Kissed by a stranger Marked forever

Felicia sat alone at the far end of the dim bar, hunched over her fourth bottle of vodka. Her hands trembled as she poured another shot, but her eyes-though glossy and red-refused to cry. She wouldn't give herself that mercy. Not tonight. The sting behind her eyes worsened with each replay of the day's events. - Just hours ago, she had been smiling, her arms carefully cradling the cake she baked with love-a two-tiered red velvet with "Happy Birthday, Jaden" written in silver icing. Her fiancé. The man she had planned to marry in two months.

The CEO of Novalex Industries and heir to the third-richest family in Valencia. She had tried to call him-three times, then five. Voicemail. Again. Her heart thudded uneasily. Maybe he's asleep... maybe he's in a meeting... But on his birthday? The day she had promised to surprise him? Unable to shake the dread creeping up her spine, Sunanya rushed home. She took a quick shower, applied some light makeup, and pulled on her favorite ivory dress. She checked herself in the mirror and forced a smile. "He's probably just busy," she whispered. "Don't overthink things." She didn't feel like driving, so she flagged down a cab and headed straight to Jaden's mansion. The house loomed large and quiet as she approached, clutching the cake box to her chest. But just as she reached the door, her heart dropped. A red stiletto sat neatly on the welcome mat. Her stomach turned. That heel. She'd recognize it anywhere-even in a dream. Emily Whitmore's shoe. Her best friend. "No," Felicia whispered. "Don't jump to conclusions. Calm down." She pushed the door open and stepped inside. The hallway was quiet, except for the faint thump of music playing somewhere upstairs. With trembling hands, she climbed the stairs-one step, then another-until she reached the bedroom door. Then she heard it. A moan. Her grip on the cake box tightened. Her knees nearly gave out. "Ohhh Jaden... ahh... ahhh... I love it," Emily's voice rang out. Felicia's body moved before her mind could catch up. She pushed the door open. There they were. Jaden and Emily. Tangled in sheets. Skin against skin. Too lost in lust to even notice her presence-until the cake hit the floor with a splatter. Jaden's head snapped toward her. He scrambled off the bed, panic flashing across his face. But Emily didn't flinch. She met Felicia's stare with a slow, smug smirk-like she had won. "I-Felicia -it's not what you think," Jaden stammered. "I swear-it just happened-it's not like that-" But Felicia wasn't listening. All she could hear was Emily's moans echoing in her ears like cruel laughter. Her heart cracked like porcelain, too shattered to even scream. She looked at them one last time, then turned and walked away. No tears. No words. Just silence. - Now, she laughed bitterly into her drink. So this was it? Her best friend and her fiancé fucking each other under her nose? Her wedding dress still hung in her closet. She had even planned her vows. What a joke. She hadn't taken a cab after leaving the mansion. She had walked for hours, letting the sun burn her skin, hoping the heat would somehow cauterize the wound in her chest. And it led her here. To this run-down bar. To cheap vodka and a mind full of hell. "You're a damn joke, Felicia," she muttered, chuckling darkly to herself. Her fingers reached for the next bottle. But a hand-large and firm-closed over hers before she could lift it. "Let go!" she snapped, pulling back. "Go away! I hate you all! Just stay away from me!" Heads turned. The bartender paused mid-shake. But the man didn't flinch. His voice was calm, deep, and unshaken. "No matter what you're going through, I doubt it's worth dying for." Felicia's breath caught in her throat. She looked up. And froze. The man standing in front of her was... beautiful. Sharp jawline, deep-set eyes, messy black hair that looked too perfect to be an accident. His expensive suit screamed power, but it was his presence-solid, steady-that rattled her. Without thinking, she reached out. She grabbed his tie. And kissed him. Zachary Bennett didn't move at first. His brows lifted slightly in surprise, but he didn't stop her. Instead, something flickered in his eyes-curiosity? Sympathy? Hunger? Then, he kissed her back. Softly at first. Then like he meant it. And for a moment, Felicia forgot Jaden. Forgot Emily. Forgot the wreckage of her world. There was only the taste of this stranger's mouth-and the strange comfort in the arms of someone who didn't yet know her pain. Her arms were all over him now tracing every line of his chest, memorizing the warmth of someone who wasn't Jaden, who wasn't cold or rehearsed. Zachary stood still for a moment, letting her touch him, letting himself feel something he hadn't felt in years. She was soft and trembling, but not fragile. And for reasons he couldn't explain, she was the first woman who had ever touched him without triggering that instinct to pull away. He pulled her up gently, his hand cradling her back as he led her to the guest room. It was the room he usually stayed in when sleep came too late, when work got too loud in his head. But tonight wasn't about work. It wasn't even about him. It was about her. About the way her voice cracked when she said, "Make me forget this pain... please." Zachary froze for half a second. Her eyes-God, her eyes-held something that twisted inside him. She wasn't drunk on liquor. She was drunk on heartbreak. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Are you sure?" Felicia didn't hesitate. She cupped his face, her touch burning and certain. "I need this. I need to feel something that isn't betrayal." And that was it. Their mouths crashed together, and everything else disappeared. Clothes flew in every direction. Her skin pressed against his, warm and eager. Zachary lifted her effortlessly and laid her down, his mouth trailing kisses from her neck to her collarbone. When he wrapped his lips around her nipple, she let out a sound so raw it made his grip tighten. "God... handsome ..." Her voice was shaky, broken-but honest. He kissed lower, taking his time as he slid between her thighs, inhaling the faint scent of lavender and something uniquely her. He kissed her inner thighs, taking in every reaction, every twitch and gasp, before his tongue met the place she needed him most. Felicia arched, one hand tangled in his hair, the other gripping the sheet like it could hold her together. She had never felt this wanted. This seen. When he rose above her, she parted her legs without fear. His eyes met hers-asking one final time if she was sure. She nodded once. Then he entered her slowly, inch by inch. She gasped. He paused, letting her adjust, letting her breathe, his jaw clenched tight with restraint. When she wrapped her legs around him, he began to move. Each thrust was deliberate, not rushed-like he was claiming every broken piece of her and putting it back together with his body. The room was filled with the sound of skin against skin, her soft cries, and his low groans. "Just... like that," she whimpered. "Don't stop..." He didn't. Zachary kissed her as he moved deeper, harder, matching her every breath. Her nails scraped down his back, and he welcomed the sting. It grounded him. Reminded him that this wasn't a fantasy. This was real. This was her. And she was everything he didn't know he was waiting for. Her moans rose, louder now, rawer, her body trembling as pleasure rippled through her. She came beneath him, her voice calling his name like a prayer that had never been answered until now. He followed moments later, burying his face in her neck as his release tore through him like a storm. For a long moment, they lay tangled together, bodies slick with sweat, hearts beating far too fast. And in that heavy silence, it hit both of them- This wasn't just sex. It was something else. It was the beginning of something neither of them expected.