Twisted Love: The Bride He Never Loved

Sore. Aching all over.

It felt like she'd been run over by a truck.

A harsh beam of sunlight pierced through Celestia Brooks's eyelids, forcing her eyes to flutter open. The glittering Swarovski chandelier above, the extremely luxurious bedding, the tasteful antique décor-it all screamed one thing: this wasn't her place.

She stared blankly for a good ten seconds before her memory finally kicked in. Hotel. Right.

She groaned softly as a wave of soreness spread through her body.

Last night had been Sophia Quinn's bachelorette party. They were celebrating, and she must've had a few too many.

She usually held her liquor well, which made it even weirder that she'd blacked out. She didn't think she'd drunk that much.

Her head was pounding like crazy. Supporting it with one hand, she tried to sit up and make her way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. But as she started to move, she felt a weight pressing against her stomach. Frowning, she lifted the blanket-

And froze.

A bronzed, masculine arm was draped across her flawless waist. Her breath caught in her throat as every cell in her body snapped to attention.

Oh God.

She slapped a hand over her mouth, barely muffling her scream in time. Her eyes widened, heart racing like mad. She stared at the man's arm like it might suddenly vanish. Her mind was a mess of static.

It took a minute before she could even think straight. Slowly, she lowered her hand and swallowed hard, then gingerly peeled the blanket back further.

And instantly went pale as a sheet.

No way.

Her skin was marked all over-reddened trails against her white body, like she'd been completely ravaged. Her thighs ached. And then she spotted the faint spots of red on the sheets.

Her whole face crumbled.

Every woman knows what that means.

Celestia's eyes blurred, threatening tears, her mind in total chaos.

When? How? She was certain a woman had brought her back to her room last night. Why was there a man here now?

Shock swirled in her chest like a maelstrom. Her gaze shifted from the red-stained sheet to the man's back. She stared at him, numb with disbelief.

Gritting her teeth, she carefully lifted his arm off her and set it aside. Then she jumped out of bed and scrambled to collect her clothes from the floor, yanking them on hastily.

Another minute passed before she finally looked down at herself to double check-everything was buttoned, zipped, covered. All set. Slowly, she turned around to face the man still sleeping in her bed.

She needed to know who this was.

Swallowing a lump of dread, she steeled herself and walked quietly around to the other side of the bed.

The second she saw his face, her heart just... stopped.

Her blood turned cold.

No. No, no, no.

His eyes were shut, his breathing slow and even as he slept.

Tangled strands of hair fell carelessly across his forehead, framing a face so striking it could make anyone forget to breathe-sharp features, defined jawline, effortlessly handsome.

But it wasn't his looks that made her heart skip a beat.

It was his identity.

Jareth Carrington. CEO of the Carrington Group. One of the city's most eligible bachelors.

And-

Her best friend Sophia's fiancé. Her soon-to-be husband.

And also... Ethan Quinn's close friend.

Her own boyfriend.

Looking at his exhausted sleeping face, Celestia forgot how to breathe. When she finally snapped out of the shock, her chest ached with a suffocating weight. Her whole body felt like it had been dropped into an icy lake, frozen to the bone.

Sophia's glowing smile flashed in her mind-it was the image of someone in love, someone about to get married. Celestia's face went pale with fear.

Today was Sophia's wedding. And she... she had just slept with the man she was supposed to marry.

Her brain was spinning. What if Sophia found out?

Celestia panicked.

No. No way could anyone know this happened. Sophia was her best friend. She couldn't let this ruin her wedding.

That thought kicked in hard. Her once soft gaze turned firm-she had to get out, right now. She turned to leave without making a sound.

But just as she was about to step forward, a hand grabbed her wrist-tight and unrelenting.

Celestia froze like she got zapped.

All she could hear was her own racing heartbeat. Biting down the rising panic, she slowly looked at the hand clamped around her wrist-strong and steady. Her heart sank.

She followed the hand up and met eyes as dark as midnight, with a faint curve of amusement in them. Jareth was awake.

Before she could react, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out. "Celestia, you're awake?" And right on cue, the door swung open.

Celestia whipped around, not even getting the chance to stop her. The smile on Sophia's face lit up the doorway-until it didn't.

Too late. Sophia had already seen everything. Her eyes locked on the bed where Jareth still lounged. The smile froze. Two seconds later, her expression collapsed into pure shock.

