Chapter 25
“How’s your headache?” Daniel asks.
“A little better. I don’t think I’m going to die anymore. Brushing my teeth, the coffee, and aspirin helped.”
“So,” Daniel says, “do you want to tell me what happened last night?”
“I…err…” I hesitate, chomping down on the last bite of my dry toast. “I drank too much and got wasted.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
I know it’s not.
“Did I scare you away? Is that why you ditched me for the drunken duo and a bottle of tequila?”
“No,” I say, summoning up the courage to speak the truth. “Yesterday was a hard day.”
“Spending time with me was hard?”
“No. You were the only good thing about yesterday.”
“I don’t get it. Why’d you cancel?” his voice is gentle, coaxing me to open up.
“It’s complicated.”
“Uncomplicate it.”
“Yesterday was…” — I sigh with a heaviness in my chest — “supposed to be my wedding day.”
“Damn,” he says, his gaze softening.
“The ceremony was going to be on the beach.”
“Here?” His head jerks back as his eyes widen.
“This trip wasn’t a vacation. It was my destination wedding. And honeymoon,” I explain. “And last night was…”
“Your wedding night,” he finishes my thought, the heaviness of my unspoken words hanging in the air.
Nodding, I bite down on my bottom lip to stop it from quivering. Tears fill my eyes, slowly trickling a path down my cheeks.
“I had no idea.” His eyes meet mine with a sympathetic gaze.
“My fiancé was cheating on me.”
“I’m so sorry.” He picks up a cloth napkin from the room service tray and gently dabs away my tears.
“It happened a few months ago. I found texts and pictures of them… and their naked body parts… on his phone. In a matter of seconds, my whole world blew up. It was going on for months, right under my nose.”
“Shit.”
“Apparently, being engaged didn’t get in the way of his screwing other people.”
“Do you still love him?”
“I hate every revolting inch of him.” My intense anger and resentment leave no room for anything but loathing towards him.
“Hating someone doesn’t always negate the love.”
“I don’t love him anymore… only the idea of what we were supposed to be. Of what love was supposed to be. Does that make any sense?”
“Yes.”
“My trust was shattered and my heart broken. It left me an empty shell of who I was,” I admit, briefly averting my gaze to my lap, weighed down by my emotions. I meet Daniel’s eyes again, seeing the empathy in his gaze and continue, “After the initial shock and a shit ton of tears, I realized I was more disappointed in the bitch who broke girl code than the lying, cheating bastard. I mean, what does that say?”
“It says he wasn’t the right guy for you.”
“Then last night, out of nowhere, he texted me. He wants another chance.” The surprise is still clear in my voice.
Daniel straightens his posture, his back rigid against the headboard. “I see.”
“It kinda threw me for a loop,” I admit.
“Is that why you blew me off? Are you considering getting back with him?”
“God, no,” I quickly assure him, taking hold of his hand. “I chickened out because it all came rushing back. The betrayal. The heartache. I was a hot mess, a jumble of emotions—confused, upset, angry. I couldn’t face…”
“Me?”
“Life again. And you—you represent life again.” I squeeze his hand, sensing our deep connection. “It wasn’t you that scared me. Being vulnerable again did. After what happened, everything in my life seemed different. Things I knew to my core suddenly were foreign. What he did to me made me terrified of getting hurt again.”
“I understand.” His compassionate stare remains fixed on me.
“Last night, I closed myself off completely and went on the defensive.” I lock eyes with Daniel. “You didn’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” There’s a visible softening in his expression and a noticeable easing of tension in his shoulders. “I get it.”
“I didn’t see it coming, the cheating.” I close my eyes briefly, my heart aching all over again with pain. “He turned me into an engaged-to-be-married side piece. The way we ended blindsided me.”
“Endings,” he says, his hand squeezing mine, “bring new beginnings.”
“I hope that’s true. I really do. They say love is free—but it cost me everything.”
“Ah, but when you find the right love… the rewards are immeasurable.”
“I hope so. Even though I’ve worked hard to start over, there are still moments when I feel lost. I’m not sure where to start.”
“It doesn’t matter where you start. As long as you move forward.”
“You’re right.”
“I’m right, huh?” he says with a chuckle. “I’m going to remind you that you said that.”
A trace of amusement plays on my face. “You caught me at a weak moment.”
“There must be something in the air about this resort and canceled weddings,” Daniel says. “Lily mentioned her cousin called off his wedding at this resort this week too.”
“I just met Lily. It must be a different failed attempt at marriage.”
