CHAPTER 1- Zara’s POV
The morning sun spilled through the drapes, rousing me from my slumber. As I stirred, the memories of the previous night with Lucas came flooding back. However, a wave of regret washed over me. I had allowed myself to be carried away by the heat of the moment, and now, in the harsh light of day, the reality of my actions was sinking in.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the gravity of my mistake. I had given myself to Lucas, not just physically, but emotionally as well. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm my racing heart. I wished I could turn back time, erase that fateful night, but life didn't offer such conveniences. Instead, I was left to face the consequences of my actions.
How had I ended up in bed with my famous college batch mate, Lucas Blackwood? Why him? There were countless other men who were more attractive, but why Lucas? Why had I surrendered myself to him?
“Zara Delafontaine! Come here right now!” a voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts.
At the sound of his voice, I was reminded of my reputation as the diligent daughter of a respected school principal and the beautiful granddaughter of our village chief. My family was overprotective, often likening men to bees eager to taste the nectar of my flower. They would do anything to keep them at bay. But in this case, it wasn't the bee that sought the flower, but the flower had gone to the bee. The realization filled me with humiliation!
It was embarrassing to admit that I made the first move to have him! I wanted to blame Antoinette and the alcohol for what happened, but I knew that wouldn't be fair. After all, it was my decision to approach Lucas at the bar. I wasn't forced to talk to him. I was so intoxicated that I had no recollection of what happened after.
Waking up next to Lucas Blackwood was a shock. We were both naked, and the bloodstain on the bedsheet was a stark reminder of what had transpired between us. It was a one-night stand, both of us intoxicated, and it was a terrible way to lose my v-card!
But then, even though I heard my grandfather's voice, I didn't plan on going downstairs. Instead, I moved to the window, pulling back the drapes to see what was happening outside. As I lost myself in my thoughts, a black car pulled up. I furrowed my brows in confusion until recognition dawned on me. It was Lucas's car.
What was he doing in my house?
Panic surged through me at the thought of my grandfather opening the door to find Lucas. I rushed downstairs, my heart pounding as I saw him standing in our home. His expression was unreadable, but I could sense a storm brewing behind his eyes. Initially, I had hoped he was here to court me, but the anger and frustration in his gaze told a different story. I glanced at my grandfather, who was seated nearby, and asked if I could speak with Lucas privately. He gave a nod of approval, and I led Lucas to the patio in the middle of our garden.
“Finally, you're awake!” Lucas said, his voice carrying an edge of menace.
“Good morning, Lucas!” I replied, trying to keep my tone light.
“Good morning?! Zara, do you even realize what happened last night? How could you just give yourself to me after getting drunk? This is unacceptable!” he exclaimed, grabbing my wrist.
“What do you mean, Lucas?” I asked, feigning innocence. I tried to pull away from him, but his grip was firm.
His smirk told me he was well aware of my discomfort. He proceeded to berate me, attacking my upbringing, my womanhood, and even mocking me for sleeping with him.
“Why are you blaming me?” I asked, genuinely confused by his anger.
“Because it's your fault, Zara! If you hadn't challenged me last night, none of this would have happened!” he retorted.
In an instant, Lucas's harsh words left me feeling as fragile as ice under the midday sun. His cruel insults pierced me, leaving me on the verge of tears. I was shattered by the regret of having given my first intimate experience to such a callous man. He must have known he was my first, even in his drunken state, yet he chose to degrade me.
“Lucas, why are you acting this way?” I pleaded, “If you regret last night, you didn't have to come here.”
“Damn you, Zara!” he spat out with venom, his words laced with fury.
His harsh words forced me to bite my lip, an attempt to keep it from trembling due to the humiliation. His eyes bore into me, filled with a rage I couldn't understand. I had expected kindness, perhaps an apology, but instead, I was met with anger and scorn. The man I had admired for so long was now a stranger, hurling insults at me as if I were worthless. Lucas Blackwood had the audacity to degrade me after being my first.
“You're just another desperate woman, aren't you? You enjoyed last night, didn't you, Zara?” His voice echoed in the room, filled with contempt.
I shook my head, unable to meet his angry gaze. His insults were too much to bear, his words too harsh.
“Lucas, you were drunk. We were both drunk, and you took advantage of my vulnerability,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. His anger seemed to escalate at my words.
“Enough! Let's forget about last night, alright? Don't even think about crossing me...or I'll make your life a living nightmare, Zara!”
When he tossed a handful of crisp bills at me, my heart shattered. It was one thing to endure his verbal insults, but to have him pay me as if I were a commodity was beyond humiliating. Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the money scattered on the floor.
“I hate you!” I managed to say, my voice choked with emotion. His only response was a smirk.
