Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95049 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Bri says to Vanessa with a soft smile.
“Hey,” Vanessa says back, looking like she wants to be anywhere but here, which is great since I’d rather she be anywhere but here.
“Looks like we weren’t the only ones to get married last night,” Bri jokes, trying to ease the tension.
Neither Vanessa nor I laugh.
“I’m just going to get dressed,” Vanessa says before disappearing into the bathroom.
“This can’t be real.” I step back inside the room. “I don’t remember any of this.”
Bri winces. “Maybe don’t say that to her.”
“Fuck that!” I bark. “I don’t know what she did to me, but I didn’t willingly get married or fuck her last night. For one, I would’ve remembered, and I can’t remember shit. She must have drugged me,” I whisper-yell. “That’s the only explanation.”
Bri’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to say something just as Vanessa steps out of the bathroom, dressed in the same dress she wore last night, her heels dangling from the tips of her fingers.
“Did you fucking drug me?” I accuse, making her flinch.
“I—”
“Answer me!” I step into her face. “Did you drug and rape me?”
She shakes her head emphatically.
“We got married,” she whispers, handing me a piece of paper.
I snatch it from her.
It’s a marriage certificate with both of our signatures. Mine is a bit sloppy, but it’s definitely mine.
“How did you get this?”
I scan the document and find our info—driver’s license numbers, addresses, birth dates …
“Holy shit,” I whisper, glancing up at her. “You’re only twenty-one?”
At this point, I’m just thankful she’s legal since I know nothing about her, but, fuck, she’s a good fifteen years younger than me.
Before Vanessa can answer me, there’s pounding on the door.
“Vanessa! Lorenzo! Open up,” Nicole yells from the other side.
Vanessa’s gaze bounces between me and the door, but she makes no move to get it.
“We need to reverse this,” I say, trying like hell to remain calm when I feel anything but.
Vanessa’s eyes fill with tears, but I don’t allow it to get to me.
She did this, not me. And now we’re going to fix it.
Bri opens the door, and Nicole barges in with Kane following.
“What the hell is going on?” Nicole asks. “I went to your room to find you for breakfast, and Kane said you were in here with Lorenzo.”
“What’s going on is, your psycho stepsister drugged me and forced me to marry her.”
I thrust the paper at Nicole.
“What?” Nicole gasps. “Is that true?”
Vanessa doesn’t say anything.
“Vanessa, is this true?” Nicole asks again.
“I’m sorry,” Vanessa chokes out, her violet eyes pleading with me. “I … I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry?” I scoff. “You’re sorry? Well, since you’re sorry, that makes it all fucking better.”
“Vanessa …” Nicole shakes her head. “I don’t understand why you would do this.”
Tears slide down Vanessa’s cheeks, but she doesn’t say a word.
“Hey, guys,” Kane says. “We’re scheduled to leave in about thirty minutes.”
“I need to go get my stuff,” Vanessa rasps before she hightails it out of the room.
“I’m so sorry,” Nicole says to me. “I don’t know why she did this. This is so unlike her.”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her, taking the certificate back since I’ll need it to fix this fucking disaster. “I’d better pack my shit. I’ll meet you guys in the lobby.”
Everyone files out, and after checking on Leo, I take a quick shower to wash off last night and then pack my overnight bag. I inspect the room, looking for any evidence from last night, but other than the bed being messy, it doesn’t even look like anyone was in here.
There’s no alcohol or drinks … no condom wrappers.
Fuck. There are no condom wrappers.
I check the garbage in the bathroom and then the one in the living room. And both are empty. Which means we had unprotected sex.
My thoughts go back to Hillary, swearing she was on birth control when she wasn’t. Bile rises in my throat, and I make it to the toilet just in time to throw up.
I’m already trying to deal with the fallout of one woman trapping me.
I can’t do this again.
7
Vanessa
My plan clearly didn’t go as … well, planned. Which doesn’t surprise me since it wasn’t exactly well thought out.
But at the same time, it kind of did. Because we’re married, and everyone thinks we slept together—albeit they think I drugged and raped him, which is partially true.
I did drug him.
But aside from taking his clothes off, except his boxers, I didn’t touch him.
But I can’t tell him that because he has to believe we slept together.
It’s the only way.
My life is literally on the line, and the only person I can trust is myself.
The entire trip home, everyone is quiet, the mood ruined, thanks to me.
The couples keep to themselves, and Lorenzo makes it a point to stay as far away from me as possible.