Lyra's POV
Even before I knocked on the door, my fist merely poised above its fine finish, it was suddenly pushed open. I jerked back my head just as my best friend stretched a hand and pulled me inside with her, slamming the door shut behind her.
She was in a black silk dress, the color I'd chosen for my wedding. The color made her unique features pop, her green eyes giving her a captivating look, and of course, her auburn hair, curled to perfection, with ringlets framing her face, making her look so alluring.
So surreal.
It was such a shame the wedding wasn't happening again. Oh! That's right! Rose had no idea what happened.
"I'm sorry for not calling you throughout the night…"
"You should be," she cut in, confusion etched in her tone. "Especially after I kept calling non-stop. And I called again this morning the minute this came in."
She held up my purse, the same one I'd dropped last night in Ethan's room.
"My calls went straight into voicemail and I was freaking worried."
"I'm sorry," I sighed, slumping into one of our mismatched couches. "I had to turn off my phone this morning with how many calls and notifications I was getting."
The weight of everything that had happened in the last twelve hours came crashing down on me and I felt the first sting of tears.
I blinked rapidly but it refused to vanish as I'd hoped. Instead, it slid down my face, causing Rose to regard me in surprise, rushing to sit beside me.
I leaned into her the minute she wrapped her hand around my shoulders. "What happened, Lyra?" she whispered in a soothing tone. "You were supposed to be back after an hour yesterday so we could get started with our party."
"I couldn't, Rose. There will be no wedding."
"What?" Her eyes shot up. "What…How…Is that why you are crying?"
"When I got to Ethan's yesterday," I croaked, my voice sounding all muffled because I was crying at the same time. "Francis, his butler, refused to let me in. I should have known that something else was going on then but I pushed past him and got in."
"Only for me to find out that Ethan has been cheating on me all this while." Sobs racked through me, as Rose stayed quiet, holding on to me, allowing the wave of emotion to pass. She was a great listener.
Always had been.
"He had this blonde in his room and they were…"
"Shhhh," Rose whispered, bringing my head against her chest. "It's fine, okay? I'm sorry you had to go through that all by yourself. I should have been there for you. Ethan doesn't deserve you."
I waited for the next question, about the post I'd made on Instagram. But then again, I remembered that my best friend lived under a rock. She didn't do social media like me, until absolutely necessary so I doubt she had seen the post.
"Was he the reason you turned off your phone?"
It wasn't the total truth but I nodded. "He kept blowing up my phone with calls and texts and I panicked."
"You did the right thing, honey," Rose murmured, pulling me to her. "You should stay off social media and leave your phone turned off because we both know Ethan is going to do his best to try to reach out to you."
"I don't know about that, Rose." I got on my feet and turned around to look at her. "I still love him. My feelings for Ethan aren't going to vanish overnight. We have been together for three years. How can I get past that?"
"You will." My best friend got on her feet too. "It might take some time but you are going to heal from this hurt."
"What if I don't want to?"
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"I had a one-night stand, Rose."
"Now, this story just keeps getting interesting."
"He was a total stranger, and he leaned in to kiss me first at the bar."
"There is more, isn't there?" Rose had always been able to read me from one glance.
"I might have taken a picture of us and uploaded it on Instagram to make Ethan jealous and resort to chasing me. To fighting for me. I know he hates sharing so I …"
"Of course, you did that!" Rose sighed exasperatedly. "We can talk about this later. For now, let us get you out of those clothes."
***
It took Ethan twenty-four hours to find me. I was at the back of the house, reading a book and just enjoying nature when I heard an angry knock on the door. Sighing, I dropped the book, my gaze catching my phone.
I stared at it lustfully, wondering if it was fine now to turn it on. Resisting the urge, I padded out through the house to the front door, pulling it open just a fraction.
I rolled my eyes when I saw Ethan standing there. "What do you want, Ethan?"
Rage settled in his eyes, just as he threw a finger in my direction. "You fucking slut!"
Pulling the door open further, I smiled and leaned against the frame, with my hands folded across my chest. "Oh! Furious this morning, are we? I could have sworn you wouldn't be since you practically did the same thing to me. You ruined us!"
"No! You did that all by yourself, you whore! You wanted to get back at me and you thought the best way to do that was to fucking sleep with my Uncle, right? That's just so messed up, Lyra!"
The skin on my forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Are you drunk, Ethan? When did I ever sleep with your Uncle?"
"Lyra!" Rose called excitedly from inside, running towards me with a new spring in her steps. "You won't believe who you just got a mail from!" She paused suddenly and threw a lazy glance at Ethan.
"Rose, you know I've had enough of surprises to last me one whole year."
"You will love this one!" She chirped, clapping her hands with so much glee. "You just got an invitation for an interview with your dream company."
"What?"