3. Abandoned

Selene's eyes hurt, and her head throbbed as the memories of the previous night rushed back.

She had woken up before dawn. She Froze as she felt a hand wrapped around her waist the moment she opened her eyes.

She could feel his slow and calm breath against her neck. Too tense and afraid to wake him, she slightly lifted his arm before placing it on the bed.

She sat on the bed for a few seconds, trying to organize her thoughts, holding the bedding to her chest as she was fully naked underneath.

Her head turned to the man lying on his side. She examined him closely, twisting her mouth as she recalled the events of their sexcapade. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she realized she had just slept with a total stranger.

She got up gently from the bed and retrieved her scattered clothes from the floor.

She considered waking the stranger but decided against it, as she would be clueless about what to say to him, especially after what had happened the night before.

After dressing, she picked up her bag and hurried down the elevator.

While inside, she switched on her phone. Her chest tightened as her eyes stayed glued to the screen: missed calls and messages from her father, her sister, and the lying, cheating bastard she had almost married—Frank.

Seeing Frank's ID made her insides boil. Booking her ride back to the hotel, she was determined to expose Frank and Ivy as the deceitful, lying, and cheating individuals they were.

Stepping out of the building into the street, she felt her body tense up as goosebumps rose on her arms, reminding her of the near-naked outfit she was wearing.

In a bid to escape the cold air, she hurriedly stopped a taxi. Her body relaxed only when she had fully settled into the passenger seat.

She tried as hard as she could to keep the disheartening images of Frank and Ivy out of her head, but she lost the battle as the scene of their lovemaking flashed through her mind like a broken DVD player.

Determined not to cry, she clutched her face, trying desperately to conceal her raw, beaten emotions.

The ride to the hotel seemed faster than she had anticipated, giving her barely enough time to recollect her thoughts and prepare herself for the confrontation she knew was waiting for her.

"We're here, ma'am," the taxi driver's voice sliced through her thoughts, dragging her forcefully back into a reality she wanted to forget.

After paying, she begged the driver for a few seconds to compose herself. Hurriedly leaving the cab, she rushed into the hotel to prevent the cold air from doing more damage, as she had not dressed appropriately for the weather.

"Selene King! Where the hell do you think you're coming from?" Her father's angry voice stopped her dead in her tracks as she stepped into the hotel.

She raised her head to see her entire family and a few wedding guests staring at her with horrified and judgmental expressions.

Her heart raced rapidly as she walked silently toward her father.

"Dad, I can explain…"

A painful burning sensation struck her cheek; the sound of the slap echoed across the room, along with several gasps from the people around.

"No daughter of mine would abandon her wedding without an explanation, ignore my calls, and come back to me dressed like a slut."

For some reason, his words hurt more than the burning sensation of the slap on her cheek.

Did her father just call her a slut?

"Frank told us everything, and I am highly disappointed in you, Selene," her father continued, not waiting for her response.

He pulled out what Selene recognized as Frank's phone, flashing the bright screen in front of her face.

"Your last known location was a club! A club, for Christ's sake!" he spat angrily. "While we were all here worried about your safety, you were busy doing God knows what in that club on YOUR WEDDING DAY!" His angry voice echoed across the room, making her shudder in fear.

She peeled her eyes from her father to her sister, and her heart stung as she saw the look of disappointment and worry on her sister's face.

She looked back at her father, who was not done scolding her.

His face was red with anger, reminding her of a tomato she had seen at the supermarket last week.

Pissed at herself for making fun of the situation, she encouraged herself to speak, her voice barely topping the older man's voice.

"Dad, if you'd please just listen to me," she begged.

"Not another word from you, young lady," he roared, raising his hand to hit her again.

Selene flinched, using her hands to shield her face, trying to lessen the impact of the slap she was expecting but never came.

She looked up to see Frank holding her father's hand, and her face boiled with anger.

"YOU!" she barked angrily.

"Dad, there is no use hitting her. I can't force Selene to marry me when she doesn't want to," he said softly, looking over at Selene.

"Ivy told us what you said in the dressing room." He had a smirk on his face that no one else saw except her as he spat his lies.

"She said you told her you were having cold feet and weren't ready to settle down with one man. And please, don't try to deny it, Selene; your last known location was a club." He lifted his face to show the false emotions of sadness he had plastered on as he continued with his lies.

"I loved you, Selene, with everything in me, and this is what I get for loving you?" he asked as he pulled back, dropping his head and sobbing.

Her father raised his hand, giving him a comforting pat on the back.

Selene could feel her head spinning with anger.

"This cannot be happening," she said frantically as she dug her hands into her hair. She looked around, seeing everyone's faces laced with disappointment. Her eyes stopped at the sight of Ivy, who had a blank expression on her face.

How could they believe their lies? she thought to herself.

"They're lying!" she screamed.

She had never felt so out of control in her entire life.

How could they believe their lies without even waiting to hear from her?

"Dad, please listen to me! Please!"

She begged as she fell to her knees, clutching her dad's leg and begging for a listening ear, but all to no avail.

"Get up and get out!" His voice echoed as it rang through her head.

"Get out! Selene, you are no daughter of mine!" he shouted this time, disgust and anger written all over his face.

"I don't ever want to see you again! And from now on, you are no longer a part of this family," he continued, ripping her heart out.

"But Daddy…" her sister Sandy said, trying to intervene, but her father's sharp look made her shut her mouth.

"And if anyone tries to associate with her," he said, pointing at Selene, "consider yourself dead to me as well; your mother would be very disappointed with you. " With a hint of sadness in his voice, he stormed out without another glance at her.

Looking up, she could see the look of satisfaction written all over Frank and Ivy's faces. She felt defeated.

Wiping her tears, she stood up and, without another word, rushed out of the hotel, entering a cab straight to her shared apartment with Frank.

Her heart raced rapidly as she entered the room, carried the biggest box she owned, and began loading it with all her belongings.

She did nothing to stop the hot tears rolling down her cheeks, sobbing as she replayed the events of what had just happened. Even her father believed Frank and Ivy's lies, her head aching from the hangover combined with crying.

Done with packing and still filled with emotions, she looked around the apartment and could feel her anger boiling uncontrollably. She made a hasty decision, thrashing and destroying every item in the house. After her anger had cooled down, she looked at the trashed apartment, feeling satisfied.

She thought about how her whole world had crashed within a few seconds. She felt so abandoned.

She walked out of the apartment, turning back to look at it one last time.

Letting her mind wander for a split second about what could have been had she not walked in on them.

Dismissing the thought, she entered the cab waiting for her outside, ready to take her to the airport. It was better this way than to have continued living a lie.