Chapter 1 One - 9 Years Ago

9 years ago:

It was a normal day like every other day. The sun shone bright as the sands glowed like thousands of thousands small diamonds laying down on the beach. The wind blew with the smell of fish and the previous day's booze. The shore was empty as the party of our farewell had ended.

I sat up on the soft bed of the small beach house that Mathew's father owned. The rags and sheets were all crumbled and I sighed.

Yesterday, he hosted a small party on the beach as he was going away in a week for his studies. He had plans to get his degrees before joining his father in their family business. He had always wanted to take over the business and he would often tell me that he would spread the business to other countries as well.

Certainly, it would take time but I had faith in him that he would.

He was the heartthrob of the high school and a dream boy of the maidens. He certainly was my dream boy too but as a plain girl such as myself who wore sweatpants and sweatshirts everywhere she goes, I could never imagine he would propose to me.

At first, I rejected him because I knew he came to make fun of me but he didn't. I was just fine by admiring him from afar. But he kept trying and trying for three months and finally I said yes.

A smile tugged on my lips as my mind kept recalling the memories of the previous night as my hands clutched against my chest gathering the rag on my bare body.

My cheeks grew red as I recalled how Mathew took me yesterday. My stomach flattered. It was my first time and I was glad that it was Mathew. We were dating for six months and all those months he waited for me. He never uttered a word about doing intimate things. We would only kiss and hold hands or crash on food parlors.

Some days we would just sit in the park and chat. He liked my creame pies and he would often ask me to make those for him. Since I loved cooking, I would make it and sometimes different dishes where he would be my personal Guinea pig. I chuckled at the memory as he made a face when I mistakenly added salt instead of sugar on a sweet dessert.

I looked beside me on the bed but Mathew wasn't there. My eyes moved around the room which had a large door to ceiling window and the sea was clearly visible from it. He wasn't in the room and a small pain tugged on my chest. Where was he?

I wanted to see him...

Maybe he went to the bathroom. I stretched my hand and gathered my clothes from the wooden floor. I got up from the bed and felt the soreness between my thighs. I yelped. My whole body ached and I felt a bit uncomfortable. I quickly wore my jeans and crop top and went to check the bathroom.

"Mathew?" I called and the attached bathroom was empty.

Where could he have gone?

As I headed toward the door, I glanced at the mirror. My brown hair was a mess. It looked like a bird's nest and immediately a few images flashed before my eyes when Mathew's hands brushed over them and caught them in a fist while taking me. I blushed.

Then my eyes caught something and my eyes went wide. There were hickeys on my neck and collarbone.

No way! It had turned blue already and was very prominent on my pale skin. I cursed under my breath. I would ask Mathew about these!

But then I didn't even remember when he gave me those. We were so high in our pleasure that we didn't know what was happening to us. His touch, his wet kisses and his breaths fanning on my skin all felt magical and it was irresistible. My cheeks turned red.

I needed something to hide them or everyone would see. Worst, when I would reach home, my mom and dad would see. I panicked as my mind ran various thoughts. A jacket or maybe a scarf would have been nice but unfortunately, I didn't take any of those with me.

Or, maybe a concealer?

I looked out for my bag as my eyes searched through the room for my light brown sling bag and it laid on the side of the door.

I remembered when we had started to kiss each other I threw it somewhere. We had no idea how much we felt the need to become one. We were drunk after all.

I smiled as my ears heated.

I went there to grab it when I heard a moan.

I froze.

Who could be here now?

I placed my ear on the door as my heart thumped. Whoever they were, they might be in a very bad position.

My ears perked as I heard a low growl which was exactly the same as the one Mathew gave me like last night.

My heart raced as sweat formed on my palms.

No! It wouldn't be him. He would not do that to me. He loved me.

Then I realized when was the last time he said he loved me?

Never!

The day he proposed to me he said he liked me and he wanted to go out with me. For all these months, I was the one who said that.

No! What was I thinking! I should not doubt him without taking a look.

I placed my hands on the door knob but suddenly, I felt all of my energy go out of the large window of the room.

I pursed my lips as my breath took pace.

Turning the knob, I opened the door slowly and peeked outside. The ground beneath me perished immediately as my whole body froze.

Because it was Mathew, kissing Isabella Smith, our cheerleader of the high school in the dining room.

I gasped as my hands found their ways on my mouth and my heart sank. Isabella's eyes fell on me as she pulled away immediately and Mathew finally looked at me above his shoulders.

Tears rumbled in my eyes as Isabella said, "Err... Mathew, let's catch up later. Bye." She left immediately but my eyes didn't leave Mathew's as Mathew didn't reply to her.

As she went away, I asked, "Why?"

He turned around and asked, "What, why?"

I was shocked at his expression. He wasn't even guilty instead he asked as if he didn't know what had he done.

"You—you cheated on me..." I said as my voice staggered. Why was he behaving like that?

Where were his loving, caring and gentle personalities? The Mathew who stood before me, felt like he was someone else. There was no gentleness in his eyes. There was no care, instead it felt like some cold eyes watching me crumble down and enjoying it.

He grinned. "Stella, you know you are very naive."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't cheat on you. We were just in a lovely relationship with no strings attached." He said bluntly.

My brows furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?" It was hard to believe him. He was so casual about it that I almost couldn't believe that we were really in a relationship. I felt like we were friends with benefits.

He sighed as he came near. "It was just a bet that's all."

His hands reached my cheeks and rubbed it in a sensual way which made my stomach tie into a knot. It felt good and at the same time, I felt my anger boiling in my stomach. He betrayed me.

Did he play with me for all these months?! A whole three months of trying to get a 'yes' and the next six months for 'sex'?

"So, all of those were acts?" I asked as my heart was breaking into pieces yet it hoped that he would say it was a joke.

He gave me a smile and said, "Of course, what else can it be? We had a bet. Whoever from Tony, Jacob, Kelly and me would make you our girlfriend and," his eyes washed over me, "sleep with you would win. But I had to admit, it took me one fucking whole year to get you to my bed."

Then a slap echoed through the room as my hand collided against his cheeks.

It was all for a single night. To make me sleep with him. I felt dirty. Shame and humiliation crawled on my skin as I stomped away from there.

Well, he had his fun but I swore that I would never see his face again. I swore that I would go far away as my tears ran down wetting my cheeks.

I hated him. I hated him so much that I wanted to go back in time and correct my mistakes. But it wasn't going to happen. He had broken me already.

He was the biggest mistake of my life.