“I hate you too, Zara! You cornered me into sleeping with you, and that's not fair. Do you know that I'm getting married soon?” he retorted.
He didn't even give me a chance to respond. His fear of his fiancée discovering our indiscretion was palpable. I felt insignificant and pathetic. How could he place all the blame on me? It wasn't me who drove us to my place.
“Stop blaming me, Lucas. If you truly loved your fiancée, you wouldn't have been tempted to sleep with me or anyone else,” I countered, my voice shaking. His eyes narrowed in anger, and I instinctively took a step back, fearing his fury might turn physical.
“Shut up, Zara!” he yelled.
He left just in time, before my grandfather could confront him. As Lucas's car disappeared from view, my knees buckled under the weight of what had just happened. He had been so angry, blaming me for everything that had transpired between us.
I was in a daze, barely registering my grandfather's concerned inquiries. I didn't have the strength to respond. Instead, I retreated to my room, a pattern that would continue for several weeks.
My days became monotonous - home to office, office to home, and nothing in between. It was dull, but I didn't care. Antoinette would occasionally suggest going out, but I couldn't bear to be reminded of that night.
Then, the day I had been dreading arrived. The signs were there - the nausea, the fatigue. I confirmed my suspicions with a pregnancy test. I was pregnant with his baby!
I felt as if I had been punched in the gut. My mom had raised me alone, and the thought of disappointing her by becoming a single mother myself was unbearable. I tried to keep it a secret, but somehow, my grandfather found out. The ticking time bomb finally exploded, and my mother nearly collapsed when my grandfather's fury threatened to turn violent.
“Dad, stop it!” Mom pleaded, trying to calm him down. But he was relentless. He turned his disappointed gaze on me, his gray eyes filled with regret.
“Anna, what happened to your daughter? Didn't you raise her right? Why is history repeating itself?” he demanded, his voice filled with anger.
“Dad, please, that was in the past. Let's not dwell on it,” Mom pleaded, trying to steer the conversation away from old wounds.
“And you, Zara! You never even met your father because he abandoned my daughter, and now you're making the same mistakes! Was it too much to ask for you to be careful?” Grandpa's words were like a punch to the gut.
His words echoed the cruel insults Lucas Blackwood had hurled at me. The pain of being used and degraded resurfaced, and I felt a lump forming in my throat.
“I'm sorry,” was all I could manage to say.
“Sorry? Is that supposed to make everything better? I raised you to learn from your mother's mistakes, Zara! Tell me who he is! He has to take responsibility!”
CHAPTER 2 – Zara’s POV When I found out I was pregnant, I was very scared. Lucas Blackwood's family was powerful and owned many businesses in Claybourne City. I was confused and didn't know what to do, especially because Lucas had threatened to ruin my life after we spent the night together. I wanted to keep my situation a secret, but my family found out. Even though I tried to hide who the father was, my grandfather got the truth out of me. The idea of raising a baby by myself was scary, but knowing that Lucas Blackwood was involved made it even worse. He had threatened me the day he came to see me. I wanted to keep everything a secret because I thought having Lucas involved would be a disaster. I was desperate and tried to act like everything was normal. I didn't know if I should hide or tell the truth about who the baby's father was. But my grandfather didn't let me keep the secret forever. Even though I tried to hide who the father was, the truth came out. My secret was out an
CHAPTER 3 – Zara’s POV He continued to blame me for everything. I felt bad for my family because of how Lucas ignored them. I also felt bad for myself because when we got home, Lucas threw a maid's uniform at me! As he kept blaming me, I started to believe that it was my fault. I blamed myself for getting drunk that night, for letting him have me. I had been paying for that mistake for six years. Every day, he blamed me. It had been six years since our secret wedding. After enduring our unhappy marriage, I wanted to free myself. He couldn't keep me as his secret forever! How could he keep me but not love me properly? I felt bad for our son who never felt love from his father. It had been six years, but I still remembered how harsh he was on our wedding night. He knew I was pregnant, but he claimed my body again and again. He didn't let me sleep that night. Since then, he treated me terribly. For six years, he was always cruel. He constantly blamed me for ruining his life, and he
CHAPTER 4 – Zara’s POV Antoinette and I shared a love for coffee, so I suggested we grab a cup at the coffee shop nearest to the school. She went to order our usual favorites while I found a free table. “Are you still with that jerk, Zara?” she asked bluntly as soon as she returned with our drinks. I let out a sigh before responding, “Yes, I'm still with Lucas Blackwood.” Antoinette gave a sarcastic round of applause, then examined my face. I knew she was worried; she was the first one to know about the way Lucas treated me and our son. “Tell me honestly, Zara. Are you trying to be a martyr? It's been six years since that damned wedding. I thought you'd have realized by now that living with that man is like living in hell. I feel guilty every day for what you're going through. It's my fault,” Antoinette confessed. “Don't blame yourself, Antoinette. It was never your fault. You didn't force me into his bed that night. I was willing,” I admitted, attempting to ease my friend's guil
