3.

Cluelessly, I stood there not knowing what to say. In just a day, I had lost both my parents and my husband and my dream wedding—-everything went into shambles. I thanked the doctor and he departed after letting me know one or two things of what to bring to the hospital for my mother's admission.

She was going to be under critical watching, in the ICU, until she either died or suffered. My stomach growled at me and I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't had any food since morning because I wanted to look my best.

I packed up her things from the ground and left the hospital, boarding a cab not too far from the hospital lobby. Lazily, I rested my hands on the window, gazing out of it, wondering where everything had gone wrong in my parents' marriage.

They were the happiest, and the best thing that ever happened to me. They loved me and I loved them too, up until he came—Shane came for a visit at our house.

Shane was 6 '1 feet, with brown hazel, wavy hair which he always packed behind his head, his green, almond eyes and muscular body. He was olive brown, the more seductive body type.

I blushed, my face heating up picturing Shane in his swimming suit. “He rejected you, remember? You kissed him and he pushed you away.” I flashed back to the scene of my eighteenth birthday where I had taken the biggest step I could ever imagine—I kissed my dad's best friend.

Shane was my very first kiss but he pushed me away. How time flies and shocking it turned out to be that my mother was sleeping with Shane—the same man I gave myself away that night. How awkward will it be that I had to call him my stepfather now. The cold breeze snapped me out of my daze and the cab driver announced he was already at Greenwood Villa.

I came down and paid the fare, stepping through the gates. It has been a long time since I came here, and everything has changed within a span of two years. I was allowed through the gates and then stumbled in front of his pouch, pressing the doorbell and leaned over the wall.

The door creaked open with him standing in front of me only in towels, his hair dripping wet depicting he had come out from the showers. I gulped in, watching as the water droplets trickled down from his wet hair to his shoulders down to his navel. Instinctively I turned around, unsettled.

“Hi..”

“Lauren?” He gasped at me, scrutinizing me from head to toe. “I thought you weren't in the country.”

“Well I came back a few months ago. Tell me the truth, why of all the women in the world who will fling themselves at you, why choose my mother?” My face distorted, as I blurted out.

He shook his head, biting his lips while clutching to the towel on his lower body. “You found out pretty quicker than I thought. Your mother and I was a mistake.”

“I want you to have this. My mom is in the hospital; she had a miscarriage and lost a lot of blood. She is in a coma now and my dad is late now. He died from a damn accident you indirectly caused. You are a jerk for ruining my family, you know?”

“I am sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry, in fact, be sorry because you ruined everything! You ruined my whole family!”

He moved aside, taking my mom's purse from my shoulders. “Why do I get this feeling that you hate me now? Nevermind, Lauren, you have truly grown. I mean…you are now fully grown. The last time I saw you was when you kissed me and ran off.”

“Don’t you dare! My dad is somewhere right now cursing the hell out of you. You are an asshole.” I screamed, furious with my face frowning deeply as he deliberately brought up the awkward scene that happened there years ago. I snapped out of my fumes, and quickly handed him over my mom's hospital result and said. “When she wakes up from a coma, take care of her. Don't let her cry, don't ever hurt her.”

He laughed, his chuckles sending shivers down my spines. “Your mother and I were never a thing to begin with. She needed money and I needed sex, it was more or less a trade.”

“Asshole!” That was all that I could murmur out and turn around to leave.

“Lauren, don't you want to know my response to your kiss after seven years? I am pretty bored and need some company, you know it is considered bad luck where I come from to stay alone after your wife has died.”

I returned my gaze to him, my heart pounding fast as I understood what he meant but every part of me wanted to run away from him. I stood frozen contemplating on what to do.

“I just need some company but I get it. You are not the little girl that hovered around me. I understand you have grown and you have your boundaries now. I thought we could catch up on the good times, you know talk…”

I shook my head at him avoiding his intense stares. I wanted to leave right now but didn't find a good excuse.

“Lauren.” He called out my name, resting on the door frame. This time around, I saw every single curve and line of his body. His hair was still dripping and his towel damp from the whole water. “Come in, okay? There's no one with me, only an empty house and I made some tea for myself. You can be my company.”

Unconsciously I nodded, weakly holding up my body against the wall. After much contemplation, I entered, forcing a smile. “I will stay for thirty minutes and I will be gone.” I made sure to state my standing point and he didn't seem to be annoyed or consider it rude.

Shane closed the door, locking it by the key and came to the living room. He sat down on the couch, spreading his legs wide open, his hands lazily roaming round the couch for the remote.

“Are you still a virgin? You know you could have stayed back after your birthday party to know my response.” I didn't know where these questions came from but I was damn nervous answering him. Of course, they were all harmless questions to him but to me it was more than that.

He was now my stepfather and not the person I usually told my secrets to and answering his question about me being a virgin or not was too disgusting.

“You don't have to say anything, just stay with me.” He sensed my discomfort and stopped asking, reaching out for the remote and turning on the television.

I stiffened, my eyes retracting from the porn playing on the television. My face burned red as his towel fell on the ground, sitting fully naked on the couch, with his hands on his crotch.

“You’re drooling Lauren. I bet you have never seen a cock as big as mine.”