Mr. Right after Mr Wrong: A million-dollar upgrade

Chapter 7

Leia

In that moment, Karson was nothing to me. The air crackled with tension between us, but amidst the turmoil raging within me, his presence faded into insignificance. All I could feel was the raw, deep ache of Derek's memory clawing at my insides, threatening to tear me apart.

I struggled to steady my breathing, to put a halt to the rising tide of nausea threatening to overwhelm me. Clenching my fists, I dug my nails into the soft flesh of my arms, desperate to ground myself amid the storm. But even as I tried to find some sense of control, a sudden chill gripped my consciousness, jolting me back to reality.

Then I felt something cold press against my skin and remembered the cold band on my finger. Slowly, I unclipped my trembling fingers from my arms, spreading them before me like fragile wings. There it was, taunting me with its brilliance—a symbol of promises broken and dreams shattered. Derek's ring. With a surge of anger, I tore it from my finger and hurled it at Karson's feet, the metallic clatter echoing in the tense silence between us.

"Here," I spat, my voice dripping with bitterness. "Give it back to him when you see him next. Please do tell him that I want nothing to do with it and him, I never want to see him and this ring ever again." My words hung heavy in the air, a stark declaration of my pain and betrayal.

Turning away from Karson, I refused to meet his gaze, refusing to bear witness to whatever emotions played across his features as he stooped to retrieve the discarded ring. With shaky steps, I retreated into the sanctuary of my small bathroom, the cool tiles offering a fleeting sense of solace amidst the chaos of my emotions.

Leaning heavily against the closed door, I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of my sorrow pressing down on me like a leaden cloak. My stomach churned with a sickening intensity, the nauseating waves threatening to consume me whole. I fought against the overwhelming urge to surrender to despair, to succumb to the darkness clawing at the edges of my consciousness.

With trembling hands, I began to peel away the delicate layers of my lingerie, each garment a painful reminder of the shattered dreams and broken promises that had led me to this moment of devastation. As I stripped away the remnants of the bride I had once been, my eyes fell upon the pale blue satin garter clinging to my thigh—a frivolous adornment that now felt like a cruel mockery of the love and happiness I had once believed in.

A bitter smile twisted my lips as I realized just how absurd I must have looked to Karson, parading around in my wedding lingerie like some tragic heroine in a Shakespearean tragedy. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I hastily wiped them away with the back of my hand, the sting of saltwater mingling with the bitter taste of betrayal on my lips.

Stepping into the shower, I turned the water on full blast, seeking refuge in the scalding heat as it washed over me like a cleansing fire. I stood beneath the stream, my body trembling as I let the hot water wash away the remnants of the bride I had once been, the memories of love and happiness now tainted by the bitter taste of betrayal.

"You look so beautiful," Derek whispered against my skin as I lay beside him on the bed basking in the afterglow of heavy kissing session. I chuckled at his words.

"Cheesy enough," I chuckled at his words turning around in his arms. His fingers still caressing my back over my clothes, moving up and down giving me a soothing feeling.

"I wish I could express to you how I felt," he whispered against my neck as his lips trailed sweet kisses up to my shoulder.

"Mhmm," my hands wandered in his hair.

"I think you should marry me," his words left me stunned. Marriage?

"Derek," my words barely a whisper. With a flick of his hand, he had me turned on my back with me underneath him.

"Marry me, Leia," he said once again and I felt the thunderous sound of my heart beating against my chest.

"You are not serious?" I asked as my hand cupped his cheeks.

"I'm too damn serious. I love you fucking enough to marry you right this second," he told me and I smiled.

"It's too early, we have been together for just six months. We haven't even had sex," I was still a virgin. Though I was twenty-two I wanted to save myself for marriage.

"And we're going to spend a lifetime together," he cut me off. "It takes one moment to fall in love and I've fallen in love with you the second I saw you."

"God, I have already wasted six months by not marrying you," he once again rolled us onto the bed with me now on top of him. His finger traced my lower lip releasing it from between my teeth.

"Say yes, Leia," he whispered stealing a kiss from my lips.

"Say yes, because I want to you be my wife at all costs. I want your first time to be special, to make love to you only when you are Mrs. Kingston. Mrs Leia Kingston, Derek's Kingston's wife," he had shown me those dreams.

What a fool I had been to believe in those words. I burst into tears sobbing.

With each droplet that cascaded down my skin, I felt a small measure of relief, as though I were shedding the weight of Derek's betrayal with every passing moment. But beneath the surface, the pain remained—a constant ache that gnawed at my soul, refusing to be washed away by the cleansing waters of the shower.

I stayed there until the water ran cold until every last trace of warmth had been drained from my body. And even then, I couldn't bring myself to leave the safety of the shower, as though stepping out into the cold, harsh reality of the world would somehow make Derek's betrayal real.

Eventually, I knew I had to face the truth. With a heavy heart, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping myself in a towel as I stared at my reflection in the fogged-up mirror. There, in the misty haze, I saw a woman battered and bruised.

Fingers crossed! Eyes closed. Eagerly waiting for your thoughts. Thanks a lot for reading.