After Midnight With Him

Sophia Bennett

"Ah, fuck, Mark, yes, I love this, you're so big-"

The words shattered something inside me. A strangled gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Tears streamed silently down my cheeks. For several seconds, neither of them noticed me standing there.

I wished I could move. I wished I could run, but my feet felt rooted to the floor. My eyes remained fixed on Ethan. Five years, Five years together, Five years of believing he loved me. And now I was watching him look happier than I had ever seen him.

My chest tightened painfully.

The man lying beside him laughed softly. "You've got to be kidding me, Ethan."

My voice came out as nothing more than a broken whisper, The room fell silent. Both men turned toward me.

I waited for shock, or panic, or guilt. Instead, neither of them looked surprised.

Ethan simply stared at me.

The other man sighed.

"See?" he said, looking at Ethan. "I told you she would react exactly like this."

The words hit me harder than a punch. "You knew?" I asked.

Neither answered immediately. My hands trembled.

"You knew I would find out?"

Ethan rubbed his forehead.

"Sophia-"

"Don't say my name!"

My voice cracked.

The other man stood from the bed and reached for his shirt.

"Ethan, maybe I should go."

"No."

Ethan immediately grabbed his arm. The simple gesture shattered another piece of my heart. He was comforting him. Protecting him. While I was standing there falling apart.

I laughed bitterly. "You can't be serious."

"Sophia, calm down."

"Calm down?" I stared at him in disbelief. "I caught my fiancé cheating five days before our wedding and you want me to calm down?"

The other man shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Something inside me snapped. I marched toward him. Before I could reach him, Ethan stepped directly between us.

"Move."

"No."

"Move, Ethan."

"No."

My hands clenched into fists.

"He knew!"

"He isn't the problem."

I stared at him. For a moment, I wondered if I had heard him correctly.

Then the other man spoke again.

"Ethan, just tell her."

The room became eerily quiet. Tell me what? I looked from one man to the other. A horrible feeling settled in my stomach.

Ethan avoided my eyes. That was when I knew. There was something I didn't know yet.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

Nobody answered.

"What are you talking about?"

Finally, Ethan exhaled. "The wedding was never about love."

My heart stopped. "What?"

His jaw tightened. "The marriage was necessary."

Necessary?

The word echoed through my mind. Not wanted. Not dreamed of, Necessary. "What does that mean?"

Ethan looked away.

"Our families needed it."

I felt sick. "You proposed because of your family?"

Silence.

The answer was written all over his face. Every memory flashed through my head. The proposal, The promises, The future we had planned, All lies.

"You never loved me?"

The question came out barely audible.

Ethan remained silent, that silence was answer enough. A sob escaped my throat.

The other man looked genuinely uncomfortable now.

For the first time, I hated both of them. I lunged toward him again.

Ethan blocked me a second time. "Stop it!"

"Get out of my way!"

"No."

"Why are you protecting him?"

"Because I love him!"

The words exploded from Ethan's mouth. The room froze, Nobody moved, Nobody breathed, I stared at him, And just like that, every last illusion died.

He loved him, Not me, Never me, Rage surged through my body, I raised my hand.

But before I could do anything-

SLAP!

The force of the blow snapped my head to the side, The room went completely silent. A sharp pain burned across my cheek.

Slowly, I turned back toward Ethan. His hand was still raised. His eyes widened slightly, as if even he couldn't believe what he had just done.

A drop of blood touched the corner of my lip.

Then Ethan whispered five words that made my blood run cold.

"You should never have come."

Sophia Bennett

I stared at Ethan in shock. He didn't even blink. He didn't even look at my face. Tears streamed down my cheeks, but the slap wasn't what hurt the most. What hurt was the man standing in front of me-the man I had loved with all my heart for five years.

Five whole years. Five fucking years. I had given him my heart. My trust. My future.

And this was how it ended.

Was I the fool who had been deceiving myself all this time? Or had he been deceiving me from the very beginning?

I stood there, trembling with anger and regret.

"S-Sophia..."

He stammered my name as though he had only just realized what he had done. Or maybe he was just pretending.

"What do you think you're doing?" I snapped before he could say another word.

The sound of his voice made my chest tighten painfully. I looked at him with disbelief and anger. I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

"Sophia, I'm sorry," he said quietly.

