Fake marriage From Betrayal to Billionaire’s Embrace Chapter 3

Chapter 3
Vanessa’s POV
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I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. It seemed like thousands of needles had been dug sharply into my skull.
It became difficult for me to open my eyes but everything was so disheveled, just like my life, that I had to see where I was.
With a loud groan and pressing my palm tightly against my skull, I forced my eyes open but the blinding sunlight streaming in from the window made it difficult to keep my eyelids open.
Turning to the other side, I opened my eyes and a loud gasp escaped my mouth.
Lying next to you was a naked man, his face turned away, rendering him unrecognizable in my hazy state of mind.
I had to press my palms tightly against my mouth so as not to make any sound. My eyes trailed down and another shock came to me as I found myself in my birth suit.
I don’t know how I ended up or who the person is with whom I had a one-night stand but I vividly remember the things that happened at my wedding that led me to the bar and forced me to drink heavily when I didn’t take even a single shot.
I was trying to peek at the face of the man to know to whom I had lost my virginity when the man shifted slightly.
Fear cri ppled up in my veins.
I had to leave this place before he woke up.
I winced as I placed my feet on the floor, the pain shooting up to the middle of my thigh. My clothes were s at tered around the room, and I knew I had to act quickly if I wanted to vanish from the sight of this unknown man before he opened his eyes.
I didn’t want to embarrass myself any further, so I pushed aside the pain and hurriedly gathered my clothes, dressing as fast as I could. Once I was done, I cast one last look at the man, finding that he was about to turn his head. Not wanting to face him, I rushed to the door, and just as my fingers curled around the doorknob, he spoke
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from behind.
“Stop,” His voice came out deep and h oa rse, likely from just waking up. “Listen to me.”
But I didn’t!
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I flung the door open and dashed out of the bar. Hailing a cab, I went back to my apartment, grateful that I had kept my phone in a pocket of my wedding gown.
After paying the fare to the taxi driver, I unlocked my apartment and stepped inside before anyone could see me- in my wedding gown. I was glad that I hadn’t told anyone about my wedding-neither the neighbors nor my colleagues.
After gulping down some painkillers and plugging in my phone to charge, I decided to take a long shower. My aching in neither region persisted. I always wanted to spend my first time with my husband but the incident last night has changed me completely.
I don’t regret it.
I have stopped believing in love and I don’t think that good things could ever happen to me.
When I came out, I found my phone continuously beeping, which caught my attention.
I was surprised to find that there were more than 100 missed calls from Nathaniel, along with a plethora of
messages.
My thumb reached out to open the messages. As I began to read them, anger welled up inside me. His messages were filled with apologies and pleas.
‘I am really sorry, Vee; I know it was all my mistake that I lost control. But I am a man with desires. You never gave me anything more than hugs and cheek kisses, reserving yourself for the first night. I had physical needs and Olivia was more than ready to offer herself. I just lost control. I am sorry. I love you, please. Take as much time as you want but please give me a second chance. I really do love you. Please forgive me, Vee’
All the messages read more or less the same thing. According to him, apologizing is going to fix the heart that he has broken into millions of pieces.
But it cannot!
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Nothing could fix it now.
I don’t believe in love anymore.
My eyes started burning with tears as my head once again spun.
I wanted to cry my heart out but at the same time, I was determined not to waste my tears on the man who betrayed me. He deserves nothing from me.
The loneliness was eating me from inside and the walls of the apartment were suffocating me.
I need to get out of this or I will go mad.
My eyes flicked to the wall and I found that I still had time to reach the office.
Yes!
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I should go to work; it is the best distraction.
Quickly, I got ready and started my car, heading directly to my office. I’ve always preferred to keep my personal life private, and I was relieved that I hadn’t shared any details about my wedding with anyone. Otherwise, I would have been bombarded with questions about why I was back at work on the first day when I should have been enjoying my married life.
After parking my car and stepping inside the company, I noticed hushed whispers among the employees, which caught me by surprise. I have never gotten so much attention in the past 2 years of working here.
What happened all of a sudden?
All of them were not looking but were staring at me. I felt so awkward that I had to look down at myself to make sure that I hadn’t come here in my wedding dress. But everything seemed normal with my attire; it was the people around me who were acting strangely.
It was really hard for me to pass through them and go to the elevator.
I was glad that the elevator was empty but I couldn’t shrug off the way those people were looking at me.
I was only ten minutes late, which is hardly a big deal. And no one had ever paid this much attention to my punctuality before. I just wanted peace, not another drama in my life.
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As a fashion designer working at the company, I was part of a team of four, and we shared a cabin where we collaborated on our projects. Fortunately, my teammates were a source of support and always managed to lift my spirits.
With the thought of spending my day with them, I just shrug off all the feelings. I just opened the door, only to be startled by a party popper.
My hand reached for my heart as I was about to lose my balance. Before I could comprehend what was going on,
I their cheerful voice reached my ear.
“Congratulations!”
Congratulations?
For what?
Wanda came to me as she squeezed my shoulder. She is around ten years older than me but she is still a kid at heart.
“Congratulations, Vee; we are so happy for you.”
But why?
My life has been ruined; why are they celebrating it?
“Oh, come on,” she waved her hand, “we know that you are married now.”
What?
My eyes widened and my ears turned red.
Do they know about my wedding?
But… I am not married!
I ran away.
How do they know?
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What’s happening?
Why is there so much confusion?
But we are mad at you because you didn’t even tell us about your wedding.
Reggie, aged almost the same as Wanda, said with a pout.
“Guys, stop all this.” I walked inside and placed my bag on my desk. “I am not married, yet.”
Jasper, two years older than me, stood in one corner, his expression less than pleased with the news. He appeared genuinely annoyed..
“Hein?” Wanda came to my surprise. “stop lying; the whole world knows about your wedding,” she revealed
“Whole world?” My eyebrows squinted in confusion
“Of course! When you marry such an influential person, who could stop you from becoming the hot topic in every newspaper?”
My face paled.
What are these people even talking about?
Nathaniel was a successful businessman, but he wasn’t famous enough to warrant coverage in every newspaper.
“I think she is not aware of the headline she has become,” Reggie commented, bringing over a newspaper and
handing it to me.
My eyes widened to the point of nearly popping out of their sockets as I read the headline:
“CEO of Dream Weavers, Luciano de’ Valentino, Caught in a Bar Spending Quality Time with His Bride, Venessa Harper.”
Not only this, the headline was attached with two photographs. In the first photograph, his arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me in place and we were looking into each other’s eyes deeply, unaware of the world, while in the second one, I was being lifted in bridal style by a man whom I assume must be the CEO, Luciano de’ Valentino.
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Seriously?
I spent the night with our CEO.
How could I?
The newspaper slipped from my fingers, and I instantly regretted coming to the office today.
As if the situation weren’t awkward enough, we heard a gentle knock, followed by a man’s voice.
“Mr. Valentino is calling Mrs. Valentino into his office.”
Mrs. Valentino?
“Ohhoo!” Reggie and Wanda pushed my shoulder playfully, teasing me as I stumbled forward.
How was I supposed to face him now?