CHAPTER 5 – Zara’s POV When Enrique asked if he was adopted, I couldn't hold back my tears. I didn't care about crying in front of him anymore. I was heartbroken that he felt this way because of how Lucas treated him. All he wanted was his father's love, but Lucas couldn't provide that. I despised him for it! “Are you crying because of me?” Enrique asked. “No, something just got in my eye,” I lied quickly, seeing the sadness in his expression. “You have school tomorrow, my love. It's time for bed,” I told him. Thankfully, Enrique was a good boy and didn't protest. A few moments later, I watched him sleeping peacefully in his bed. He was such a lovely boy who deserved nothing but pure love from his parents. Silently, I pledged to love him every day, regardless of my situation with Lucas. After leaving Enrique's room, I headed downstairs to grab something to drink. I was feeling overwhelmed and thought a drink might help me relax. But I wasn't prepared for Lucas to show up, seemingl
CHAPTER 6 – Zara’s POV My body was accustomed to waking up at five in the morning. My eyes were wide open, but my mind was a blank slate. The last thing I remembered was telling Lucas I needed to use the bathroom. Then he walked me back to the living room and gave me some hot water. After that... he carried me upstairs... into my room. Oh my! I touched myself because something felt off. I was indeed naked! My suspicions were confirmed. “You're awake, good morning,” a voice said close to me. His hair was still damp, and a few droplets of water were trickling down his neck. “Lucas? What are you doing here?” I asked, surprised. Even though we were married, we usually slept in separate rooms. “I spent the night here, don't you remember?” he responded, leaving me stunned. Who wouldn't be taken aback by his revelation? “Why? I mean, why did you sleep here?” I questioned him. “Because you asked me to,” he replied. “You're lying!” I retorted. What he was suggesting was impossible; I d
CHAPTER 7 – Zara’s POV After their chat, Enrique ended the call and handed the phone back to me without saying a word. He then excused himself to continue watching his television show. I was about to start washing the dishes when Nick called again. For a moment, I was tempted to ignore the call, but in the end, I couldn't. “Wazzup, Nick? You called again,” I said. “Did you know that Giselle is one of my clothing models, right? Your husband is here supporting her,” he informed me. I wished he hadn't. A new wave of pain washed over me, a pain I thought I was immune to. “It's fine... he told me about it,” I lied, trying to save face. But Nick's anger flared. “No, it is not fine, Zara! Are you crazy? I just told you that your husband is cheating on you, and you tell me it's fine. What’s wrong with you?” As Nick's voice raised in anger, the tears I had been holding back began to flow freely. Through the video call, I saw a mix of confusion and pity in Nick's eyes. “Hey, Zara. Listen
CHAPTER 8 – Zara’s POV I had fallen asleep lost in my thoughts and would have continued to sleep if it weren't for the knocking on my door. Quickly, I got up and went to the door. “Enrique, it's you.” “Are you sick?” he asked. “No, I'm not. Why do you ask?” I responded, fixing my hair. “Daddy told me to ask if you're okay.” I had to suppress a laugh at Enrique's statement. “I see, so where is he now?” “Cooking breakfast.” “I see.” “But I think he needs your help!” Enrique said, sounding worried. “Really?” I replied, trying to make myself look presentable. “Yes, Mom.” “Alright, let's go and see your dad,” I said, and we both headed downstairs to the kitchen. What the hell? I couldn't help but curse silently when I saw the mess in my kitchen. “Enrique, I'll help your dad with cooking. Just go to your room,” I ordered. As soon as Enrique left, I confronted Lucas. “You knew you can't cook a proper meal, so why?” I mean, I'm asking why he dared to intervene in my kitchen whe
CHAPTER 9 – Zara’s POV I wanted to confront them or even slap the woman, but my conscience stopped me. Besides, I wasn't a scandalous person. So, I lied to Enrique that Lucas received an emergency call from the office, and he couldn't join us. Enrique pouted but understood there was nothing we could do. I took him to a fast-food restaurant popular with kids and ordered a kiddie meal for him. He seemed contented, but as I watched him eat, I felt a pang of guilt. I wanted to drag Lucas away from that woman, but Giselle had no idea he was married. We then went to a toy store, but Enrique lost the drive to shop and asked if we could just go home. I knew he was sad, and at that moment, I felt a deep resentment towards Lucas. When we got home, Enrique went to his room, saying he was tired, but I knew better. I took a deep breath before going downstairs to prepare his favorite snacks. But while cooking, I couldn't focus because I kept thinking about Lucas and Giselle. That evening, Lucas