"You... you two..." All the color drained from her face-it was like someone hit pause on her soul. Her wide, bright eyes dulled with disbelief.

How could she even process it? The man she'd searched for all night... now in bed with her own best friend.

Sophia's whole body started shaking uncontrollably. Celestia could hear her own blood stop circulating. She yanked free from Jareth's grip, stepping quickly to the side to put space between them.

"Wait, Sophia, please, it's not what it looks like! Let me explain," she said in a soft, frantic voice, desperate to calm her down. But before she could finish, Sophia let out a sharp scream.

"Aaah!"

The piercing sound pulled in the person outside the room. A tall, dark figure burst through the door and came rushing in.

"What's going on?!"

Ethan stood frozen at the sight-Jareth casually lounging in bed, Celestia looking guilty beyond belief, Sophia backing away like she'd been shattered.

He didn't need to ask. The scene was more than clear.

His eyes turned red with fury.

"Jareth! What the hell did you do to Celestia?!"

With no hesitation, he lunged forward and slammed a punch straight into Jareth's face.

Jareth didn't dodge. He just sat there and took it, then slowly rubbed his burning cheek, his midnight eyes flashing with a cold glint. His voice came out sharp and dry.

"We're even now."

"What?!" Ethan's rage exploded. His eyes flared as he stared at Jareth's blank face, not a trace of guilt on him. He shouted, voice cracking with anger, "You bastard-!"

Fist raised again, ready to throw another hit-until Sophia rushed to stop him.

"Ethan, stop! Don't hit him!" Sophia shoved Ethan aside and stood protectively in front of Jareth.

Her face, usually calm and beautiful, was streaked with tears. Even though her heart was breaking from his betrayal, she still couldn't bear to see him get hurt.

"What are you doing, Sophia? This man cheated on you! And you're still defending him?" Ethan's voice was shaking with fury.

Not just because her fiancé betrayed her-but because he did it with his own girlfriend. The jealousy and rage inside Ethan were enough to set him on fire.

Ethan, usually the composed and collected one, now looked like a man on the edge. His whole vibe screamed danger.

Celestia, standing off to the side, felt a wave of guilt crash over her. She opened her mouth to try explaining how it all went down, but Sophia's eyes turned to her, filled with pain and cold accusation.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend how it happened?" Sophia snapped, her voice like ice.

Ethan stiffened. His gaze slowly slid toward Celestia. And then he saw it-that red mark on her neck, bright against her pale skin. It hit him like a punch to the gut.

"Celestia..."

"Tell us what happened last night!" Sophia demanded, her voice hard as nails. The words cut deep, and Celestia flinched, her chest tightening.

Seeing her once-close friend now glaring at her like a stranger made Celestia's stomach twist. She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I was drunk last night. I swear-I don't know how any of it happened... Sophia, I'm sorry. Please believe me, I honestly don't remember how it got to that point."

She desperately laid it all out, trying to explain every confusing piece she could recall. Meanwhile, Jareth looked completely unbothered, half-reclined on the bed like he was watching some drama unfold that had nothing to do with him. Calm, detached, like none of this mattered.

"Jareth, do you seriously have nothing to say? Celestia was wasted-don't tell me you were drunk too?" Ethan shot him a glare, his tone hard and cold.

But to everyone's surprise, Jareth simply raised an eyebrow and replied lazily, "Nah, nothing to add." Then, with a smug grin that had no place in that room, he added, "We had a few drinks, ended up in bed. She was a virgin. I'll take responsibility."

Just like that, he wrapped the whole mess up in one dismissive sentence. No explanation. No apology. Like it wasn't even a big deal.

Celestia's face turned ghost-white on the spot.

What the hell did he just say?

"Take responsibility? How exactly are you planning to do that?" Ethan's eyes narrowed dangerously. And Sophia, standing off to the side, looked too stunned to speak.

Just as everyone was still reeling from what he said, Jareth calmly reached for the phone on the nightstand and pressed a button. Within seconds, a figure appeared at the door.

"Mr. Carrington, how can I help you?" It was Leon Taylor, his personal assistant.

"Inform the press. The bride's been changed to Celestia." Jareth's voice was cool and steady, like this kind of chaos was just another part of his day. He didn't even glance at Sophia, who was still standing right there.

