Deceit Behind Her Marriage [English]

CHAPTER 5

"Bobby, I heard Lauren's in need of some cash."

Finn's stride halted as his batchmate's words reached his ears. He stood outside the venue where their reunion was underway, taking a drag from his cigarette. Seeing Lauren after six years, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions. It was as if the weight on his chest had grown heavier in her absence. Taking another drag from his cigarette, he hoped it would somehow ease the flood of memories rushing back to him.

"Really?" Bobby's voice broke the silence.

"Yeah, man. She's even more stunning now. She gives me a boner!" the remark grated on Finn's nerves.

Finn flicked his cigarette and shot the man a sharp look, though he wasn't quite sure who he was. The ash fell on the man's attire. After all, Lauren was his ex-fiancée, and their connection ran deep. The two of them looked at him simultaneously.

"Sh*t," the man muttered under his breath, his demeanor cooling considerably under Finn's intense stare.

Finn's eyes bore into him, a silent warning, as Bobby remained silent, seemingly cowed by the sudden tension.

With a scrutinizing glance, Finn turned away, heading back towards the gathering. Lauren's friend and Kori's boyfriend, Brett Herrero, emerged from his car just then.

"Have you seen Lauren?" he asked coldly.

Finn lifted a light snigger before returning the question, "Do I appear to care for her?"

As Brett made his way into the venue, Finn's gaze bore into his back like sharp knives. He harbored a deep-seated disdain for the man.

"Brett!" he called out sharply.

Brett paused momentarily but didn't bother to glance back at Finn. "I warned you before not to hurt Kori!"

Finally meeting Finn's gaze, Brett scoffed, "Ha! Coming from someone who ruined my best friend's life? Don't make me laugh!"

Despite his urge to confront Brett, Finn restrained himself, mindful of Kori, Brett's girlfriend. With a sense of frustration, he followed Brett inside.

Meanwhile, Brett scanned the venue, searching for Lauren's figure. He didn't want Kori to attend the gathering, fearing she might do something regrettable. He was determined to protect his friend, but Lauren had sought assistance from someone else instead.

"Brett!" Kori's voice interrupted his thoughts, her face alight with excitement.

"Kori," Brett responded with a slight grimace, noting her presence with some disappointment. He had anticipated her attendance.

"I knew it! You're here to pick me up, right?"

"Kori, not now. I'm here for Lauren."

Kori's expression hardened, her anger palpable in the words she spat. "Lauren again? Have you seen her? Do you know what everyone's saying? Your friend came here to manipulate someone!"

"Kori, calm down! That's not why she's here." He reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Why not? It's the truth, isn't it? Everyone's gossiping about your friend's struggling and desperate for support!"

Brett's grip on her arm tightened. "I'm warning you, Kori."

He turned away from her, striding towards Jessica's table, where his friend sat.

"Go on, Brett! Keep pushing me! I'll let everyone know how low Lauren sunk when she got involved with Finn!"

Brett gritted his teeth as he forcibly led Kori away from the gathering. He knew her well enough to understand she'd follow through on her threat. With Lauren's return, Brett could anticipate their classmates' inevitable surge of interest. Unfortunately, he knew people would believe Kori's accusations.

As they exited, Drew, another close friend of Kori's, greeted Brett with a clenched fist. All eyes turned towards them, the air around them thick with tension. Brett's own fist clenched, ready to retaliate, but Kori intervened, halting any further escalation.

"Drew, please stop!" Kori turned to Brett, her eyes welling up with tears. "Brett, can we just go home? Let's avoid any further drama. It's embarrassing to cause a scene here."

Brett appeared to calm down at her plea. He didn't want their altercation with Drew to become fodder for gossip blogs or news programs, so he restrained himself. With a lighter touch, he guided Kori into his car and settled into the driver's seat.

"Kori, I don't deserve your tears, so I'm ending things now. Aren't you tired of being hurt? I was honest with you from the beginning; I told you I wasn't the right one for you," he said gently, wiping away her tears.

Her crying intensified. "If only hearts could be taught, Brett. Haven't I been important to you all these years?"

"You know you mean a lot to me," he replied. He wasn't callous enough to enter into a relationship lightly. She mattered deeply to him; it just so happened that Lauren mattered more.

It felt like fate was toying with them. Brett had loved Lauren for over ten years—since he was thirteen. Unfortunately, Lauren had fallen for Finn. As for Finn's true feelings, Brett was unsure. Lauren claimed Finn loved Kori, though Kori and Drew treated her more like a sibling. Meanwhile, Kori had loved Brett since their high school days.

Their emotions appeared intricately intertwined. Brett once harbored hopes for Lauren's affection, but her attention was solely fixed on Finn. The announcement of their engagement shattered Brett's heart into a million pieces.

He tried to hide his feelings for his best friend until Kori came along. He cares about Kori and loves her, but not as much as he loves Lauren. It's a foolish predicament, compounded by his friend's sudden return and her current financial woes.

"Please take me home. I can't stay here anymore," Kori pleaded between sobs.

Brett sighed, knowing he'd have to speak with Lauren later. But for now, his focus was on Kori. He grappled with his emotions but understood they needed to confront this challenge together.

***

Lauren's eyelids fluttered open, instantly met by a blast of cold air from the air conditioner. However, the sensation was swiftly overshadowed by Finn's narrowed gaze boring into hers. Without hesitation, she jerked upright, instinctively shifting away from him.

"Where am I?" Her voice trembled as she struggled to collect herself, still clad in the elegant black dress from the night before. Recollections flooded her mind; she had indeed accompanied Finn to their villa. Yet, the realization of waking up in his room left her bewildered.

Finn's intense stare bore into her, igniting a sense of unease. Before she could process further, his grip on her arm tightened, forcing her to confront the situation.

"You never cease to surprise me, Lauren! What's your game now? And why have you brought us to my family's villa?"

"Let go, you're hurting me!"

"Ha! So what's the deal, huh? Because I was drunk last night, you couldn't bring yourself to be with me; is that what's going on?" His accusation sliced through the air, intensifying the tension.

"I hate you!"

Her defiance only seemed to stoke his fury. With a forceful tug, he pulled her back onto the bed, restraining her arms against the mattress.

"Are you doing this for money? You've only just arrived, but you're already eager to sell yourself to me again!"

Lauren was met with the man's piercing gaze, his eyes gleaming in a way that caught her off guard. She hadn't anticipated such words from him; it felt like a sudden leap back in time, reliving a moment from six years ago.

"Finn, I'm hurting," she uttered, her voice cracking with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.

The question she had posed to him all those years ago still haunted her: why had his demeanor towards her changed so drastically? What had fueled his anger to such depths? As tears streamed down her face, Finn recoiled as though shocked by a sudden chill, retreating to a distance from the bed, his gaze fixed intensely upon her.

In a tone laced with frost, Finn questioned, "Why did you come back, Lauren?"

Her glare was sharp, a mix of indignation and hurt. How dare he ask such a thing!

"Are you eager to be rid of me? No need to worry; I have no desire to linger in your presence either," she retorted, rising from the bed.

She watched as his fists tightened, the muscles in his arms tensing with each word she spoke, fueling his simmering anger even more.

Without bothering to wash her face, Lauren left his room. It had been a mistake to fall asleep there, she realized, feeling like a rabbit stumbling once more into the lair of a ferocious tiger.