Chapter 20
I’d spent so long trying to remember what happened on my birthday that year, but no matter how hard I tried, I just
couldn’t recall.
It was my first year of college, and my birthday happened to fall on Christmas Day
I had expected a cozy, intimate date with Austin, but instead, he invited a group of our college friends to celebrate, including Rosemary.
Back then, I hadn’t thought much of Rosemary. If anything, I felt sorry for her because of the tragic accident that had taken her parents’ lives. She was our age, yet she had to endure so much loss.
We had a great time that night. I drank more than I usually would at dinner, and afterward, we went to a karaoke lounge.
Normally, I never touched alcohol, but that night, I drank a lot. My memory blurred after that, but I vaguely remembered Austin taking me to a hotel.
Then, nothing. When I woke up the next morning, he was sitting by my bedside, holding my hand tightly.
His voice was full of conviction as he promised, “I’ll marry no one but you.”
I was so touched. I leaned into his arms, believing every word.
Looking back now, I see how foolish I was. He hadn’t even given me a ring-just an empty promise. And yet, I devoted six years of my life to him.
But now a sudden realization hit me.
After that night, I missed my period for a while, and Austin panicked.
He was so nervous, insisting we go to the hospital immediately. I had thought he was worried about how a pregnancy might affect our studies, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
That was when he suggested we should stop having sex-for my health, and for the sake of his family’s reputation.
I had no objections. I didn’t remember anything about that night, and when I tried to get out of bed, my legs were so weak and sore that I could barely stand.
The experience left me with an unshakable fear of intimacy.
Thinking about it now, a wave of realization crashed over me. I had been living a lie.
I really was pathetic and foolish.
How much of what Austin did was out of love? And how much of it was because he was afraid I might go to the police?
How much of what Austin did was out of love? And how much of it was because he was afraid I might go to the police?
The Herrera family had strict rules.
Their daughters had to be home before midnight and weren’t allowed to live in dorms.
Even if they studied in another city, the family would buy or rent an apartment for them, with a housekeeper assigned to take care of meals-and to keep an eye on them.
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The rubs were tightly more lenient for the mens, allowing them to stay out overnight, but they were still forbidden from disgracing the family name
Having a child out of wedlock was out of the question.
Iremender ading Austin why his family had such rigid traditions.
He smiled sightly and said. “My grandfather always said that if a Herrera lacks even the most basic self-control, they have no place in the Herrera Groupy
In other words, anyone who broke the rules was automatically disqualified from inheriting the family business.
The ringing of my phone pulled me from my thoughts.
“What does Rosemary want from you” Angela’s voice carried a clear edge of annoyance over the line.
1 hesitated for a moment before responding. “Angela, I need your help with something.
“You hit her? Did she call the cope” she asked.
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I hurt my hand. I wouldn’t waste my energy on her. I need to know how long Bluestar Hotel keeps its surveillance footage.
“Laurel. I’ve got eyes on those two idiots. If anything happens, I’ll let you know right away,” Angela said, her tone steady,
I gave a slight smirk. “No need to watch them. I’ve already cut ties with Austin for good. Plus, I’ve got a husband now. Why would I still care about that piece of garbage he’s turned into?”
Angela chuckled, clearly amused. “Laurel, look at you! You’re cursing without even using dirty words anymore. Which year?”
“Yeah, from Bluestar Hotel on Christmas, the year you went abroad,” I replied.
“Your birthday?” Angela went silent for a moment.
Angela, you still there?” I asked, sensing something was off.
She hesitated before speaking again, more carefully this time. “Why do you want the footage from that day?”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure myself.
What was I hoping to find? Did I really think I could press charges five years later? Or was I just looking for answers? What if the truth was worse than I imagined?
What if it was someone else-someone older, someone completely unfamiliar?
A variety of strange men flashed through my mind, and immediately, my curiosity was suppressed.
Angela exhaled heavily. “Laurel, I’d love to help you, but I couldn’t.”
[ froze, taking a deep breath. “What do you mean?”
‘I remember it clearly,” Angela said. “That night, Bluestar’s entire security system was hacked.
‘It took me a full day and night to restore everything, but by then, all the footage from that night was wiped clean. Thinking about it still pisses me off.”
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I remembered now-Angela had ranted to me for an hour back then, furious over how advanced the virus had been.
At that thought, my heart skipped a beat, and I couldn’t help but connect what had happened years ago with what I had just learned.
A sense of unease crept over me.
Was it just an unfortunate coincidence? Or was the person who erased the footage the same one who had been in that room with me?
“Laurel?” Angela’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. If it’s gone, then forget it!
After hanging up, I went to the bathroom, sinking into a warm bath, and closing my eyes.
In the pitch-black room, the sound of a man’s heavy breathing echoed, and his scent-a faint, familiar one-lingered in the
air.
His large hand gripped mine, and then he leaned in, pressing soft kisses along my neck, slowly moving lower.
He was gentle, but there was an undeniable strength in every movement.
I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t cooperate.
His breath was deep and ragged, and there was a quiet, almost imperceptible groan mixed in-making my heart race.
suddenly jolted awake, gasping for air. My eyes snapped open, and I realized I was still lying in the bathtub. The once warm water had gone cold, and a shiver ran through me.
t was just a dream.
took a steadying breath, but the sound of his breathing lingered in my ears, as though he were still there.
shook off the disorientation, quickly wrapping myself in a towel before heading back to my room.
When I saw my phone light up on the desk, I checked it and saw a message from Angela-a list of registrations.
I was from that Christmas at the Bluestar Hotel.
The texted: [Sweetheart, remember to delete this after reading. Don’t tell anyone. If this gets out, I’ll be fired for leaking ompany info.]
smirked, replying, [Don’t worry. No one will know.]
When I saw the client’s name, I couldn’t help but frown.
lex Herrera? He stayed at a hotel instead of heading home? Guess that whole “man with no interest in women” thing might e a load of crap after all. He’s probably hiding some past of his own.
