Susan's POV
I woke up, my head pounding like a jackhammer. Every muscle in my body ached, and I felt extremely thirsty.
Blinking against the harsh morning light, I realized with growing horror that this wasn't my cramped bedroom, with its worn-out furniture and peeling wallpaper.
The sheets beneath me felt so soft against my skin, and behind the massive windows was a breathtaking view of the city. A view that had to be worth more than a lifetime of savings.
Then I felt it. Movement. Next to me.
My heart stopped.
Slowly, like in one of those horror movies where you know the killer is right behind you, I turned my head. There, lying next to me, was quite possibly the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. He looked like Michelangelo's David had walked off his pedestal and decided to take a nap.
I screamed. The sound echoed off the high ceilings, making me wince at my own volume.
"Who are you?" I scrambled backward, holding the sheets to my chest. "What am I doing here? Oh God, oh God, did you kidnap me? Because my family is really poor, like embarrassingly poor, and if this is a ransom situation, you should know…"
"Good morning, wife." His voice was deep, rich, and tinged with amusement. Italian accent. Definitely Italian.
Wife?
The word hit me like a bucket of ice water.
"No, no, no," I muttered, my voice rising with hysteria. "This isn't happening. This can't be happening." I stumbled out of bed, taking half the sheets with me in my desperate attempt to maintain some dignity. My foot caught in the fabric, and I went down hard, creating a Susan-sized burrito on the marble floor.
The stranger leaned over the edge of the bed, those dark eyes dancing with mischief. "You're quite entertaining in the morning, Cara mia. Though I must say, you were even more amusing last night."
I managed to untangle myself enough to point an accusing finger at him. "You! You took advantage of me! I was clearly drunk and…"
He arched one eyebrow. "Took advantage? Shall I remind you of how you proposed to me at the club? Or perhaps how you insisted quite passionately, that we must be married immediately so that I could make love to you?"
The memory hit me then. Oh no.
"Did we… No! You're lying," I whispered, but even as the words left my mouth, fragments of memories started flooding back. The chapel. Me trying to throw my bouquet only to hit the minister in the face with it.
"I have the marriage certificate to prove it," he said smoothly, reaching for his phone on the nightstand. "Would you like to see the video as well?"
"Video?!"
He smirked. "You insisted on documenting everything. Said something about showing your ex-boyfriend what he was missing?"
I felt the blood drain from my face. Nick. Emily. The graduation ceremony.
Everything that led to this moment came rushing back…
*24 Hours Earlier*
The gradation ceremony was perfect. Too perfect. The kind of perfect that should have warned me something horrible was about to happen.
Everyone looked so beautiful in their black graduation gowns. Parents were emotional, professors nodded from their seats on the stage, and even the usually faulty campus fountain was working.
I stood in line, waiting to receive my diploma, my heart practically bursting with pride. Four years of instant ramen, all-nighters, and crying in the library had led to this moment. Plus, my boyfriend Nick had been acting weird all week - the good kind of weird. The kind that usually meant something big was coming.
I spotted him in the crowd, fidgeting with something in his pocket. My heart skipped a beat. Could it be…?
"Susan Marie Thompson," the dean called.
I walked across the stage, trying not trip in the heels my mom had insisted would make me look more "professional." I accepted my diploma, turned to smile for the camera…
And that's when I saw it.
Nick wasn't in his seat anymore. He was on one knee.
In front of Emily.
Emily Sanders. The girl he'd introduced to me last year as his cousin who'd just transferred to our college. The same girl I'd helped settle in, showed around campus, and grown to care for like family. I couldn't believe this was happening. That something like this could actually happen to me.
My stomach dropped as time seemed to slow down. I could see everything clearly from where I was standing: Emily's hand flying to her mouth in surprise, the sunlight catching the diamond ring (definitely not from the clearance section where he'd once bought my birthday necklace), and worst of all, the pitying looks from everyone around them.