His words were like a grenade tossed into the room - all attention immediately shifted to Celestia, cutting into her like blades. Especially the look on her best friend's face - fierce, hurt, and filled with betrayal - that alone stabbed deep into her conscience.

"Jareth, I don't need you to take responsibility," she snapped, voice tight with frustration. Then she turned to Sophia, whose whole body was trembling. "Sophia, please, let me explain, I swear I didn't-"

Before she could finish, Sophia lashed out, cutting her off sharply.

"Celestia! I really thought you were my best friend. How could you do this to me?!" Sophia screamed, her voice breaking, face flushing red with fury. One look at Celestia's still-gorgeous yet pale face, and the emotions she had been holding back exploded - anger, bitterness, and jealousy she didn't know she had.

"So you planned this from the beginning? All your warnings about me not marrying him-was that just part of your scheme? You were jealous of me being with him, weren't you? That's why you pulled this disgusting stunt. I can't believe how fake you really are! I was completely blind!"

With every word that came out of Sophia's mouth, her tears came harder, burning with betrayal.

Her accusations hit Celestia like ice daggers, straight through the heart. The pain was searing, unbearable.

She shook her head furiously, desperate to be heard. "No, that's not it, Sophia, please, you have to believe me, I never-" She reached out with trembling hands, trying to grab hers, only for Sophia to yank hers away like the touch burned.

"Don't! Don't pretend anymore! I see you for who you really are now!" Sophia suddenly raised her hand, and Ethan instantly realized what she intended to do.

"Sophia, don't!" he shouted, trying to stop her, but it was too late.

Smack! The sound was ruthless. The force of the slap twisted Celestia's head to the side. A wave of dizziness hit her, the sting on her cheek flaring up instantly while a metallic taste filled her mouth. Blood trickled subtly from the corner of her lips, mixing with tears as they welled up in her eyes.

Her gaze turned slowly back to Sophia. Twelve years of friendship, and she'd never seen her like this-erratic, consumed by rage. It terrified her. More than that, it broke her. She knew-even if none of this was something she meant, she'd still hurt Sophia deeply. Maybe she deserved that slap.

But what hurt the most... was realizing that Sophia's trust had always been this fragile.

"Celestia, we're done. I never want to see you again!" Sophia snapped, her voice shaking with fury as she turned around and bolted out the door, tears blurring her vision.

Ethan looked torn as he glanced at Celestia, his hand twitching like he wanted to say something-but in the end, he stayed silent and quickly chased after his sister.

Seeing that, Celestia moved to follow, but just as she lifted her foot, a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" came a low, smooth voice close behind. That hand spun her around effortlessly, and what met her gaze was Jareth's trademark cocky smirk and half-naked torso.

"Let go of me," Celestia snapped, eyes cold as ice. Her voice trembled ever so slightly, laced with disgust at the man now standing so arrogantly in front of her.

"Why'd you say that just now? When did I ever ask you to take responsibility?"

Jareth ignored her anger, one eyebrow quirking playfully. His lips curled up in an amused grin as he leaned in.

"I much preferred the version of you from last night...The one moaning sweetly beneath me."

"You're disgusting," Celestia spat, face flushed with rage and embarrassment. She yanked her arm free, her glare filled with loathing. Truth be told, she'd never liked him-not even a little.

His reputation as a flirt was bad enough, and the only reason she ever tolerated him was because he was Sophia's fiancé. But after last night... just thinking about it made her stomach churn.

"Nothing happened last night," she bit out. "I don't need you taking responsibility. If you want to make things right, do it for Sophia."

But her serious words only made him laugh.

"You really turning down the engagement?" Jareth raised an eyebrow, the smirk on his lips not quite reaching the unreadable glint deep in his dark eyes.

"Pretty soon, everyone will be whispering about how you ended up in bed with your best friend's fiancé the night before her wedding. Think any guy out there's still gonna want you after that?"

The smile faded, replaced by an icy sneer.

Not wanting to waste another breath on him, Celestia just shot back, "My love life is none of your business," and stormed out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind her.

Jareth's grin faded instantly.

A cold scoff escaped his nose, and his sharp gaze turned dangerous.

Let's see how long she can keep that head held high.

After hearing that Sophia had left the hotel, Celestia rushed all the way to the Quinns', only to be shut out at the door. Mrs. Quinn, who used to treat her like her own daughter, now didn't even pretend to be polite.

