Serena Vale

~•~

My rehearsal dinner was to start at four o'clock. It was currently eleven thirty in the morning. Douglas had left early this morning, saying he had to run some errands before the dinner in the evening, so I was left at home with several name cards that needed to be confirmed with fresh flowers littering the house.

Everything was confirmed last night but when I woke up this morning, I had the urge to select new flowers, so I did. Then I rearranged the name cards based on the flowers for each table.

Everything had to be perfect.

Tessa was sitting cross-legged on my couch, her dark curls tied in a messy bun with some of them framing her face. Her laptop was open as she typed furiously on it. She'd been having a bit of writer's block. She suddenly got inspiration this morning but she had also promised to come early, so she brought her laptop with her.

A writer of five best sellers, yet here she was, helping me pick a seating arrangement that made sense.

Well, she was barely helping. She just inserted a few words here and there as Noelle and I discussed it.

"No one should sit beside your aunt Ruth," she said without looking up. "She'll criticize the food, wine, and probably your dress when she sees it."

I laughed. "You're exaggerating it."

"She called your engagement ring modest. I'm being generous."

Noelle perked up at the mention of my engagement ring. She was sitting on the floor, arranging flowers. "Really? She called a huge diamond ring modest?"

"It's Rena's fault for inviting her to her bachelorette party," Tessa responded, her fingers flying across her keyboard. I didn't know how she managed to write and gossip at the same time.

My aunt Ruth was only seven years older than I was. It made sense to invite her since I invited my older cousins as well, some of whom were the same age as her.

"There's a reason she isn't still married yet." Noelle mocked as if she had a husband in contrast.

Noelle worked as a luxury real estate consultant, which meant she was always working with rich people. Because of this, she was usually invited to galas and other rich people's events. She was used to rich people with no soul, especially the ones who came from old money.

The only rich person I was used to was Douglas.

I glanced at my phone. He'd left around six in the morning and he still hadn't texted yet.

"He's late," Noelle murmured, somehow sensing where my thoughts had strayed to.

"He said he was running errands," I said quickly. Maybe too quickly.

"Errands? On the day of the rehearsal dinner? Your makeup artist will arrive in an hour."

"Well, that has nothing to do with him." My tone was getting defensive. "Besides, isn't it better if the makeup look is a surprise?"

They didn't argue but their silence said enough. I wished Lila were here. She would assure me that nothing was wrong with him being out as long as he wasn't missing anything.

For the next hour, we busied ourselves. Tessa continued on with her writing while Noelle and I went through all the details again, triple-checking the schedule. Everything was calm and predictable. But that was until my phone buzzed.

It was a text from an unknown number; an attachment. Wondering if I'd forgotten to save a vendor's number, I clicked on the message.

My fingers went cold and for a moment, I was certain blood stopped flowing in my veins.

It was Douglas inside a cafe, holding another woman's hand. I knew all his siblings. I knew most of his cousins, at least the ones he was close to. I knew his female friends. I'd met them. I knew his exes. I stalked them two years ago. The person in the picture wasn't any of those people.

I blinked, unable to process what I was seeing. "What the..."

Tessa's eyes finally left her screen. "What's wrong?"

I considered not showing them the picture as it was going to make it look real but before my brain could catch up, I was already turning my phone towards them.

Noelle moved forward, staring at the screen with a frown on her face. "Where was this taken?"

"I don't know." My voice was smaller than usual. "But an unknown number sent it to me. It has to be fake, right? Someone is trying to mess with me. Someone is trying to ruin things for us."

Tessa hesitated. "Maybe, but that looks like Douglas, Rena."

I forced a laugh. "Someone is messing with me on purpose. It could be an old picture from before we even met. They probably just want to stir the pot."

Douglas had been faithful to me throughout our years of dating. He'd never raised his voice at me even when we fought. He always made sure I was happy and never went to bed angry. Douglas couldn't cheat on me. He was the perfect partner. He was the love of my life. He was the man I was going to marry in less than forty-eight hours.

Noelle and Tessa exchanged a look but neither said anything else.