"Emily," Nick's voice echoed across the suddenly silent crowd, "I've been in love with you since the moment you walked into that Calculus class last year…"
Last year? LAST YEAR? When he'd introduced her for the first time?
I stood frozen on stage, still clutching my diploma, as my boyfriend of three years proposed to a girl he'd sworn was his family member at MY graduation ceremony.
"Oh Nick, yes!" Emily squealed, her voice hitting a pitch that probably summoned every dog within a five-mile radius.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Kiss her!"
And they did.
Right there.
In front of everyone.
Including my parents, who had sacrificed everything to put me through college and were now watching their daughter being humiliated on what should have been her proudest day, and my younger siblings, who sat wide-eyed, watching their older sister being dumped.
"Miss Thompson," the dean whispered urgently, "you need to move along…"
I stumbled off the stage, tears threatening to fall, but I held it in. I couldn't let these insensitive cows see me like this. Somewhere in the crowd, I heard my mother's distinct voice: "Oh, that absolute bastard!"
As I walked - somehow, miraculously walked and didn't run - past the happy couple, Emily caught my arm.
"Susan, I'm so sorry! We didn't mean for you to find out this way. We were going to tell you after graduation, but Nick just couldn't wait! Isn't it romantic?"
I stared at her, this girl who I'd welcomed into my life, who I'd treated like family because I thought she was family. The girl who'd sat at my family's Thanksgiving table last year, calling my parents "aunt" and "uncle."
"Romantic?" My voice came out surprisingly steady. "You know what would have been romantic, Emily? If my boyfriend hadn't been sleeping with his supposed cousin behind my back. But hey, at least you waited until after I finished my speech as valedictorian to destroy my life. That was thoughtful of you."
Nick stepped forward, his face a mask of concern that I now realized was completely fake. "Susan, come on, don't be like that. These things just happen…"
"These things just happen?" I repeated, my voice rising. "Like forgetting to set your alarm? Pretending someone is your cousin so you can fool your girlfriend - that just happen?"
The crowd around us had grown silent, watching the drama unfold like it was the season finale of their favorite reality show. I could feel the heat of hundreds of eyes on us, and hear the whispers through the audience.
"Susan," Emily reached for my arm again, her diamond ring grazing my wrist. "We never meant to hurt you…"
"Don't touch me." I jerked away from her, tears burning my eyes. "Three years, Nick. Three years of my life and you couldn't even wait until after graduation?"
"Look, you're making a scene," Nick hissed, grabbing my wrist. "Can we talk about this privately?"
"You want to talk?" I smiled sweetly. "Okay, let's talk about how you're a lying, cheating bastard who couldn't even let me have one day. One day, Nick!"
My palm tingled under Nick's controlling grip. Three years of memories flashed through my mind: our first date at the campus coffee shop, the late-night study sessions, the promises of forever - all lies. Each memory fueled the fire building inside me, and before I could stop myself - not that I wanted to - my hand was moving.
I slapped Nick across the face. The force of the slap knocking his head to the side, making him stumble backward. My handprint appeared on his cheek, five fingers blooming red against his face. A collective gasp sounded through the crowd, followed by scattered applause and a distinct "You go, girl" from somewhere in the back.
Nick's hand flew to his face, his eyes wide with shock. For once in his life, he was speechless.
Emily stood frozen, her mouth hanging open. "Susan!"
I flexed my stinging hand, surprised by how satisfying that had felt. "Consider that my graduation gift to you both."
Whispers erupted around us. Someone had their phone out, probably already uploading this on social media. Good. Let them all see.
With my head held high, I turned on my heel and walked away, my graduation gown flowing behind me like a cape. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and I could hear my mother's voice sounding over the murmurs: "That's my girl!"
*I need a drink,* I thought, walking to hail a cab. *Or ten. And I really need to call Laura.* My best friend would know exactly what to say to make this better. But right now, I just needed to forget.