The Man I Shouldn't Have Loved

I was the belle of the school, good grades and all. But I wasn't the nerd they thought I was. I had been secretly dating my adopted brother's sworn enemy for three years.

Lucian Palma had a strong desire for intimacy, so I went along with him in unlocking countless places to make love.

He promised that he would marry me after graduation. Once he took over the family business from his wealthy father, he would make me the happiest woman alive.

I believed him, even indulging him in his kink of recording us sleeping together. Lucian assured me that those videos were for his eyes only, and that no one else would ever see them.

But then, I accidentally overheard a conversation between Lucian and his friends.

"Lucian, you had deliberately staged a hero saving the damsel in distress situation to make Nina Etienne fall for you, all just to get it back at your archnemesis, Aaron North. If he found out his little sister had been sleeping with you, wouldn't it kill him with rage?

"You've filmed hundreds of intimate videos, haven't you? When do you plan to release them? We'd love to see the nerd stripped bare under you."

I didn't confront him about this. Instead, I quietly walked away and agreed to meet the fiance my father had arranged for me.

My mind blanked when I heard the crowd bawl out in laughter.

"Aaron and Lucian had been archnemesis for so many years! Just because he's the heir to a famous Idalian gang, he thinks he can lord Lucian around! I can't wait to see his reaction when he sees the raunchy videos!"

Everyone was excited in the conversation without realizing someone was listening outside.

"Why so quiet, Lucian? You only got close to Nina to seek revenge on Aaron, right? Don't tell me you've fallen for her?"

"Fallen for her?" Lucian Palma, who had just called me 'Babe' a moment ago, snickered.

He added, "Aaron's my archnemesis; I want him dead. I was just thinking about the best time to show those videos."

Someone chimed in, "Why don't we do it at the graduation ball? Aaron will surely be there. I know it'll be glorious to see Aaron's reaction when he sees how freaky Nina is in bed."

Everyone was making noises in excitement and anticipation.

My mind was completely blank. I was baffled.

Did that mean that when Lucian rescued me back then, it was all part of a plan? He became my first boyfriend only to get back at Aaron?

If I had not heard their conversation today, I would still think Lucian loved me.

Just when I was about to break down, a wave of nausea overwhelmed me. I immediately ran to the toilet and heaved.

I sat on the toilet, unable to fathom the fact that everything between Lucian and I was just part of a scheme.

When I first heard of Lucian, I only knew him to be Aaron's enemy. I never thought he would have saved my life twice.

The first time, I was involved in a hit-and-run car accident. The perpetrator fled, leaving me in my pool of blood. It was Lucian passing by who saved me.

The second time, I was drugged and almost raped. It was he who appeared by my side and offered to be my antidote.

When I woke up the following day, he confessed his feelings to me and promised to take care of me.

From then on, we became an item. I always thought that we liked each other. I believed that because of me, Lucian and Aaron would become friends in the future. He had me wrapped around his finger this whole time like a fool!

At that moment, my phone beeped. It was a message from Lucian.

[Babe, you were amazing last night. I truly treasure the videos. I won't let anyone see.

[I have important matters to talk about with my friends. I didn't put on protection as we were out of condoms last night, so remember to take the after-morning pill.]

My mind was somehow extremely clear at that moment. Lucian clearly did not care about me enough to put on protection. He often found excuses not to put on one. He had always been lying to me!

At the thought of the sudden nausea I had a moment ago, I immediately went to get the after-morning pill and a pregnancy test kit.

I was not pregnant, luckily. I was only retching because Lucian's behavior disgusted me.

I quickly took the pill and wiped away my tears.

Then, I went home and fell asleep from the mental exhaustion. When I woke up the next morning, Lucian was still not home. I started calmly planning the things I needed to do before leaving.

I was going to throw away our matching couple things, move out, and delete our not-safe-for-work videos.

I remembered Lucian saying he was going to play the videos at our graduation ball. I had to delete them before that.

I drew a huge circle on the day of our graduation ball on the calendar.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I did not notice the person standing behind me.