“She said she didn’t know the bride. Her name was Princess. Something like that.”
“You’re kidding,” I deadpan.
“No. We talked about it on the plane while you were sleeping.”
“Oh my God,” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth.
“What?”
“The bride’s name wasn’t Princess,” I state with certainty, as it all clicks together.
“I distinctly remember she said it was some royal name. Duchess, maybe?”
“It was Contessa,” I say confidently.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Pleasure to meet you.” I extend my hand towards him. “I’m Contessa Harper.”
“You’re the bride?”
“I guess so.” I offer him a half-hearted shrug.
“Your full name is Contessa?” he asks, amused.
“Tess for short. My mother thought Contessa sounded regal. At the time, she was heavy into historical romance novels with Fabio on the cover.”
“That’s crazy.”
“My mother?”
“The coincidence.”
“So, that adulterous son-of-a-bitch is related to Lily,” I muse. “How unfortunate for her.”
“She seems sweet.”
“Trust me, it’s not a family trait,” I say dryly. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why do men cheat?”
“Not all men cheat.” Gently, he glides a knuckle down my cheek. “And men aren’t the only ones who do.”
“Your ex?”
“With her boss.” Rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes express both irritation and indifference.
“I’m so sorry. How did you feel when you learned about it?”
“Like I got sucker punched in the gut. But karma stepped in. She cheated on him with the guy she eloped with. Some rich sucker she met in a bar a week before.”
“Wow. What a bitch.”
“That’s being kind.” He laughs.
“What was she like?”
He takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “She was trouble. And I was stupid.”
I gesture towards myself with a self-deprecating expression on my face. “You’re looking at the head cheerleader of Team Stupid.”
“Quarterback,” he replies dryly. “So, how many STD tests did you take after you found out?”
“Two. It was horrible,” I say with a hint of sadness. “At least I’m negative. You?”
“I didn’t trust her or the test. I took two, too. Negative.”
“Yay us. We passed,” I exclaim in a sarcastic tone, extending my arms out wide like a cheerleader waving pompoms. “How did you feel after your divorce?”
“Like a grateful failure.”
“Failure? Her choices were her fault.”
“We were never a good match. And I was done being angry at the world for taking away something that was doomed from the start. Cheaters cheat because they want to. I was over it… over the marriage and her.” He looks at me thoughtfully. “My eyes are on the future. There are great things ahead, I promise. Be a little kind to yourself while you work it all out.”
“I’m trying. I hate that I’m rushing myself through life. Every week that goes by, all I feel is relief that I made it to the next one. I was robbed. Were my happy memories real if he wasn’t the person I thought he was? Was anything about us true?”
“You may never know.”
“When I first found out… I suffered in silence because showing anyone how broken I was meant he won. They won. And I’ll be damned if I gave them that.” I lift my chin defiantly, clinging to my dignity.
“I’m familiar with that avenue of coping.”
“Meanwhile, on the inside, I was lost. And so damn angry. At him, her, the world… everything. I never felt so small. So insignificant. I mean, how would you feel if you found out that you didn’t matter to the one person in the world who mattered the most to you?”
“Unfortunately, I can answer that question.” His vulnerability hits me right in the feels.
“I’m sorry.” Gently, I place my hand on his arm. “That was insensitive. I’ll stop.”
“No. It’s fine,” he says. “Keep talking. Talking helps.”
“Are you sure? I’m harboring a boatload of anger.” I gesture towards my heart.
With a nod, his eyes convey complete understanding. “Let it all out.”
“Okay.” I take a second to compose myself and, with a rush of emotion, I let go—confessing the things I’ve never admitted to anyone else. “I’m mad at myself for falling for such a colossal loser. I grieved in silence, each day blending into the next, until my life resembled something normal. But my partner didn’t die, the relationship did. He was still out in the world. Fucking that bitch. In the bed we shared. On the mattress I paid for.” I glance down at my lap, my tears welling up again. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the pain. “When I couldn’t hide my emotions anymore, everyone from my friends to my family did their best to comfort me. But it only made it worse.”
“Sometimes someone else’s best intentions aren’t necessarily the best for you.”
“Exactly.” His words give me a small feeling of validation. “I know they wanted me happy, but I wish they’d let me be sad. I mean, what’s wrong with being sad?”
“Nothing. Your feelings are yours. You have every right to be sad, as you do to be happy.”
“Then I had to deal with the humiliation of going back to work. The place we both work. I’d see him every day. And it hurt every time.”
“What a piece of shit.” He runs his fingers through his hair with a look of disgust on his face.
