Chapter 3 The Heart break

As the morning light streams through the hotel curtains, it gently illuminates the room, casting a warm glow onto the hotel's large bed. The soft rays dance across the bed, gradually brightening the space.

The light's gentle touch awakens her, and she slowly opens her eyes to find her body moving front and back. She slowly reaches to clear her blurry eyes. Her head still felt heavy with sleep, but her current situation sparked a subconscious sense of fear.

"Erica!!!" Caleb's deep and loud voice pierced the air of the room, sending a shiver down Erica's and Alpha Ryder's spines.

She wanted to push him off her, but he stood heavy, and she was weak.

"Who the hell are you? Get off me right now," She paused, quickly wrapped herself with the bed cloth,

"Caleb, I can explain, please." She jumped out of the giant bed, her eyes laced with tears streaming down her red eyeballs, as she crawled her way to meet Caleb by the doorstep.

"My brother-in-law is fucking my wife!" His declaration got Erica's mind confused; she looked behind at Alpha Ryder, thinking maybe she had crossed paths with him before, before she gazed back at Caleb!

"What are you saying? I don't know him, and you don't either; there's a mix-up!" Erica's justifications kept on worsening the issue.

"Caleb, it's not what you think!" Alpha Ryder's movements towards him made him step back a bit, leaving one of his legs outside the room and one inside the room.

"You'll pay for this, Erica! You dare cheat on me with Alpha Ryder, Ariana's fianceé!" He wasn't in for any explanations; his plans had worked even without the man he hired. Alpha Ryder finally ended up creating a disaster, as Caleb stormed out of the room.

Erica seemed to have been sedated yesterday! And apparently ended up in a large bed with a mere stranger, and not just that, the same stranger deflowered her!

Erica's facial expression was filled with tears and uncertainty. Yesterday was her wedding anniversary with Caleb, and she had been celebrating. How did I get into this room with an unscrupulous man?

"Uhmm... Em, I need you to understand my intent!" Alpha Ryder was explaining, "Get far away from me, rapist!" His words were cut short by Erica's scream piercing the air of the room.

"I am not supposed to be here, but if I hadn't helped you yesterday, you could have joined your ancestors." He groaned at her, clenched his fists together, and said, "You seduced me yourself. I didn't ask for this. I have my own mate. I only came here to see her brother in this hotel!"

Then her mind quickly flashed back to when Caleb's cold attitude changed all of a sudden, to when he handed her a glass filled with wine, and he left for the restroom and never came back since yesterday.

How could this slick man break in? And that glass of red wine felt suspicious!

Many thoughts kept reeling in Erica's mind, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it. She took a deep breath, trying to picture everything while biting her lip, trying to cover her tired eyes with her hand, only to find she had no strength to even raise her hand!

"Alright, I'll be there soon; we go on as planned!" The deep voice of the strange man in the room seemed to be answering his phone behind Erica.

After what they had, is Alpha Ryder going to continue with the ceremony with Ariana? Even after her brother, Caleb, has caught him with his wife!

Erica tried to listen attentively, but the voice seemed unfamiliar to her, though his voice was low and pleasant.

Erica's mind was etched with fear and anger. She couldn't believe she ended up in bed with a stranger like thi"s! Panic and dread made her bury herself under the covers until Alpha Ryder ended his call.

"Oh! Moon goddess! What have I done?" Erica wanted to continue to cry, blaming herself for what she had done.

Automatically, Erica shrank further under the covers, cautiously peeking out through the gap between the sheets. The tall man gradually unwrapping his towel and putting on his black trousers,

His physique was perfect, broad shoulders tapering down to a slim waist covered loosely with a white towel. Even his abdominal muscles and perfect V-line were clearly visible.

Was this the man she had a one-night stand with till this morning and not Caleb? Erica inexplicably felt somewhat unfulfilled, suddenly curious about his face. As her gaze shifted upward, she saw a head of jet-black, tousled hair still dripping water, the droplets tracing down his bronzed skin, causing her cheeks to flush and her heart to race.

Meanwhile, his forehead has a dark mark if he is a very strong Alpha; no wonder he lasted long in bed, conveniently concealing his face, revealing only a pair of sensual lips and a sharply defined jawline.

Then, the man turned to address Erica, who's still hiding her face under the covers. He seemed to be in a hurry, quickly getting dressed and walking to the door. As he opened it, his gaze casually glanced towards the head of the bed, but Erica never flinched as she remained hidden under the covers, with lots of tears streaming down her face.

Alpha Ryder emerged from the presidential suite, where a Maybach had been waiting at the hotel entrance for some time. He got into the car, realizing he had forgotten something, but the matter on the phone was more pressing. Furrowing his brow, he gave a faint command.

"Move now!"

After confirming the man had left, Erica, with a pale face, managed to crawl out of bed. Her legs almost gave way beneath her before she could even get off the bed. Erica forced a bitter smile, enduring the soreness all over her body as she made her way to the bathroom.

