Chapter 9 -CELINE'S POV- 38 ) The second my body hit the mattress , I let out a deep breath , one of those breaths that carry the weight of an entire day . My muscles screamed in protest , but I didn't care . Sleep was all I needed . Caesar had knocked out the second his stomach was full , and I should've followed right after him . But exhaustion wasn't the only thing pressing against me . It was everything . The weight of today . The weight of tomorrow . The weight of having to wake up and do it all over again . I turned onto my side , pressing my cheek into the pillow , willing my mind to shut off . But my phone buzzed , dragging me right back into reality . I groaned and reached for it , the screen illuminating the darkness . A message from Blake . And another from Caroline . I opened Blake's first . Blake : Hey Celine , how are you doing ? We haven't talked in a while ... thought I'd check in . My fingers hovered over the keyboard . A lump formed in my throat because the truth was , I wasn't fine . Not even close . I was drowning , barely keeping my head above water . But the last thing I wanted was to dump my problems onto someone else . So I typed : Me : Yeah . Everything's fine . A lie . But what else was new ? I tapped Caroline's message next . Caroline : Hey honey , how are you ? How did the job go ? Did he hire you ? Do you like it so far ? A bitter laugh slipped past my lips . Did I like it ? The job that made me feel invisible ? The job that had me scrubbing floors until my hands were raw ? The job where Hunter looked at me like I was nothing ? I wiped at my face , only to realize tears were falling . I hated that . Hated how easily the emotions broke through the surface when I was alone . I took a deep breath , forcing the lie through my fingertips . Me : Hey B. It's going great . I love my new job . I'm so thankful you helped me get it . Another lie . An even bigger one . If Caroline were here , she'd see right through me . I tossed my phone onto the nightstand and exhaled slowly , trying to pull myself together . But before I could , a small voice broke through the silence . " Mom ? " 1/6 9:07 pm G G G B Chapter 9 38 I turned to see Caesar blinking up at me , his tiny hands reaching for my face . He swiped a finger across my cheek , his brows pulling together in concern . " Are you crying ? What happened ? Did you get eaten by ants ? " That made me smile , even though it shouldn't have . Even though I still felt like breaking apart . I shook my head , brushing his soft hair away from his forehead . " No , sweetheart . Just a small bite." Caesar's face twisted in concentration , like he was coming up with a solution . Then , with the seriousness of a doctor delivering a diagnosis , he said , " If I was a doctor , I'd kiss your boo - boos away. " I felt my heart squeeze . This boy . My sweet boy . The reason I fought so hard to keep going . I pulled him into my arms , and within minutes , his breathing evened out again , his small body warm and safe against mine . I stared at the ceiling , my mind drifting to work . To Hunter . To the way he looked at me like I didn't deserve to be there . I didn't understand it . I worked hard . I kept my head down . So why did he act like I was an inconvenience ? But I couldn't waste my energy trying to figure him out . I had bigger things to worry about . More important things . Like making sure Caesar never saw just how broken I was inside . I turned onto my side , shutting my eyes , letting the exhaustion pull me under . ** When I opened my eyes again , I wasn't in my bed anymore . I was somewhere else . The neon pink lights flickered . The music pulsed through my veins , loud and rhythmic . The air smelled like cheap alcohol and cigarette smoke . Caroline's club . I remembered this night . The way I sat at the bar , trying to blend in but feeling entirely out of place . I swirled the drink in my hand , my gaze moving over the room , watching people dance , laugh , lose themselves in the moment . And then I saw him . A man sitting alone, his presence somehow louder than the music . I didn't know why I kept looking . Maybe because he wasn't trying . He wasn't putting on a show like everyone else . Or maybe it was because , for the first time that night , I wasn't the only one who seemed like they didn't belong . I couldn't breathe . Or maybe I could , but it didn't feel like it . Because the second his eyes met mine , something shifted inside me . Something deep . Something unexplainable . And I hated it . 