you?" Emily asked her friend. They had just settled inside the plane.
"What happened? We woke up and realized you were gone. Where did you sleep?" Mara chipped in.
Bella swallowed hard as she thought of what to tell them.
"No, I can't tell them the truth. That will just complicate everything. Nobody should know about this silly mistake that I made. Nobody." Bella thought inwardly, clenching her fists.
"What is wrong, Bella? You look disturbed." Emily inquired further and that brought Bella out of her thought.
"Nothing. I guess it's because I am still hungover..." She replied her friends and paused for a second to think of what to tell them concerning her whereabout.
"I woke up and found myself in the hotel's laundry room. Can you believe that?" She said and managed to chuckle at her own statement.
Her friends bought the lie and laughed out.
"Of course, alcohol would do that to you." Audrey said and they all laughed again.
"So, how did you explain yourself to the workers there? Or you were lucky enough to not get caught?" Mara asked her, still laughing.
"I was lucky, girl. Nobody saw me." Bella replied, shaking her head and chuckling. However, as she was chucking outwardly, her stomach was churning in discomfort, knowing how she was fooling her friends.
"Lucky indeed! How about the CCTV? I bet those behind the cameras are currently laughing while watching your drunken display." Emily chipped in and the other laughed. Afterwards, the girls changed the subject and started talking about something else but Bella couldn't help but think of what had happened to her.
"Everything will be okay, don't worry. As long as nobody knows." She swallowed hard and kept trying to relax.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey darling!" Dylan said as he hugged Bella.
She had arrived back at New York City and Dylan was at her home to visit her.
"I have missed you so much. I kept regretting why I made a promise to not call you or text you while you were at your bachelorette party." He rambled on. He had promised to let her enjoy her party without any disturbance from his side. He was that understanding.
He was a perfect man for Bella. Tall, fit, handsome, rich and romantic; Dylan Reed was Bella's Prince charming and she loved him so much.
"Oh really? Didn't you catch fun at your bachelor party? How come you have time to miss me?" Bella asked him with a small smile on her lips. She was trying so hard to act like nothing had happened in Las Vegas.
"Why won't I have time to miss my beloved wife-to-be? No matter the amount or level of fun I might be catching, you are still going to be on my mind and I will miss your absence." Dylan replied to her, then they detached from the hug.
Mere looking at Dylan's face, Bella was tempted to bare it all to him. But something held her back.
"How would he react to the issue, especially when I had sex with the stranger?" Bella thought and she shook her head.
"What is wrong?" She heard Dylan asked her.
"Nothing. Why did you ask?" She inquired, pressing her lips into a thin line.
"You look as if you have something disturbing your mind... You look worried. Did something happened at your party?" Dylan asked, his handsome face had worry and concern written over it.
"No!" Bella stated sharply than usual. Dylan raised his eyebrows. Her sharp response sounded suspicious to him.
"Erm, I mean... Nothing happened. Everything went well. The party was great and we had so much fun, no... I mean, just ordinary fun. Nothing out of ordinary." Bella rushed out breathlessly.
There, Dylan could detect something was wrong with his beloved fiancee. Out of worry, his palms cupped her cheeks and he stared into her eyes, affectionately.
Bella couldn't hold his gaze as she knew she was going to lie to him.
"You do know you can tell me anything, right?" Dylan began persuadingly, wanting to get words out of her.
"Of course, I know that very well. But in all honesty, nothing happened. I guess I am just tired. I need to relax." She told him, looking elsewhere other than his face.
"Are you sure?" He asked her, a hint doubt in his voice.
"Very." She replied to him, managing a small smile.
"Okay then. I will leave you to relax. You should rest well, tomorrow is our big day, you know." He said to her sweetly.
While the duo chatted, a cryptic message entered Bella's phone from an unknown number.