My hands were shaking as I tried to focus on my tasks. I had to finish arranging the flowers. Lila would be coming to get the flowers soon so she could take them to the location.

Then, another buzz came.

I froze.

Tessa and Noelle stared at me. They were just as nervous as I was as I picked up the phone again. I was relieved when it was just a text from Lila asking if she should pick up anything on her way to my house.

My relief was short-lived though. As I responded to her, telling her not to bring anything, there was another text from the unknown number. This time, it was a video.

I should have deleted it immediately. I should have tossed my phone across the room or something, but my curiosity compelled me to open the video.

I pressed play and the world stopped.

It was him. Douglas. This time, he wasn't in a cafe holding a woman's hand. He was naked, moving against an equally naked girl underneath him. Her face was blurred but I knew damn well that wasn't me.

My stomach churned at the sight and my breakfast threatened to come back up. I couldn't believe it!

I could have easily dismissed it as a tape from his past but the tattoo on his waist was a dead giveaway. He had gotten it on our first anniversary. It was a tattoo of my initials yet there he was, moaning a woman's name and it wasn't mine.

My hands were trembling so badly that I didn't even realize when I dropped the phone on the floor.

As Noelle picked up the phone, I stood up from the floor and rushed to the kitchen, puking out everything I'd eaten in the past twenty-four hours.

Serena Vale

~•~

The video had ended long ago, but the awful intimate sound of him and the woman kept replaying in my head.

As we returned to the living room, everyone was silent. My friends were staring at me like I was a ticking time bomb but I was just trying to make sense of everything. I couldn't even cry. I was feeling so many things at once that I tried to regulate my emotions.

Logically, it wasn't possible that Douglas would cheat on me. He always called me the most beautiful woman. He said I was the best partner he'd ever had. He even wished he had met me earlier.

But the video was clear as day. It was filmed at an angle that I was certain he didn't know he was being filmed. I was tempted to text the person who sent the video but I didn't want to break my heart even further. I needed to confront Douglas. I needed to confront him as soon as possible.

Just as I picked up my phone to call him, the door opened and the man in question stepped in.

His regular lazy smile was on his lips as he saw the state of the house. "You decided to change the flowers last minute, didn't you?"

For a moment, I just stared at him, wondering how my lovely fiancé could do something so evil to me.

His eyes darted from me to Noelle to Tessa, eyebrows furrowing when we all stayed silent. "Is something wrong with the preparation?"

I glanced at Noelle and Tessa and they both nodded at me before packing up and leaving silently. Douglas looked behind them as they disappeared through the door. "Babe, is everything okay?" He rushed forward, attempting to hold my arms.

I pulled away. "Did you cheat on me, Douglas?" I didn't have the time to beat around the bush. My wedding was tomorrow. I needed to know whether or not it was going to go through.

His face registered his shock at my question, then as if he had practiced it a million times, he laughed. "What are you talking about, baby? Why would I cheat on you?" He looked so honest that I started to doubt if the video was real. "You're literally the love of my life."

I closed my eyes briefly. This was so hard to do as Douglas had never given me a reason to doubt him. But I needed to clear things up. I picked up my phone, played the video, and handed it over to him. "Isn't this you, Douglas?"

His jaw ticked. "Who sent this to you?"

"Is that you or not!?" I yelled.

His face was clear and his voice was unmistakable. He couldn't deny it. "It's me but–"

"But what?" I interrupted. "This is obviously recent. Your tattoo is right there. Even your hairstyle is the one you started cutting earlier this year. What the fuck, Douglas?"

"Look, Rena," he tried to hold me again. I didn't let him. Who knew how many women he had touched with that slimy hand of his? "The wedding is tomorrow. Let's not do this now, okay?"

I blinked. "What?"

He moved closer. "You've spent months planning everything. People have flown in from several cities just for our wedding. If this gets out, we'll both look stupid. We'll handle it privately. For now, let's just go through with it."

My mouth fell open at his audacity. Something inside me broke then. If I hadn't caught him red-handed, would he have lied to me forever? Did he even care about me? Did he intend to continue cheating after we got married too?

