Page 1 of Stranded

IVY

Iget Preston’s voicemail for the seventh time as I exit the elevator. My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up from yoga with our bags half an hour ago to head to the private airstrip. My father’s jet is waiting to fly us to Alaska for a romantic Christmas getaway. Instead, I’m marching into our apartment building to drag his ass out of bed.

Preston and I have been dating since senior year of high-school. Six years in total. And I was sure he was going to grow up by now. I’d hoped this getaway might result in the next step in our relationship, especially since my mom won’t stop dropping hints whenever we see her. She wants a wedding to plan.

I think the likelihood of him proposing is about zero, considering he can’t even pick me up from yoga on time. I strut toward our apartment door but freeze outside when I hear giggling.

Summoning every ounce of courage, I fumble with the key in my pocket and reluctantly unlock the door.

And the scene I witness I want to scrub from my mind forever. Preston is fucking a busty and beautiful woman bent over our plush white couch, which we picked out together, but there’s another girl, too.

My stomach tumbles when I realize what she’s doing. She’s got a strap-on and is fucking my boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, in the ass.

What the actual fuck?

The image burns into my retinas. And after a millisecond of heartbreak and sadness, an overwhelming anger floods my veins. It’s more intense than anything I’ve ever felt. The fucking bastard was supposed to pick me up half an hour ago for a trip and instead he’s cheating on me with two women.

The slap of skin against skin reverberates in the deathly silence that follows my entrance. None of them have noticed me standing there.

It’s a sight I wish I could unsee. A truth I wish wasn’t reality. But it’s undeniable that my boyfriend is a piece of shit, and I’ve been too blind to see it.

My fists clench, and my lips press into a thin line as I step forward, clearing my throat. And instantly, all three of them glance at me. The two girls look confused while Preston turns as white as a sheet. His mouth opens and closes in a futile attempt to form words.

“Ivy, what are you doing here?” He pulls out of the woman he’d been fucking and scrambles away from the one that had been fucking him.

I glare at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I turn up here while you‘re fucking two other girls, and you‘re asking me what I’m doing in our Goddamn apartment?”

“Look, it’s not what it—”

“Save it, Preston,” I say, my voice ice-cold, belying the storm of anger within me. “I don’t want to hear any bullshit coming from your mouth.”

I stalk forward, my heels clicking against the marble floor. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re done,” I spit out, enjoying how his face pales further. I snatch my car keys from the side table, my hand trembling. I packed the car before my yoga session, and I’m going on the vacation alone. Screw Preston.

He chases after me as I walk into the bedroom to grab my laptop, sketchbook, and the handbag I’d left on the bed and asked him to pack. “Ivy, please hear me out.” He grabs my wrist, making my skin crawl.

I snatch my wrist away. “There’s no hearing you out. I don’t need to. You’re clearly unsatisfied with our relationship. Not to mention, completely fucking stupid to be screwing two girls in our apartment while I’m at yoga and when you’re supposed to be picking me up to go to the goddamn airport!”

His face turns angry, and he shakes his head. “Well, if you’d been more open to having more sex and experimenting, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Sex with you isn’t exactly enjoyable,” I say.

His jaw clenches. “What the fuck are you talking about? I always make you come.”

I laugh. “I fake it every time. It’s been years since I actually orgasmed during sex with you. You did me a favor, really.” I turn around, my laptop bag over one shoulder and my handbag over the other. “Have a good life.”

“Ivy, let’s talk about this,” Preston tries to reason, a desperate plea in his eyes as the anger eases.

“Talk about what? How you cheated on me with two women? No, thank you!” I retort, spinning around and marching for the door. “Enjoy your threesome, Preston.”

I don’t give him the satisfaction of a goodbye glance.

As I get into the elevator a rush of emotions hit me all at once. Sadness. Shock. Anger. I don’t know which one is more acute. All I know is that my mom is going to lose her shit when she hears we broke up.

Preston is the son of her best friend, Jane. She’s been rooting for us to marry ever since we started dating. In fact, I think their meddling is the reason we started dating in the first place. Preston’s family is rich like ours and his dad owns a multi million dollar company.

I’ve always been the 'good girl,' the dutiful daughter who followed the path laid out for her. Despite my heart never being in it, I allowed myself to be herded into law school. My parents are successful lawyers and envisioned a future for me that mirrored theirs.

They saw it as a logical step and a continuation of a legacy, but I’ve felt trapped. I never mustered the courage to voice my discontent, to rebel against their rigid expectations. I submitted to their plans, burying my dreams beneath legal documents and case studies.

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