My Fated Husband

Linda's POV 

My eyes opened abruptly, and my heart pounded wildly as if I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my life now was. 

My eyes darted to find the clock on the wall. It was 5am and I was still in the lavish hotel room with the handsome stranger sleeping soundly beside me. 

For a moment, I lay there staring at the ornate ceiling, trying to gather my thoughts. Everything rushed back to me in an instant. Except now I feel more grounded, so I thought of switching on my phone.

And I did that, wondering about the drama that unfolded after I left.

As soon as the screen lit up, it buzzed uncontrollably with missed calls and messages. Without giving me a minute to check them, Alice's call came through immediately. I sighed before picking it.

"Where the hell have you been, Linda?" Alice's voice was a mixture of relief and fury. "And why did you turn off your phone? Do you have any idea what's going on?" 

"It's 5 a.m., Alice. Don't you ever sleep?" I said, my voice still groggy. 

"Sleep? Seriously? How could I sleep after what happened? Have you even seen the news? Do you know what people are saying?" 

My stomach twisted into knots. "What are you talking about?" I sat upright.

"Just check online," she snapped, her tone sharp with worry. "There are pictures of you. Oh, God, Linda, I don't even know how to say this... I'm so sorry." 

She was making me feel anxious, so I ended the call, wondering what happened. Is the engagement so important to make people talk when I ditched it?

My heart raced as I opened the notifications flooding my phone. 

The headlines hit me like a punch to the gut: 

**"Blake Heiress Runs Away From Engagement, Caught in Scandalous Fling!"** 

My fingers trembled as I scrolled through the article. Number of photos accompanied it, capturing intimate moments from our night, the stranger and me, tangled in bed. 

My cheeks burned as I took in the suggestive poses. Who could have done this? 

I turned to the man still sleeping beside me. Could it have been him? No one else knew where I was. My trust wavered, and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. How had my life spiraled so far out of control? 

He really went overboard with trying to get back at my ex.

Grabbing my dress from the floor, I threw it on hastily. The stranger stirred slightly, but I didn't wait for him to wake. Without a backward glance, I fled the room. 

By the time I reached my car, my hands were shaking. I couldn't go home, not with the media vultures likely camped outside. Instead, I drove to Alice's house, praying she would know how to help me. 

-------------------- 

I let myself into Alice's apartment with the spare key she had given me years ago. The lights were still on, and she was pacing the living room, her phone in hand. 

"Linda!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw me. "Wise decision you came here first! What happened? Who was that guy? Are you insane?" She threw me a dozen questions.

I sank onto the couch, burying my face in my hands. "I don't even know where to start." 

"Start from the beginning," Alice said firmly, sitting beside me. "Tell me everything. And don't you dare leave out a single detail." she warned. 

So, I told her. I told her about overhearing Kyle's conversation, about his plans to use me for my father's money. 

I told her how I couldn't confront him, how I had run out of the engagement party in tears. And finally, I told her about meeting the stranger at the bar. 

Alice listened intently, her expression shifting between anger and disbelief. When I finished, she let out a deep sigh. 

"Linda," she said carefully, "you know I love you, but what were you thinking? Going to a bar alone? Spending the night with some random guy?" 

"I wasn't thinking," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to forget everything, even if it was just for one night." 

Alice softened, her hand resting on my shoulder. "I get it. Kyle's a jerk, and you didn't deserve any of this. But how could anyone figure out where you went and take those pictures?" She asked.

I shook my head, wiping away a stray tear. "I don't know. But do you think it was him? The stranger?" 

Alice frowned. "I don't know. Did he seem like the type to pull something like this?" 

I thought about it. I didn't even know his name. But he had been kind and understanding. But could I really trust a man I had known for less than a day? 

"I don't know," I said finally. "I don't know anything anymore." I confessed.

Alice sighed again. "Okay, first things first. Go take a shower and change into something better. Then you're going to your father's house. You need answers." 

I stood up and did that. Of course, I blocked Kyle's number and black listed him. I don't ever want to hear from him again.

My father called numerous times before I reached home but I couldn't pick his calls, I'd rather face him. I hoped Kyle was all lying and my father was innocent. 

My heart pounded as I raced up the circular driveway of the family's mansion. I found my father in the grand foyer, his expression thunderous. 

As soon as I joined him in the room, he shoved his phone in my face, the incriminating photos glaring back at me. 

"Linda! What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Ditching your engagement party to behave like some... Some harlot? Do you have any idea what you've done?" 

Tears welled in my eyes, but I stood my ground. "I heard Kyle talking, Dad. I heard him say you paid him to marry me so I'd lose my inheritance. Is that true?" 

His anger faltered, replaced by confusion. "What? Who told you that?" He demanded.

"I heard it with my own ears," I said, my voice trembling. "He was bragging to his friend about how he was going to use me." 

My father's expression softened slightly. "Linda, I admit I gave Kyle money, but it wasn't for anything like that. It was to encourage him to propose sooner because you seemed so uninterested in marriage at the moment. I had no idea he was planning to use us... Why would I approve of it?" 

I searched his face for any sign of deceit, but all I saw was concern. Nonetheless I remained mute, unsure of what to say.

"To prove my innocence, dear," he continued, "I'll seek Kyle and make sure he pays for what he's done. And if he's the one who leaked these photos, he should feel sorry for his life. I'll make him regret it." 

I couldn't deny his reasoning made sense. Perhaps in my devastation, I had been too quick to assume the worst of my own father's intentions. 

Father saw me sigh in relief, so he stepped closer and cupped my tear-stained cheek gently. "Don't cry, darling. Now go get some rest. I will sort out this horrible mess before it grows further."

Numb, I nodded and retreated up the winding staircase to my bedroom suite, a bit at ease now. 

I don't know if anything will get back to normal. My love life shattered, and my reputation is in ruins thanks to those lurid photos plastered across the internet. 

I collapsed onto my bed, emotionally spent as traumatic memories of the night replayed in my mind. 

But a small part of me was still reluctant in agreeing with father: if he was as innocent as he claimed, why would he not tell me openly to get married, why conspire with Kyle behind my back? 

But now was not the time to doubt the only family I have left. With that, I let myself rest a bit. Hoping I didn't tarnish the image of that stranger who comforted me along with mine in his attempt to help me.