Determined to make things right, Celestia stood under the blazing sun for nearly three hours until the Quinns' butler finally came out and gently told her to leave.

Dragging herself through the doorway, Celestia barely made it into the house before her legs gave out-she blacked out right then and there.

When she came to, it was already 7 PM.

The blinding ceiling light pierced her half-open eyes, making them sting. She squinted, forcing herself to fully open them, and the first thing she saw was her dad's deeply worried face.

"Celestia, you okay?" Henry Brooks let out a breath he'd been holding when his daughter finally woke up.

He gently helped her sit up, tucked a pillow behind her back, and said softly, "Don't talk yet. Try to take a few sips of this oatmeal first."

Celestia took the bowl he offered, forced down a couple of spoonfuls under his watchful gaze, then put it aside.

"I'm fine now, Dad. Really, don't worry too much." She tried to smile, but it came out weak and shaky.

Watching her pretend she was fine, Henry sighed inwardly. He waited until she looked a little more stable before asking,

"What happened, Celestia? You went to Sophia's wedding, didn't you? But the news said it got canceled. What's going on?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the smile on Celestia's face froze. She silently dropped her gaze, dredging up the memories from earlier that morning.

Henry grew more anxious when she didn't reply. "Celestia?" he called again gently.

When she finally looked up, her eyes were already glistening with tears.

"Dad..." Her voice broke. Just thinking about everything-the mistake she couldn't even explain, Sophia's slap, the accusations like knives-made her chest ache like someone had cut her open.

Henry didn't know the full story yet, but her expression said enough. His heart cracked watching her fall apart. "Don't cry, sweetheart. Just tell Dad what happened. Whatever it is, I'm here for you." He pulled her into an embrace, gently patting her back, letting her cry it out.

She sobbed hard in his arms for a long time. When the storm passed and she could breathe again, she finally told him everything-start to finish.

By the time she was done, Henry's brow was tightly knit, his face unreadable, deep in thought.

Jareth-Henry had met him twice before. The guy came off as cold and intimidating, with a mind you couldn't read if your life depended on it. Both times they talked, he felt like Jareth wasn't very fond of him. Definitely not someone you could size up easily.

And now this man had somehow ended up in bed with his daughter after a drunken night? Henry couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't as simple as they looked.

Celestia' sobs snapped him out of it, dragging his thoughts back from the swirl of doubts.

"Sweetheart, stop blaming yourself. This isn't on you, alright? It was an accident, just a damn accident." Henry gently stroked his daughter's back as she cried in his arms.

His face, weathered with age, showed nothing but pain and helpless love. She had always been tough, barely ever cried growing up, so seeing her break down like this was hard to bear.

"You and Sophia have been close for years. I'm sure you two can sort this out." His voice softened. "Let her cool off a bit, and then try talking to her, okay?"

Curled up against his chest, Celestia didn't respond.

Feeling her shaking uncontrollably, Henry's heart clenched even tighter. "And don't worry about the rest-I'll take care of it. I won't let anyone hurt you," he said with quiet determination. After his wife passed, Celestia was all he had left, his entire world. He'd protect her no matter what.

Celestia gave a small nod through her tears, barely holding it together.

Even though Henry spent a fortune trying to suppress the scandal involving Celestia and Jareth, rumors spread like wildfire anyway.

The next morning, headlines everywhere splashed the news, and just like that, the whole city was buzzing about this twisted triangle involving Celestia, Sophia, and Jareth. Celestia was labeled the "homewrecker." The press swarmed the Brooks' house day in, day out.

Life as she knew it? Gone. Celestia couldn't even step outside without being mobbed. The whole Brooks household was in chaos. She called Sophia every day, hoping for just one conversation, but Sophia either hung up immediately or her number went out of service altogether.

What hit them hardest, though, was something they hadn't seen coming-the Brooks Corporation's stock crashed, hitting record lows. Watching more gray hairs sprout on her father's head, Celestia was riddled with guilt. But she wasn't doing great herself either-she had lost a noticeable amount of weight in days, her face as pale as if she were seriously ill.

And then came the final blow-her period was two weeks late.

Sitting in the hospital, Celestia stared at the test report like her brain just stopped working. A full three minutes passed-she didn't blink, didn't move, just kept staring at that one terrible word.

Pregnant.

She was already two weeks along.

No way... how could this be happening...