Chapter 2: The Perfect Stranger

Sophie’s Point of View

The neon sign buzzed faintly in the cold night air, casting an eerie glow onto the cracked pavement. I parked my car haphazardly, barely registering where I was. All I knew was that I needed a drink, something to dull the ache in my chest and blur the memory of Ethan’s voice cutting me down in front of all those people.

Pushing the heavy wooden door open, I stepped into the bar. It wasn’t the kind of place I’d normally frequent, dimly lit, with sticky floors and an eclectic mix of patrons who looked like they had nothing to lose. But tonight, it felt like the perfect refuge for someone as broken as me.

I slid onto a barstool, my fingers trembling as I clutched my purse. The bartender approached, a burly man with a kind but tired face. “What can I get you, miss?”

“Something strong,” I muttered. My voice cracked, but I didn’t care. “Whiskey. Neat.”

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t question me. Moments later, a glass appeared in front of me, the amber liquid glinting under the dim light. I downed it in one go, wincing as it burned its way down my throat.

“Another,” I demanded, my voice more resolute this time.

By the third glass, the edges of my pain began to blur, replaced by a hazy numbness. I welcomed it. The memory of Ethan’s betrayal, Veronica’s smug smile, and the horrified whispers of the crowd, they all felt distant now, like a nightmare fading with the dawn.

But then, like a cruel twist of fate, his words crept back into my mind: “I deserve happiness. You just couldn’t give me that.”

I gripped the edge of the bar, my knuckles whitening. "How dare he? After everything I’d done for him, after all the sacrifices I’d made, this was how he repaid me?"

“You look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders,” a deep voice said, breaking through my spiraling thoughts.

I turned, the room tilting slightly as my drunken gaze landed on the speaker. My breath caught. He was… breathtaking. Dark, tousled hair framed a chiseled face, his sharp jawline softened by an easy, almost disarming smile. His piercing blue eyes seemed to see right through me, and the tailored suit he wore clung to his frame in all the right places.

“Mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the stool beside me.

“Do what you want,” I mumbled, staring into my empty glass.

He chuckled, a rich, velvety sound that sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. “Rough night?”

I snorted bitterly. “That’s putting it lightly.”

The bartender approached, and the stranger nodded toward my glass. “Another for the lady, and I’ll have the same.”

I eyed him warily as he settled in beside me. “Why are you here?”

He shrugged, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “Saw a beautiful woman drinking like she’s trying to forget the world and thought I’d see if she needed company.”

I laughed humorlessly, the sound hollow. “Beautiful, huh? You must not get out much.”

He tilted his head, studying me intently. “No, I mean it. Even with those sad eyes, you’re stunning.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, dismiss his words as some cheap pick-up line. But the sincerity in his gaze made my chest tighten. It had been so long since anyone, let alone Ethan, had looked at me like that, like I was worth something.

“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“Sophie,” I replied, barely above a whisper.

“Nice to meet you, Sophie. I’m Lucas.” He extended his hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, I shook it. His grip was firm yet comforting, and for the first time that night, I felt a flicker of something other than despair.

“So,” Lucas said, leaning back slightly. “What brings a woman like you to a place like this, drinking enough whiskey to knock out a linebacker?”

I hesitated, my fingers tracing the rim of my glass. But the alcohol had loosened my tongue, and before I could stop myself, the words came tumbling out.

“My husband humiliated me tonight,” I began, my voice trembling. “In front of everyone. Announced he’s divorcing me, showed the world some fake medical records proving that I can’t have kids, and then paraded my best friend.. his pregnant fiancée... around like some kind of trophy.”

Lucas’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “What an asshole,” he said bluntly.

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Yeah, well, I guess I should’ve seen it coming. I’ve been blind, so damn blind. I gave him everything, Lucas. Everything. And it still wasn’t enough.”

His eyes softened, and he reached out, placing a hand over mine. The warmth of his touch was unexpected, grounding. “You didn’t deserve that, Sophie. No one does.”

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring his face. “I keep thinking maybe it’s my fault. Maybe if I’d been a better wife…”

“Stop,” he said firmly, his voice cutting through my self-doubt. “Don’t do that to yourself. This isn’t on you. Some people are just… broken. And it sounds like your husband is one of them.”

His words hit me harder than I expected, cracking through the wall of pain I’d built around myself. I looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt seen.

“You’re too kind,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion.

He smiled, his thumb brushing gently against my knuckles. “Maybe. Or maybe I just know what it’s like to feel like the world’s against you.”

I didn’t know what it was, his words, his touch, or the whiskey coursing through my veins but something in me snapped. Without thinking, I leaned forward, crashing my lips against his.

For a split second, I thought he might pull away. But then his hand cupped my face, deepening the kiss. It was electric, raw, desperate, and all-consuming.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathing heavily. His forehead rested against mine, his lips curling into a half-smile. “Uhhm… mind if we take this out of here? Someplace safer?”

My heart raced, my mind a blur of emotions. The logical part of me screamed to stop, to walk away before I did something I’d regret. But the broken, vengeful part of me, the part that wanted to erase Ethan and Veronica from my mind was louder.

“Yes,” I whispered, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

In less than an hour, I found myself in Lucas’s penthouse, the city lights glittering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. As his lips found mine again, I thought of Ethan and Veronica, of the betrayal and humiliation I’d endured.

This was my chance to take back some semblance of power, to reclaim a piece of myself that Ethan had tried to destroy.

And damn it, I was going to do just that.