**Ch 2: Strong independent Woman

"Oh my gosh!" I happily shout. "Yes!"

I threw my body down into his arms, and kissed his lips like crazy. Then he placed the ring on my finger. But it suddenly dawned on me as we both stood up.

"Orlando, I am leaving for Egypt, how can we plan a wedding while I am not here?" I asked, frowning. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Well, I will wait for you then," he replies. "Or you can forget about going, and we can be married by next spring."

I sighed deeply, saying, "I can't give up my dreams. You know I worked too hard for this."

"I know, baby, but I love you. Let me take care of you as my father has cared for my mother. You'll never have to work a day in your life." Orlando said, almost tempting me to throw away all that I achieved.

My heart sank beneath me, and it fell heavily. I took the ring off my finger and gave it back.

"Prove how much you love me by waiting," I challenged.

He curled a marveling smirk and said. "Challenge accepted. I will wait an eternity as long as you wear the ring. Once you return, we will have a beautiful wedding, and make tons of babies."

I almost died from laughter when he said that to me. Seeing how we both have blonde hair, our babies would be so adorable. After he said that I leaped into his arms, kissing him.

Instead of leaving for the club at 7:30 pm. He stayed with me until about 9:30 pm, to meet up with his buddies at the club. Once he left, I showered and went to bed for the night.

~~~

Creak...crack. Chilly air hit my body from underneath the blanket. I unfurled my eyes from their slumber and found my square-shaped window was open. Yet, I can't recall leaving it open. Seeing how the dorm was two stories high, nobody would've been able to open it, but me.

Unless, Orlando opened it when he used my bathroom before he left for the club. However, I don't recall seeing it open before I had fallen asleep.

Being only a few feet away from my bed, I got out of bed and went to the window to close it. The black sheer curtains blew from the icy breeze, which was a bit creepy, I felt.

This time, I'll make sure that it's locked. But first, I peeked outside, seeing it was a full moon. A loud whoosh of air came behind me while I pushed down on the window to seal it shut. Then I turned around to see Orlando, standing there from out of nowhere.

"Orlando, w-when did you g-get back?" I stuttered, asking him with a trembling voice.

Something about him wasn't right. And even more creepy, he stood tall like a frozen statue within the shadows.

"Orlando, you're creeping me out," I told him as my body shook from quivering.

Through the sheer curtains, the moonlight shone on his face. My mouth hung to see his ocean-blue eyes reddened. A devilish grin curled the left corner of his lip, and his eyes narrowed on me like prey. Suddenly, his body lunged into mid-air! He threw me onto the bed, pinning me down with his body weight!

"ORLAN-"

He covered my mouth before I could fully scream. "If you reject my proposal again, I will bite your neck off!" he threatened.

I tried to fight him off my body, but then I saw his mouth open. Two canine teeth grew into sharp fangs from his upper gums. His head plummets down violently, and he sinks his teeth into my flesh! I felt this huge throbbing pain puncture my neck, as my life was being sucked out of me!

~~~

"Aaah!" I shriek as my body flies up from the bed.

Sweat oiled my skin, and my breathing was heavy. I patted my neck where Orlando bit me but found nothing was there.

"It was just a dream," I heaved audibly.

Maybe Orlando was right, I do watch too many vampire movies. On that humorous thought, I grabbed my phone from my nightstand and found it was only eleven o'clock. Orlando will still be at the club.

So I hurried out of bed and whipped off my black silkie lingerie short-length nightgown. I ran into my closet and found this black tie around the neck, type-top. To match it, I got a short black skirt and black cotton thigh-high stockings because it is November.

Black was definitely my color, I giggled as I went to the bathroom and dazzled up for the club. By the time I was done, I made myself look irresistible for an average girl.

My long blonde hair was straightened past my shoulders. And my wide-almond-shaped dream color eyes were darkened with dusty black eyeshadow and liner. Then I added mascara to my naturally long and thick eyelashes. My blush was a shimmer bronze color. Lastly, I added a lighter bronze shade color of lipstick to my cute natural lips.

~~~

The club was hardly a block away to drive to. After, I parked in the club's parking lot. I showed my ID to the newly hired bouncers, standing inside it from the baltic winter chill, but it still has yet to bring any snow.

Once given the clear, I was let in. Crazy to believe, but this club was owned by my newly engaged fiance's father, Mr. Mill. So, I already knew Orlando would be upstairs in the VIP area. The guards on the stairs let me up without questions because these guys knew me. Once I made it upstairs, I walked around, heading toward the back, where I knew he'd be.

Upon going back, my heart sank! No, my heart broke into a million tiny bits of pieces. To catch my fiance Orlando with another girl, making out with her so tenderly. She was a pretty blonde, wearing nothing but a mini short-length sleazy bright red cocktail dress.

Tears stung my eyes, I should've always known Orlando and I were too opposite for one another to be considered compatible. The young woman he was kissing and groping his hand up her dress came from money. Certainly, his family would approve of her over me.

They stopped kissing, and she got off his lap. He took her hand, giggling, then he led her in the direction of the private VIP room. Yeah, no doubt he was going to get lucky tonight.

I swallowed my tears and held my head up high before leaving. Betrayal, such as this was painful, but it's better to learn about this now, rather than spend my life married to a man like him. And to think he wanted me to give up my career! Oh, the nerve of that cheating jerk!

Suddenly, I ran face to face with my roommate Crystal. Her eyes gaped to see me. Yet I swear I could read she knew what was going on.

"Victoria, wait," Crystal started to explain with seemingly shameful teary eyes. "I know how..."

"Just stop!" I yelled over her and took off my ring. "Give this to Orlando and tell him, I will never marry a pig-headed scoundrel like him."

I threw the ring in her palm and walked away, drying my tears. There is no way, I will cry for a man who is nothing, but a cheater.

Once I left and got outside, I saw his red mustang parked there in the lot. Oh, I smiled largely at this idea when I took out my car key and used it to scratch the newly done paint job. Hood. Doors. Fenders. Back trunk. I scratched it all! Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I did it. That will teach him, this is for cheating on me!

"You don't mess with a girl who loves the color black on top of horror movies!" I outwardly laugh like an insane lunatic.

But I didn't care, nobody was around. Afterward, I got in my car and left.

~~~

The rest of the night was a blur to me. By morning, my phone blew up from Orlando. At eight O'clock sharp, I was getting in my car to leave for the airport. During the drive, Orlando loaded my inbox with messages. And he still kept texting me.

"Baby, please let me explain!" I huffed, reading that text from Orlando.

Already sitting in my seat on the airplane, and he still hasn't stopped.

'What's there to explain? That she fell on your lap and somehow your lips ended up kissing while your hand was groping up her slutty dress!' is what I wanted to text him, but I didn't.

Better yet, I shut my phone off. It's not like I have parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, or cousins to contact me. Being an orphan, I only had myself to worry about.

Unlike Orlando, I had my priorities straight and goals set. The life I had visualized with him was now burned to ashes in my mind. I am a strong independent young woman. So, I don't need a man to take care of me.