CHAPTER 1
Zara’s POV
The morning sun filtered through the drapes and as I stirred awake, the memories of what happened between me and Lucas flooded back. However, a surge of regret gripped my heart like a vice. I had allowed myself to be swept away by the passion of the moment and now, in the unforgiving light of day, the consequences of my actions loomed over me.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the magnitude of my mistake. I had given myself to Lucas, not just physically, but emotionally too. Closing my eyes, I tried to steady my breathing to calm down. I wished I could turn back time, to erase that fateful night from existence, but life didn’t offer such luxuries. Instead, I had to face the consequences of my actions.
I had no idea I would be involved in a scandal. How did it happen that I woke up next to my famous batch mate in college?! Lucas Blackwood?! Why him? There were several guys who were more handsome than him, but why? Why did I surrender my exquisite honeypot to Lucas?
“Zara Delafontaine! Come here right now!”
When I heard his voice, I remembered that I was a goody-two shoes, daughter of the respected principal in our school, and also the most beautiful granddaughter of our village chief. Being the daughter of the principal, I had to be serious about studying and I couldn’t afford to fool around.
My family were overprotective. They would always tell me that men were like bees who would love to taste the nectar of my flower, and they would do anything to stop them from coming near me. However, it wasn’t the bee who came; it was the flower who went to the bee, and I was so humiliated by it.
I got drunk when Antoinette took me out to the bar. Just like Lucas, Antoinette used to be my classmate. I wanted to blame her for what happened but it would be inhumane to do so. After all, it was my own decision to approach Lucas in the bar. I wasn’t forced to talk to him in the first place. I was so wasted that I had no idea what happened afterward.
In fact, I was shocked when I woke up beside Lucas Blackwood. He was naked like me! For goodness sake, the bloodstain on the bed sheet was a clear sign of what transpired between us while we were both wasted.
While it was true that Antoinette suggested that I should talk to Lucas, she really never forced me to do it. Because of her, I got the chance to spend a night with my ultimate crush. However, I was worried when the morning came. It was a one-night stand with a wasted man, and we were both intoxicated. Overall, it was a horrible way to lose my v-card!
Although I heard my grandfather’s voice, I didn’t have a plan to go downstairs. Instead, I went to the window and opened the drapes to see what’s going on outside. I was lost in my thoughts while staring into nothingness, then a black car arrived. I furrowed my brows in confusion until I recognized the vehicle parked outside!
The sound of the doorbell ringing snapped me out of my reverie. I ran downstairs and turned to look at the front door. As I opened the door, my heart skipped a beat to see Lucas Blackwood!
He stood there with an unreadable expression on his face. Then, my heart sank as I realized the storm brewing behind his eyes.
“Finally, you are awake!” he said, but there was something frightening in his voice.
“Good morning, Lucas!”
“Good morning?! Zara, do you even know what happened last night? How could you just spread your legs after being drunk? My God, woman! This is unacceptable!”
“What do you mean, Lucas?” I asked innocently, then I tried to get away from him, but I couldn’t move my body.
My muscles were sore, and my entire body felt heavy. When I glanced at him, he just smirked, as if he knew the cause of my discomfort. Then, he started to insult me. He insulted my upbringing and my entire womanhood, and he also mocked me for sleeping with him.
“Why are you blaming me?” I inquired because I really had no idea why he was so worked up.
“Because it’s your fault, Zara! If you didn’t challenge me last night, then it wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t be compelled to take you here!”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to take all the insults I heard from Lucas. I was like ice instantly melting from his harsh words, and it seemed that I was just frozen in a corner of the bed while he got up to get dressed.
For a moment, I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry for losing my virginity to a horrible bastard. He probably knew he was the first man I slept with even if he was drunk, so the least he could do was to insult me.
“What the fuck! Fuck you, Zara! Damn you, bitch!”
As he cursed me, I bit my bottom lip to stop it from quivering from being humiliated. Then, he glared at me as if I did something so wrong. If there’s something he should do after doing it with me, he should be gentle or even apologize. Why the hell did he keep on cursing at me?
He was so mad, and I couldn’t imagine that the person I admired for so long would hate me like this. The audacity of Lucas Blackwood to insult me after taking my virginity!Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“I have no idea that you’re just another desperate whore! You like what happened last night, right? Fucking right, Zara? Answer me, bitch!” he screamed at me.
I quickly shook my head while avoiding his stern gaze. I couldn’t take his insults anymore, and he went overboard with the cuss words.
“You knew I was drunk, Lucas. You also took advantage of my weakness,” I told him, and he became so furious.
“Stop! Just forget about what happened, okay?! Don’t ever try to screw me… or I’ll make your life a living hell, Zara!”
When he threatened me, I felt his anger, but when he threw some crisp bills onto the bed, I couldn’t help but cry. He just didn’t insult me with words but also paid my body with a handful of cash!
“I hate you!” I told him, but he just smirked at me.
“I also hate you, Zara! You cornered me into doing it with you, and this is cheating! Do you know that I am getting married soon?”
He asked, but he didn’t give me the chance to reply. He was scared that his fiancée would find out about what happened, and at that moment, I felt so small and pathetic. How could he blame me for everything that happened? It wasn’t me who drove the car and brought him to my place.
“Stop blaming me, Lucas. If you really have a woman in your heart, you wouldn’t be tempted to sleep with me or with anyone else,” I told him and he narrowed his eyes in anger. He look so furious and I stepped back for fear that he would suddenly hit my face.
“Shut up, Zara!” he shouted at me.
Fortunately, he left right away before my grandfather could stabbed him with his knife. My knees wobbled after closing the door when he left. He was furious at me and he blamed me for everything that happened between us.
For a moment, I was dazed. My grandfather asked me what was wrong but I ignored him. I had no energy to respond. So, I decided to return to my room…and it went on for several weeks.
My routine would be boring. Home to the office, then office to home, and nothing in between. It was boring, but I couldn’t be bothered by it. There were times when Antoinette wanted to go out again, but I didn’t want to be reminded of what happened last time.
One morning, the day I dreaded the most came. I experienced several symptoms of being pregnant, and I immediately confirmed it with a pregnancy test kit.
I seemed to have caught a cold. My mom was also a single mom, so I couldn’t bear to disappoint her by becoming a single mom, too!
For several days, I tried to hide it, but for some reason, my grandfather discovered my secret. The ticking bomb just went off, and my mom almost collapsed when my grandfather became so furious that he wanted to hit me with his fist!
“Dad, stop it!”
Mom tried to calm him down, but he was so stubborn. Then, he glared at me, and he looked at me with disappointment in his gray eyes.
“Anna, what have you done to your daughter? Didn’t you teach her well? Why does it have to happen again?” Grandpa asked my mom angrily.
“Dad, please, it was in the past. Let’s just forget about it,” Mom requested Grandpa to stop talking about the past.
“And you, Zara! You don’t even get to meet your father because he abandoned my daughter, and yet, you dared to follow in her footsteps! Is it too hard to keep your legs close to anyone?”
When my grandfather asked those words, I remembered every single insult I got from Lucas Blackwood that day. Once again, I remembered the pain of being used and insulted.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized for my mistake.
“Sorry? Would it be enough? I raised you well so that whatever happened to your mom wouldn’t happen to you, Zara! Tell me the man’s name! He needs to be responsible!”