Wedding Night: She Gave Herself to Another

It was then that someone called out my name. "Charlie!"

I hadn't expected anyone to call out to me at a moment like this. I figured I was just hallucinating at that point. I clearly never expected Ruby Shaw, my arch-nemesis, to rush into the warehouse.

I had known Ruby for 20 years, and we had been rivals since childhood. I was seven years old when she destroyed my school craft project in public. I was 12 years old when she stole my registration form for the math olympiad.

I was 18 years old when she intentionally ruined my answer sheet during our final exams. I was 23 years old when she poached my entire core team during my first startup.

I never expected her to run in and save me, completely putting her own life on the line. I yelled to her anxiously, "It's a bomb, and it's about to explode, so get out of here this instant!"

Ruby came straight to me without any hesitation, cut through the ropes binding me in one swift motion, and hurled the bomb out at the last possible moment.

I immediately shielded Ruby from the shockwave as the blast went off on the other side, holding her tightly. I eventually blacked out as the violent explosion tore open my back.

…

Third-Person Point-of-View

In the meantime, Rachel was meticulously treating a microscopic scratch on Quentin's body. Those who looked closely would see that the scratch was so tiny that it was already on the verge of healing itself.

Quentin spoke up, putting on an innocent act. "Isn't Charlie's punishment a bit too harsh, Rach? What if it deeply hurts him? I'd hate to be the homewrecker tearing a family apart."

He then turned his face away in self-reproach and slapped himself hard across the face. "Why can't I just control my feelings for you? Why can't I control how dependent I am on you? If it weren't for me, you and Charlie would be out having a wonderful honeymoon right now."

Rachel immediately grabbed his hand in distress, her voice soft yet urgent while saying, "It's not your fault, Quentin—none of it is. I did everything of my own free will."

She then looked up at Quentin, her eyes brimming with reproach. "Charlie is the one being completely selfish and spiteful here. I was just trying to help you, but he got all defensive because of it.

"It's actually a good thing to teach him a lesson before the wedding. He needs to know his place so that he doesn't get ahead of himself after we're married and thinks he can walk all over me."

Quentin lowered his gaze, his voice downcast yet laced with seduction while saying, "You shouldn't say that about Charlie, Rach. I'm the one to blame for everything here."

"You shouldn't bring him up anymore, Quentin," Rachel said, cutting him off. She then touched Quentin's face gently and murmured, "You're the only one I truly care about now."

They drew closer together, their breaths mingling in the space between them.

"Quentin…" Rachel murmured as she leaned in and took the initiative to kiss him.

Quentin pulled her in by the waist and held her close, their lips meeting in a deep, passionate kiss. He kept murmuring her name between the kisses, his hot breath mingling with hers. "Rach…"

Rachel responded with her eyes shut, her fingers sliding into his hair as she became entirely swept up in the treacherous kiss.

It was then that the door burst open with a bang.