His boyfriend immediately placed a comforting hand on his ass. The gesture irritated me more than I thought possible.

Just moments ago, I had actually considered forgiving Ethan.

Maybe if he had apologized sincerely.

Maybe if he had promised never to hurt me again. Maybe. But now?

Watching another man comfort him while I stood there broken? No. The other man glanced at me and frowned.

"I never knew she was this dramatic," he muttered. "Why is she acting like she's lost her mind?"

My fists clenched. I wanted to react. I wanted to scream at him. But the memory of Ethan's hand striking my face stopped me. The pain on my cheek was still fresh.

What confused me most was how normal they seemed.

Why weren't they ashamed? Why weren't they embarrassed? Why were they acting as though I was the one causing a problem?

"I'm really sorry you had to find out this way," Ethan said.

I stared at him. Was this really the man I had wanted to spend the rest of my life with? The man I loved?

"Do you love me?" I asked suddenly.

The room fell silent. Ethan lowered his gaze. He didn't answer.

"Say something!" I shouted.

My entire body was shaking. Still, he remained silent.

Finally, he said,"It's my family."

I laughed bitterly. Of course. An excuse.

"When they found out I was gay, they pressured me into this marriage."

I wasn't interested. Not anymore. Why should I care? Would his explanation change what I had seen? Would it erase five years of lies? "No."

I shook my head.

"Don't do that."

"Sophia-"

"No!"

My voice cracked.

"You're a grown man, Ethan. Stop blaming your family. They don't control your life."

The more I spoke, the angrier I became.

A headache pounded behind my eyes.

"They arranged the marriage because they believed marrying you would fix me," he admitted quietly. "They thought it would make me normal."

The words felt like a knife twisting deeper into my chest. I looked at him. He was still standing close to the other man.

Still protecting him. Still choosing him. The realization nearly destroyed me. Five days.

In five days, I was supposed to become his wife.

What would I have told people afterward?

How would I explain that my husband preferred another man? The questions raced through my mind. Memories flooded back one after another.

The nights he stayed awake when I was sick. The way he rubbed my back during my menstrual cramps. The way he skipped meals because he worried about me. The way he always seemed willing to sacrifice everything for my happiness.

Had all of it been fake? Had every moment been a lie? I felt sick.

"Please," Ethan said. "I'm sorry. Just forgive me."

The other man rolled his eyes. "Why are you still begging her?" he asked. "You've already told her the truth."

I ignored him. He wasn't important.

Ethan was. I looked directly at the man I had loved for five years.

"I have one last question." Neither man spoke. I swallowed hard. "When you answer, I want the truth."

Ethan's expression darkened.

"Do you really love me?"

Silence. A long, painful silence. My heart pounded. The answer was right there.

In his silence. In his eyes. In the way he couldn't look at me.

The other man smirked. "What if he doesn't?"

I ignored him again. My attention never left Ethan. I waited. And waited. But he said nothing. Not a single word. That hurt more than any answer ever could.

"Please, Sophia," Ethan said quietly. "Stop this."

I laughed bitterly. Stop this?

I wasn't the one who had destroyed our relationship.

"We're done." The words came out calm.

Colder than I expected. His eyes widened.

"I am no longer interested in this marriage."

Slowly, I pulled the engagement ring from my finger. Then I removed the watch he had bought for me. The bracelets. Every gift connected to our future together.

One by one, I dropped them onto the floor.

The sound echoed through the room. And with each item I discarded, another piece of our relationship died. I turned toward the door.

"What about the business deal?" Ethan suddenly asked.

I froze. Business deal? For a brief moment, confusion crossed my face. Then anger returned. Stronger than ever.

"To hell with your business deal." I grabbed the door handle. "And to hell with you and your family."

Without looking back, I slammed the door behind me. Leaving Ethan and his boyfriend alone. Leaving behind five years of lies. Leaving behind the future I thought I wanted.

And for the first time that night, I realized something terrifying. I had absolutely no idea what would happen next.

Sophia Bennett

I stared at the whiskey bottle in my hand before setting it down heavily on the counter.

"That's the story of my life," I muttered bitterly.

The bartender glanced up from the glass he was polishing and studied me for a moment.