"Go through with it?" I asked in disbelief. "You cheated on me, Douglas!"

"It was a mistake, Serena! It meant nothing."

I stared at him, unable to recognize the man in front of me. He wanted me to dismiss his cheating like it was nothing. He wasn't even apologetic. He just wanted to save face. How the hell did I not see the signs?

"Serena, please. You love me. We can fix this. Tomorrow, we'll say our vows. We'll pretend this didn't happen. No one else has to know."

Pretend it never happened.

I took a deep breath, the tears finally rolling down my cheeks. "Get out, Douglas."

"Serena–"

"I said get out!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Realizing he couldn't argue about that right now, he sighed and turned around, leaving the same way he came.

As soon as he left, I fell to the ground and broke down in tears. Tessa and Noelle rushed in. They hadn't left after all.

Tessa knelt beside me, her voice gentle. "You did the right thing."

Noelle placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're not marrying a man who cheats and expects applause for it."

I tried to nod but the tears wouldn't stop rolling. They wouldn't get it, not fully anyway. I thought I had found the love of my life. I'd imagine our life together, our future. I thought we were going to be together forever but it turned out I didn't even know the man I was supposed to be marrying.

Everything I knew was crumbling right before my eyes. How the hell was I supposed to move on from this?

When Lila finally arrived, she was surprised to see us all on the floor. Noelle filled her in and she was about to go out and look for Douglas if Noelle didn't stop her.

"That bastard," she seethed. "If he wanted to fuck everything that walks, he could have just stayed single."

Her words had me crying harder. He was supposed to be my Douglas, not every woman's man. As if I wasn't in enough pain already, another text came through.

Through my blurry eyes, I checked it. It was the unknown number.

[In case he tries to gaslight you into thinking it's nothing, just know that this has been going on for two years. He visited my place last night.]

Without thinking, I threw my phone against the wall.

My chest tightened so hard I thought I wouldn't be able to breathe. "Cancel it. Cancel everything." I couldn't even recognize my own voice as I spoke.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Now, I just wanted to erase it from existence.

Serena Vale

~•~

By the time the sun went down, every trace of the life I'd been building with Douglas was gone.

Well, almost gone. I was still packing up my things to move them into Lila's place. Douglas and I had gotten this house together. It was mine as much as it was his but I couldn't live there anymore, not when every single corner reminded me of him. I would deal with the legalities of that later.

When I called the florist to let her know the wedding was off, she was confused. She had just delivered fresh flowers in the morning and was meant to deliver some more the next morning. The wedding planner was more than shocked. She revealed we were one of the sweetest couples she had met. Well, I used to think the same too.

Half of the calls I got were laced with fake sympathy. The other half were just hungry for gossip. The only people who cared about how I actually felt were my parents and cousins.

Douglas' family bombarded my phone with calls but I didn't respond to any of them. I couldn't.

I had to turn off my phone while I focused on taking everything of mine out of that house. Thankfully, Lila had a penthouse big enough to accommodate me and my things. I wasn't in the mood to pack this much to a hotel and she was barely at home anyway.

That night, I didn't sleep. I just sat by the window, watching the city lights through my tears until dawn came.

By the next morning, people were visiting me at Lila's penthouse. My friends came over, my parents, siblings, and cousins all wanted to comfort me. It was suffocating.

Douglas was calling me, leaving several text messages, telling me not to fuck this up. The rehearsal dinner had been canceled and people had texted him to know what was wrong, but he still wanted me to show up for the wedding. It was nauseating.

Amidst all the comforting words people kept throwing at me, I came to a decision. Douglas and I were supposed to leave for our honeymoon around seven in the evening. I had booked it as he was okay with anything. I couldn't sit there and watch everyone pity me because of Douglas' infidelity, so I packed a new suitcase.

"Where are you going?" Lila asked, standing by the doorway of my temporary room. My parents had just left when they realized I needed space from everyone.

"Liora Bay," I answered as I zipped up the suitcase. "For my honeymoon."

Lila blinked. "Your honeymoon?"

"I've been looking forward to going there. I won't let a man ruin that for me."

Lila bit down on her lip as though she had something to say, but was holding back.

