The sharp morning light cut through the curtains and made Trey squint. His head throbbed as if a hammer was striking the inside of his skull. He pushed himself up from the bed, the sheets twisted around his waist, his shirt nowhere in sight, the sour taste of liquor still clinging to his tongue. He ran a hand down his face, trying to pull together the missing pieces of the night before. After his third glass of wine, everything was a blank haze.
A soft rustle pulled his attention. He turned his head and froze.
Gia Morgan stirred on the other side of the bed. The blanket slipped from her bare shoulder, and her eyes widened when she realized he was awake and staring at her. Her face drained of color. She clutched the blanket tightly to her chest, as though the thin fabric could erase what had already been seen.
Trey's jaw locked. Without a word, he swung his legs off the bed, grabbed his pants from the floor, and shoved them on with sharp, impatient movements. His stare never left her, and there was no softness in it.
"What the hell are you doing here?" His voice was hard, flat, and edged with disgust.
Gia sat up slowly, her arms curled around the blanket. Her throat felt dry, but her words came out steady even if quiet. "I don't know. I don't even remember how I got here."
Trey gave a cold laugh, humorless and sharp. He reached for his shirt, shaking his head in disbelief. "You don't remember. That's convenient. You expect me to believe you just wandered into my bed, and somehow both of us ended up like this?"
"I'm telling the truth," Gia said. Her fingers clutched the blanket so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "I don't remember anything after I drank the wine."
Trey shoved his arms into his shirt and buttoned it, each movement clipped and controlled, his eyes cutting into hers. "You planned this."
Gia's lips parted, her chest heavy from the venom in his words. "No. I didn't. I would never do that."
"Stop lying," Trey snapped. His voice was sharp, each word landing like an insult. "Last night was nothing but a setup, and you think I'm stupid enough to fall for it."
Gia's mind spun. She tried to force back the fog in her head, tried to remember anything after the drinks, but there was nothing. Not the room. Not how she ended up here. Nothing. She whispered, broken, "I didn't set this up. I swear. Even if I had feelings for you since I was young, I would never do something like this. I never even tried to get close to you."
Trey's stare hardened, a blade cutting deep. "Don't pretend innocence with me. I'll find out exactly what you pulled, and when I do, don't expect me to stay silent."
He yanked the door open and walked out, leaving her sitting on the bed, her body stiff with shock, shame, and confusion.
Gia stayed frozen for several long minutes after he left, her thoughts racing in circles. Finally, she stood and dressed quickly, her movements clumsy and unsteady. Her purse was on the chair, and when she pulled out her phone, her breath caught.
It buzzed with notifications. Dozens of messages lit up the screen.
Congratulations on the wedding.
Happy for you and Trey.
Wishing you both the best future together.
Her hand shook as she opened her social media feed. The images hit her like a slap.
Her and Trey, sitting at a table with a lawyer. One of their family's closest friends, while holding pens over marriage papers. Another photo showed Trey slipping a ring onto her finger, his smile loose and glassy but undeniably there. Both of them looked drunk, laughing too freely, too relaxed to care about what they were doing.
Gia dropped the phone onto the bed. Her knees gave out, and she sat down hard, staring blankly at the floor. Married. She was married to Trey De Silva.
Before she could process it, her phone rang again. The sound made her jump. It was her mother. Gia pressed accept with a trembling hand.
"Gia," her mother's voice snapped, sharp and urgent. "What is going on? The media is full of pictures of you and Trey last night. The lawyer confirmed it. Did you think you could hide this from us?"
"Mom," Gia stammered. "I don't know what happened. I don't remember. I was drunk." She hated how pathetic that sounded, but it was the only truth she had.
"You signed those papers," her mother said firmly. "No one forced you. It's official. You're married to him now. Come home immediately. We need to deal with this."
The call ended, leaving Gia with her pulse racing and her mind heavier than before. She gathered her things with clumsy hands and walked out, her head low.
By the afternoon, both families gathered in the De Silva mansion. The house was quiet, but the air inside was suffocating with tension. Trey sat across the room, his expression cold, his anger written in the set of his jaw. His mother, Stephanie De Silva, sat beside him, calm but unyielding. Holland, his father, watched with sharp silence, his presence heavy even without words.
Gia sat near her mother, her stomach twisting painfully. She could feel Trey's contempt as though it pressed directly against her chest.
"This is not a joke," Stephanie said, her tone cutting through the silence. "You two signed the documents yourselves. It was witnessed by a lawyer. It is legal. People are already talking about it everywhere."
Trey leaned forward, his voice like steel. "This was a mistake. I want a divorce. I'll tell the media it was nothing but a drunken accident."
"No," Stephanie said at once, her voice controlled and firm. "That would only make things worse. You will not embarrass this family. You are married now, and for as long as it takes, you will live as husband and wife. People will not see weakness from us."
Trey's jaw tightened. He turned to Gia with a glare that felt like a burn. "You must be proud. You got exactly what you wanted."
Gia's throat felt locked. Her voice came out raw. "I didn't want this. I don't even know why it happened. That's the truth. Why didn't anyone stop us? Why did nobody say anything at the party?"
Trey laughed without humor. "Of course you don't remember. That's all you'll ever say. But let me make one thing clear—don't think for a second this means anything. I don't want you. I will never want you. The moment I get the chance, this marriage is over."
Gia stared at the floor, her vision blurring with the sting of unshed tears. She had no answers, no memory, no explanation. All she had was the unbearable truth that she was now Trey De Silva's wife, and he despised her for it.