The faint scent of soap lingering in the bathroom somewhat eased her emotions, and she splashed her face, gazing at her reflection in the mirror. On her fair skin were the faint traces of bruises, her lips swollen and even split, her delicate face still showing traces of satisfaction and exhaustion after lovemaking, and her large eyes shimmering with tears.

From this appearance, anyone could tell what had happened to her yesterday, couldn't they?

Erica's face turned ashen in an instant. She had to go back! After such an incident, she had to get things straight! Yesterday, when she needed Caleb the most, where was he? What exactly happened? As dumb as she felt, she realized something was terribly wrong, and a sense of dread washed over her, making her tremble with fear. But, no matter how scared she was, she wanted to know the truth!

The clothes from yesterday were already unwearable, but luckily, Erica found a set of relatively conservative women's pajamas in the wardrobe of the presidential suite. She gritted her teeth and put on the pajamas.

Then, ignoring the curious glances of others, she hurriedly fled the hotel. Because of her peculiar appearance, many taxis refused to take her, thinking she was mentally unstable.

Eventually, she met a female driver who, after her earnest pleading, allowed her into the car. Erica returned home with a complex mood. Everything that happened last night made it difficult for her to speak.

How was she going to explain? But more than anything else, she wanted to know why Caleb didn't come back yesterday.

How did that disgusting pervert get in? As she approached closer to her front door, Erica became increasingly hesitant and fearful. The exhaustion on her pale face couldn't be concealed, attracting curious glances from passersby.

Reluctant as she was to face it, Erica had to muster the courage to walk up to the front door. Just as she was about to ring the doorbell, she noticed the door was ajar, and there were sounds coming from inside.

"Uh! Yeah... Give it to me... Caleb, you are so great..."

"You bitch, let's see if I don't fu*k you to stupor!" That's not going to happen. If I die, who's going to give you babies...

The vague gasps mingled with groans louder than the other; anyone could tell how intense it was inside! Erica felt her blood run cold, her scalp tingling.

The voices inside the room were unmistakably her mate Caleb's and her half-sister Lupa's. Anger almost robbed Erica of her good reason. She trembled, wanting to push open the door, but then she heard the people inside mentioning her name.

However, by some strange compulsion, Erica withdrew her hand, wanting to eavesdrop on what they were saying. But soon she realized she'd rather not hear this conversation, one that would only bring pain and despair.

"Caleb, what happened to your bitch Erica? She hasn't come back. Looks like our plan worke"d! Lupa's tone was complacent. Caleb was equally pleased.

"It can't fail. I made sure it never failed when I took matters into my own hands." Don't forget that silly woman always listens to me. She even accepted our sexless union and never bothered me, Mark." Erica's weak and compliant nature, easy to control without her parents' support, was a significant factor. He genuinely despised women who were submissive like that. Erica scoffed,

"I hope you aren't having second thoughts? Remember, if that bitch finds out you married her just for her father's fortune, do you think she'll still treat you nicely?"

"Lupa, are you doing what I'm thinking? Are you jealous? After all these years together, you still don't trust me? God bless me, even though I married her, I haven't touched her! It's all for you!" Lupa laughed excitedly.

"I trust you wouldn't dare betray me! I'm not that bitch Erica!"

"Yes, yes, babe, you are incomparable. How could you compare yourself to that stupid Erica? I just showed her a little kindness yesterday, and she obediently drank the sedated wine. I wonder if Remus was satisfied with her performance last night. It's a great gift if you understand what I mean!"

"I don't know her, but I'm completely satisfied!" Lupa's giggles continued. One sentence after another in their conversation felt like being sentenced to death, with each word cutting into Erica's heart. Her flesh felt sliced and sliced again, the wounds almost numbing her, leaving her mind blank. When Erica finally came to her senses, the two people in the room had begun another round of intimacy.

Lupa's groans and Caleb's grunts made her stomach churn, nauseating her. They had been married for a whole year, during which Caleb had never touched her, always saying the time wasn't right, always promising her the best. And she, foolishly, had believed it all.

But, it turned out to be nothing but a joke in the end! Her sincerely treated husband turned out to be nothing more than a scammer after her wealth! He had been colluding with Lupa behind her back all along!

Listening to their conversation, it was clear that everything from the beginning was a massive conspiracy!

The drugged wine, that disgusting middle-aged man-how repulsive! After immense grief, Erica felt nothing but boundless anger. She couldn't understand why all this was happening.

"Oh my goodness!" Was money really so important? Important enough to erase humanity and family, tioc, and family ties?

Without hesitation, Erica pushed open the door with all her strength. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hands trembling, her already pale face now ashen. Erica felt like her world had collapsed overnight!

"Caleb!" Screaming his name inwardly made her brain malfunction.

The supposedly happy wedding anniversary in the eyes of others had suddenly turned ugly and disgusting by the same man she had sincerely given love to even after her father had warned her not to marry him. Her heart shattered; she has no man-she married a beast instead.