“Everyone knew what happened. Everyone. I kept my chin up and pretended I didn’t hear the whispers behind my back, then I’d hide in a bathroom stall and cry it out. I felt so alone. Sometimes I still do.”
“Being alone isn’t so bad. The moon’s alone. But he still lights up the sky.”
“The moon I can count on. It’s people I’ve lost my faith in.”
“Don’t. Someday you’ll find someone worth giving faith another shot.”
“Have you found someone?” I ask, hopeful I’ll hear the answer I’m counting on.
“Maybe.” He grins mischievously. “I’ve recently discovered…possibilities.”
“Possibilities? Plural?”
“No.” He chuckles. “Just one.”
“Do I know her?” I ask, playfully nudging his shoulder.
“You might.” He nudges me back, our connection growing stronger with each playful touch.
“Tell me about her.”
“Okay. Let me think.” He looks up at the ceiling and a lighthearted grin slowly spreads across his mouth. “She’s snarky and impossibly hardheaded.”
“I’m hearing funny and independent,” I reply with a hint of humor.
“She reads steamy, dirty books,” he continues.
“So, she’s a romantic who likes sex.”
“She likes sex, huh?” He shifts his gaze towards me, a playful smirk emerging on his lips as he raises an eyebrow teasingly.
“That’s what you pick up on?” I ask in mock disapproval. “Tell me more about this person.”
“She has a thing for too-tight bikini briefs on men.”
“That’s a bold-faced lie.” I fold my arms across my chest and humph.
“She can be angry and aggressive, but…”
“But?”
“But she’s also soft and absolutely exquisite,” he says tenderly.
I feel my cheeks turning pink, and I look down at my lap. “Anything else?”
“One more thing.” He pauses briefly. The room falls into a silent stillness, as if time has momentarily frozen. “Podría enamorarme de ti.”
“You said that the night we went dancing. What does it mean?”
“It means…” his voice trails off, his gaze never leaving mine. With a gentle touch, he uses his index finger to tuck a few strands of my hair behind my ear. “I could fall for you.”
“Oh.” My heart races, my pulse quickening. “Wow.”
“How do you feel?” he asks, his piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, never wavering. “About me?”
“Well… you’re sarcastic and cocky.” My thoughts filter back to the day I met him.
“I think you meant I’m smart and charming. I agree. Go on.”
“You talk a lot.”
“So, you’re saying I have boundless information to share. Thank you. It’s because I’m brilliant, like a Jeopardy champion.”
“You’re kinda handsome,” I confess, my cheeks flushing slightly.
“I heard kind and handsome. Both true.”
We share a genuine laugh, the sound filling the room with warmth. He’s not wrong. He’s way more than “kinda” anything. I don’t know how he turned around such a bleak day—but like magic, he did.
“I never expected to meet somebody like you,” I tell him honestly.
“Charismatic, attractive, and well-endowed?”
“I wouldn’t know about the last one.”
“Are you sure?” He raises his eyebrows with a mischievous, boyish grin.
I don’t know what that brow wiggle is supposed to mean, but I let it slide.
“What I was trying to say,” I continue, “is I never expected to meet somebody who made me see possibilities again.”
“Tess?”
“Hmm?”
“I’d love to kiss you right now.”
“I wouldn’t stop you.” Inside my head, I hear the click of my heart unlocking, like a secret door opening.
“Is that so?” His voice is smooth, oozing sensuality, while his eyes burn with intensity. With a delicate touch, he places his index finger under my chin, tilting my face up, and I close my eyes.
But the kiss never comes.
“No,” he says. “I want to do this right. You deserve romance. Can we try again? Tonight?”
I open my eyes and nod in agreement.
“Good. Wear something nice. No new shoes. And answer your door when I knock. Seven o’clock sound good?”
“Seven sounds perfect.”
“I’m going to leave you for the rest of the afternoon. Let you sleep off your hangover so you’re awake tonight.”
“Okay.”
“Let your mother know you’re alive.” He tightens the belt on his robe, slides off the bed, and stands. “I’ll see you tonight,” he says, his caress giving me goosebumps down my arm as he grasps my hand and places a gentle kiss on the back of it.
I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent the widest grin on Earth from happening.
“It’s a date,” I squeak out.
He gathers his clothes off the dresser and walks toward the door. “Bye, Contessa.”
“See you later,” I say as I watch him open the door. “Hey Daniel?”
He pauses and turns to me. “Yeah?”
“Did I do or say anything embarrassing last night?”
He smiles warmly, his eyes meeting mine. “No.”