Chapter 2 Two

Amaya’s POV

I woke up with a banging headache. 

When I glanced around, I realized that I was in my room. Slowly, everything that happened before my blackout began to creep back into my memory. 

Three days. 

Sighing bitterly, I dragged myself out of bed and began pacing the floor. There was no way I was going to get married to Bernard’s arrogant twin brother. There just couldn't be. 

But as I paced, the cold reality settled in. What choice did I really have? It was either Benjamin, or we got kicked out of the Bavarish Cocoa Farms. Rejecting the Don meant my dad wouldn't just lose his job, he would be stripped of everything we owned, including the company-sponsored medical coverage that paid for his monthly bills. 

We had practically been surviving on the Bavarish family's generosity our entire lives.

I sighed again. This is more complicated than I initially thought. 

I had dreamed of my wedding night with Bernard since we started secretly dating when I was sixteen. We had made things official on my eighteenth birthday, and his parents had always adored me, wishing for me to join the family as soon as possible. 

They would still get their wish. But I would never get mine.

The thought of marrying Benjamin made a wave of nausea roll through my stomach. As much as I loved Bernard, I deeply despised his brother. 

Apart from Benjamin’s intense dark blue eyes, the twins were exact physical copies of each other. But complete opposites in personality. Where Bernard possessed the sweetest, kindest soul, Benjamin was the most arrogant, wicked man I had ever met. He cared about absolutely no one but his selfish self.

A shiver ran through my spine at the thought of looking into his dangerous eyes and saying yes at the altar. I recoiled when I imagined Benjamin touching me, claiming me, and consummating a marriage I never wanted.

The banging headache returned. Louder this time around. 

However, right behind the pain, a sudden, dangerous thought flashed through my mind. I didn't stop to think twice. I grabbed my coat, threw it over my shoulders, and climbed out of my bedroom window. A wave of bittersweet nostalgia hit me; this was exactly how I used to sneak out whenever I wanted to meet Bernard. 

Sprinting quietly through the darkness, I tip-toed out of our compound. I was still going to see Bernard tonight. But this time, it was to make sure my biggest dream belonged to him, and him alone. 

I called him as I approached the Bavarish estate. He picked up on the very first ring, his deep baritone voice sounding tired but laced with instant worry. "Hello? Is everything alright, my love?"

“Come open the window for me. I’m coming in.” I said in a hushed tone, my heart slamming against my chest.

I heard him gasp, but a second later, the lights in his bedroom flickered on. 

His silhouette appeared at the glass, and I slipped inside the moment he pushed it open. "What’s wrong?" Bernard asked immediately, his eyes scanning my face in the dim light. "My love, have you been crying?"

“Let’s make love right now.” I replied, shrugging out of my coat. Then I began unbuttoning my shirt. 

Bernard froze, his eyes widening. 

“Amaya… wait. Aren’t we supposed to wait until our wedding night?” 

“I don’t think I can bear it any longer. I want you inside me like right now.”

A deep frown masked his face, his eyes searching mine for answers. But when my skirt and bra dropped to the floor, I saw his pupils dilate. 

A slow, sad smile crept onto my face. The seduction was working.

He opened his mouth to say something. But when I started walking towards him, his mouth shut back up. I reached up, cupping his both cheeks and pulled down his lips to mine. 

Within minutes, we were on his bed, his weight pressing down on me. When I opened my legs and let him in, the pleasure and the sharp sting of pain that followed felt entirely deserved.

I couldn’t stop them from forcing me to marry Benjamin. But there was no way I was going to allow that arrogant playboy to be the first man inside me. 

My heart, my love, and my innocence belonged to Bernard.

Later that night, while Bernard was fast asleep, I quietly gathered my clothes and sneaked back out into the cold air. I pressed one last, lingering kiss to his forehead, looking at the man who held my kidney and my heart. 

When I climbed back through my window and into my own bed, the panic was gone. It was replaced by a cold, hardened shield. I was ready to face whatever twisted drama Benjamin and my family had waiting for me.