2/6 9:07 pm G GGG . Chapter 9 +38 I wasn't the kind of girl who locked eyes with a stranger and suddenly felt like the universe was trying to tell her something . But here I was , feeling it anyway . I tried to look away . He did too . But we kept finding each other , like two magnets caught in some invisible pull . He was sitting across the club , nowhere near me , and yet it felt like he was right here . So close , I could feel him . I was still staring when the lights cut out . A voice pulled me from my thoughts . " Celine , hold this ." A bottle of wine pressed against my stomach . I could barely make out her face , but I knew the voice . Caroline . I barely had time to respond before she disappeared toward the bathroom , leaving me alone in the dark . The scent of the wine curled into my nose , sweet and warm . The room was shifting - people moving , voices murmuring , feet shuffling toward the exits . I didn't like it . The closeness . The noise . I needed air . moved , slipping past bodies until I found a corner of the club that wasn't packed with people . second I sat down , I felt it . That presence . That pull . And then came the scent . Cinnamon and spice and something entirely intoxicating . My stomach clenched , my pulse quickened . I wasn't alone . I turned my head just enough to confirm what I already knew . Him . The stranger from across the club . He was sitting right next to me , his body still , his shirt dark enough to make him almost invisible in the dim lighting . But I felt him there . I pretended not to notice . Poured myself another drink . Took a sip . And then the lights came on . I swallowed hard . Because up close ? He wasn't just attractive . He was .... breathtaking . Sharp jawline , tousled dark hair , piercing blue eyes . 3/6 9:07 pm BGGG Chapter 9 If * cute was what I thought from afar , * devastating * was what he became under full exposure . He drummed his fingers against his knee , watching me . Studying me . And then he spoke . " You're hot . " The confidence in his voice sent something sharp and electric through my body . I smirked , heat rushing up my neck . " You're hotter . " His lips quirked up . " I think you're hotter . " +38 ) I raised a brow , my pulse skipping , my vision blurring ever so slightly . The wine was kicking in , making me feel weightless . Like I could float . Like I could swim . Like I could do something incredibly reckless without thinking twice about it . " Nah , " I teased , voice lower now . " Those lips of yours scream fire ." His smirk deepened , his body shifting forward . " I disagree . " His voice was smooth , laced with something dangerous . " Why don't we go find out who's hotter ? " ve said no . d've thought about Caroline . But I didn't . Instead , I placed my hand in his , my body already deciding before my mind could catch up . I handed him the bottle of wine . " Have some first . " He took it without hesitation , tilting his head back and drinking every last drop before setting it down . Then he stood . I stood too . And the next thing I knew , we were outside . His mouth was on mine . His hands were in my hair . My dress was slipping from my shoulders . Everything blurred into everything else . Lips and skin and heat and desperation . His touch burned through me , igniting something deep and uncontrollable . We consumed each other like fire , over and over , until exhaustion finally won . And then nothing . Darkness . Silence . The sun woke me up . 4/6 9:07 pm GGGG Chapter 9 A sharp , blinding light cutting through the hotel room window , slicing into my skull like a blade . I groaned , pressing my palm against my forehead . The pounding in my head was unbearable , like my brain was trying to punish me for whatever the hell I'd done last night . And then I remembered . I sat up fast , scanning the room , my heartbeat skyrocketing . The bed beside me ? Empty . The floor ? Empty . The whole damn suite ? Empty . No note . No name . No way to trace him . I closed my eyes , rubbing my temples . * Shit . Shit . Shit . * I had a one - night stand with a stranger . A complete stranger . 38 I swung my legs over the side of the bed , pulling myself to my feet . Every step felt heavier , my body still sore from the night before . I needed to get out of here . As I stepped into the hallway , whispers reached my ears . " Did you see him ? " " Oh my God , I saw him too . " " That's surprising . For a minute , I thought I was the only one who saw him . Hunter Reid is such a strange man ." My stomach plummeted . My eyes shot open , my breath caught in my throat . I was in my bedroom . Not in a hotel . Not hungover . It was a dream . It was just a dream . But the name . * Hunter Reid . * I sucked in a breath . Because suddenly , I wasn't sure anymore . Maybe it wasn't a dream after all . 5/6 9:07 pm GGGG Chapter 9 Maybe the stranger from that night wasn't a stranger at all . Maybe I'd just slept with the one man who hated me more than anything . And my entire world tilted on its axis . 6/6 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!