The tickets were non-refundable. The villa had been paid for. I didn't think I'd have another chance to visit the island anytime soon, not with my upcoming job.

A lot of money had been wasted already with all the things I canceled. I couldn't let this one waste too. The island was supposed to be our honeymoon. Now, it would just be mine.

That evening, Lila helped me load my luggage into the car anyway. I was in a pair of sweats and oversized glasses, my hair pulled into a bun. I barely ever looked like this outside, but I just didn't have the energy to put effort into my looks at the moment.

"Text me when you land," she said. "And please don't make out with a mysterious stranger on the beach."

A soft laugh escaped me, the first real sign of happiness since I saw that picture. "I'll try not to."

"Good. Because heartbreak rebounds only work in the movies."

I smiled at her. The truth was that I didn't even think I was capable of attraction anymore. I'd just broken things off with Douglas twenty-four hours ago. I didn't have it in me to accommodate another man.

The drive to the airport was quiet. The sun was beginning to set and the skylines were tall and glittering, not caring that my world had just fallen apart.

At the check-in, the agent smiled politely. "I'm sorry, Ms Vale, but your flight has been delayed."

"What?" Was everything against me or what? "For how long?"

"I'm not sure yet. There's a maintenance issue. You'll need to wait until we announce and update."

Of course. The universe was adding salt to my injury.

I rolled my suitcase towards a seat and slumped down on it. I wasn't even surprised anymore. It just wasn't my year apparently.

That was when I noticed him.

A man was seated a few rows ahead, impossible not to notice. He had dark brown hair with dirty blonde tips. He leaned back with the kind is confidence that came from wealth and danger, or maybe both.

His suit was tailored to perfection. His watch gleamed softly under the airport lights. As if he could feel my gaze on him, he looked up.

He smiled faintly, holding my gaze for a few seconds too long before he went back to staring at his phone. I felt my stomach flip involuntarily, a reaction I scolded myself for.

'Not now, Serena.'

After nearly an hour of waiting, the announcement finally came through the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, flight 233 to Liora Bay has been canceled due to technical complications. Please approach the service desk for rebooking or refunds."

Canceled. Not delayed.

I pressed my lips together. "Perfect."

I'd already told all my friends that I was going to Liora Bay alone. I'd told them I needed space from everyone and everything yet it seemed like the world didn't want me to enjoy a moment of peace. If I hadn't canceled my wedding, would my honeymoon flight have been canceled too?

"Seems we're heading to the same destination."

Irritated, I turned my head, ready to dismiss whoever was trying to strike up a conversation built on my misfortune. I froze when I saw that the man from earlier was now sitting next to me.

Up close, he was even more dangerous. More dangerous in the sense that he was too beautiful. His jaw was too sharp. His eyes were too dark. His gaze was too inviting. There was a small scar near his eyebrow, faint but noticeable. It was almost like it was a flaw put there on purpose to humanize his perfection.

Yes, he was that handsome.

"Liora Bay?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah," he smiled. "The name is Ralph."

I hesitated for a moment before shaking it. "Serena."

His grip was firm and warm and he held my hand a second too long. "We're flying private and since we're heading in the same direction, you're welcome to join."

"We?"

"My..." he paused for a second as if he was finding the right words, "-friend is already in the jet. He hates delays."

I blinked in surprise. "You're offering me a seat on your private jet?"

"Unless you'd rather go back home or wait to book with a different airline." He shrugged. "Your call, sweetheart."

I glanced between him and the number of people disappointed that their flight had been canceled. Every rational part of me screamed stranger danger. But rationality had never gotten me anywhere. I rationalized my ex-fiancé's actions so much until it bit me in the ass.

Lila had warned me about making out with a mysterious man on the beach, but she never said anything about following one into his private jet.

"I don't usually accept offers from strangers..." I trailed off.

"Good, that means you're smart," Ralph replied, a tinge of an accent in his voice.

"Then why offer?"

"Because you look like you could use a change of scenery."

It was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. And yet, a few minutes later, I found myself walking beside him across the private terminal, my suitcase rolling behind him.