Honestly, I couldn't even remember how I had ended up there. The last thing I remembered was storming out of Ethan's apartment. After that, everything was a blur

I had planned to check into a hotel, lock myself inside a room, and spend the night alone. Instead, I somehow found myself sitting in a bar. Maybe it was because I didn't want to think. Maybe it was because I didn't want to cry. Or maybe I simply wanted something strong enough to numb the pain.

Whatever the reason, I had ordered the strongest whiskey they had. Now the bottle was almost empty. I lifted it and laughed humorlessly.

"My fiancé is gay."

The bartender paused. I pointed the bottle toward him.

"The man I was supposed to marry in five days is gay. Tell me, what would you do if you were me?"

The bartender carefully placed the glass down.

"I don't know," he admitted.

I sighed. "Neither do I."

My fingers tightened around the bottle.

At that moment, my phone rang. I groaned. Not now. Please, not now. I glanced at the screen.

Mom.

My stomach sank. I considered ignoring the call. Unfortunately, my finger betrayed me and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Mom."

"What did I just hear?"

Her furious voice nearly made me pull the phone away from my ear.

"Ethan's family called me. They said you canceled the wedding."

I closed my eyes. "Mom-"

"Why would you do something so stupid five days before the wedding?"

My headache instantly returned. "Mom, he cheated on me."

Silence. For one brief second, I thought she understood. Then she spoke.

"So?"

I blinked.

"So?"

"Men cheat, Sophia." I froze. My heart sank.

"Excuse me?"

"Your father cheated on me. Do you think you're the first woman this has happened to? Marriage isn't perfect."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"He betrayed me."

"And?" Her voice sharpened.

"As long as he provides and takes care of you, what difference does it make?"

I stared at the bottle in front of me. The pain in my chest somehow grew worse.

Not because of Ethan. Because of her.

"Mom, I can't marry him."

"You can and you will."

"No."

"Then go apologize."

I almost laughed. Apologize? To Ethan?

The man who had lied to me for five years? "That's not happening." Her breathing became heavy.

For a moment neither of us spoke.

Then she muttered something under her breath. Something she probably didn't realize I heard.

"Ungrateful girl."

The words hit harder than Ethan's slap.

The line went dead. Slowly, I lowered the phone. The tears I had been fighting finally escaped.

I wasn't crying because of Ethan anymore.

I was crying because I suddenly felt completely alone.

The bartender quietly refilled my glass.

I emptied it in one gulp. Then another.

And another. Eventually, exhaustion settled over me. My eyes felt heavy. My body felt numb.

I reached into my purse and dropped several bills onto the counter.

"Keep the change."

The bartender looked concerned.

"Miss, are you sure you're okay?"

I laughed weakly. "Do I look okay?"

He didn't answer. I didn't wait for one.

Using the counter for support, I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled toward the reception desk.

"I need a room," I said.

The receptionist smiled politely. "Certainly, ma'am."

At that exact moment, another man approached the desk.

"I'm here on behalf of Mr. Damien Blackwood," he said. "I need the spare key to his suite."

The receptionist nodded and reached beneath the counter. She placed two key cards on the desk. The man quickly grabbed one. Without paying attention, I picked up the other. Everything felt blurry.

My vision wasn't cooperating. My brain wasn't cooperating. Nothing was cooperating. I simply wanted to sleep.

A few minutes later, I stepped into the elevator. The ride felt endless.

When the doors finally opened, I followed the numbers until I reached a room. My key card worked immediately. I stepped inside. The room was enormous. Far too luxurious for something I would have booked.

A living area. Expensive furniture. Floor-to-ceiling windows. I frowned.

"Definitely not what I paid for." Then I shrugged. Not my problem. I was too exhausted to care. I kicked off my shoes and headed toward the bed.

Just as I was about to collapse onto it, I heard the sound of running water. I paused.

The bathroom shower was on. Maybe housekeeping had forgotten something.

Maybe the previous guest had left it running.

At that moment, I honestly didn't care enough to investigate. I sat down on the edge of the bed. My eyes drifted shut.

A second later, something cold landed on my arm. Water.

Confused, I looked up. And froze. A man stood a few feet away. Fresh from the shower.

Water droplets glistened on his skin.

He looked equally shocked to see me.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

My exhausted brain struggled to process what I was seeing. Then one ridiculous thought entered my head.

Am I dreaming?

Am I having a wet dream?.