Girl Wakes up with a Strange Man – Story of the Day

After a night she can't remember, Carol wakes beside a stranger, igniting a scandal that threatens her marriage. But the truth is more twisted than she fears, with betrayal lurking close to home. Will she uncover the deception before it's too late?

Carol's eyes flew open to a sliver of morning light that pierced her eyes, illuminating the bare chest of the man beside her. But it wasn't her husband's chest. Their eyes met, and she screamed, scrambling out of bed, sheets tangling around her legs.

"Who the hell are you?" she yelled. "And why are you in my bed?"

The man smirked. "Need I spell it out, baby?"

"No… I'm married!" Carol protested, trying to remember the previous night's events.

"I know," he replied, "you kept saying I made you feel things your husband never could."

Furious, Carol threw a pillow at him. "Get out before my husband returns," she demanded.

But as fate would have it, her husband, Mike, entered at that moment. "Honey?" he called.

Panic struck Carol as she rushed to hide the stranger in the closet. However, Mike caught them, his face shifting from confusion to anger. "Mike, I can explain," she started.

"I doubt that," Mike said, coldly, pulling the stranger out and confronting them. Despite Carol's pleas, Mike demanded a divorce and stormed out.

Faced with the consequence of her alleged affair, Carol sought the only comfort she could think of – her friend, Ruby, who had held the crazy party the previous night.

"Ruby, what happened last night?" Carol asked urgently after her friend opened the door. Ruby was still picking up the remnants of the celebration. She paused for a second and recounted Carol's drunken antics. She finished by mentioning a handsome stranger who drove Carol home.

Carol's heart sank. "I'm so screwed, Ruby. I woke up with that guy with no memory of last night." Unfazed, Ruby mentioned how Carol had flirted with another guest, which only made things worse.

"I can't remember that," Carol whispered.

Finally, her friend softened. "You were just looking for fun, and with your marriage struggles, I don't blame you," Ruby explained, shrugging.

"But I vowed to be faithful," Carol lamented, admitting her perceived failure as a wife. Overwhelmed by guilt, she finally called Mike to offer a divorce, the call ending with her in tears.

Afterward, Ruby tried comforting her, suggesting a new start might be beneficial. It wasn't the best time for such a comment, but the support meant everything to Carol.

***

While packing, Carol discovered a wallet under her bed. It belonged to Andy, the man from the night before. She called him to return it, and upon his arrival, confronted him with the devastation of her marriage.

Andy was taken aback for a second. He accepted his wallet and hesitated before revealing a shocking truth: nothing had happened between them. He admitted to being paid to stage the night's events.

"Who paid you?" Carol demanded.

"Don't you get it? Whose party was it? Who gets everything in the divorce if you're caught cheating?" Andy hinted. His implication was clear, but was he telling the truth?

"I'll go. I won't make things worse for you," Andy said after a few moments of silence, regret lacing his voice.

"Wait," Carol interjected, desperation evident. "Will you help me make this right?"

"How?" Andy asked, curious.

"There's a way to fix this, and you could be compensated for your trouble," she said, her eyebrows lifting.

"I'm in. What do you have in mind?" Andy smirked subtly.

***

"You have the nerve to come back to us and demand more money?" Mike seethed at Andy, rising from the table.

Andy had appeared at Ruby's house, where Mike was staying, and demanded to speak with them. But his request was met with anger.

Ruby intervened before their discussion could truly turn physical. "Mike! Stop it! Just give him the money."

Andy stood firm. "Back off, Mike," he countered, "or I'll tell Carol everything."

Mike's rage wavered. "You wouldn't dare," he threatened.

"I don't want extra money, just what I'm rightfully owed," Andy asserted. "You said I'd get a cut from the divorce settlement, and all I've seen is a measly five grand."

"That is your cut, Andy. That's the percentage we agreed on," Ruby interjected.

"You're cheating me," Andy accused, his gaze shifting between them. "I know about Carol's trust fund. Twelve million dollars, and I get what? Five thousand? That's not a cut; that's crumbs. So, I'm dead serious. Give me what I want or I tell Carol everything."

Mike, cornered and furious, reluctantly paid Andy to keep silent. After Andy left, Ruby calmed Mike down because they would still get most of Carol's trust fund. He nodded, and they both laughed because their plan had worked.

***

"Thirty thousand? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Mike scoffed at the offer laid out by Carol's lawyer. It had been a week since the confrontation with Andy, and they were now sitting at Carol's dining room table.

"I know about the trust fund," Mike continued.

"How?" Carol whispered, more to herself than in expectation of a genuine answer.

Mike ignored her question, turning instead to the lawyer with a resolve hardened by greed. "She's clearly been hiding her trust fund from me to ensure I couldn't get hold of her assets. That's illegal, but I'm willing to cut a deal here: change the terms of the contract so I can claim Carol's trust fund and we won't have to drag this out."

The lawyer calmly suggested considering Mike's proposition, leading him to believe he was close to claiming Carol's wealth. However, once Mike signed an amended contract, the lawyer placed a single dollar on the table, revealing that this sum represented his share of the trust fund.

"What's going on?" Mike demanded, his triumph turning to dismay.

"That represents the trust fund," the lawyer clarified.

Ruby frowned, failing to grasp the sudden turn of events.

Carol turned to face her former friend, the corners of her mouth lifting in a wry smile. "What, you were expecting a dumb, rich man and instead all you've got is a dumb man who refused to read before signing," she remarked, her words slicing through the tension with the precision of a well-honed blade.

Mike desperately pleaded for understanding, but Carol rebuked him. She demanded they leave her home. Mike turned and stumbled towards the door, but not without a parting shot.

"You won't get away with this, Carol," he yelled. He thumped his fist against the wall. "I'll make you pay for cheating me like this."

***

That night, Carol awoke to the sound of intruders. Spotting shadowy figures in her yard and hearing the breach of her front door, she called the police. After hanging up, she retrieved her gun, just in case.

The scent of gasoline sharp in the air spurred her to action. She burst through the door, shouting, "Leave! Get out of my house!" Her warning shot into the ceiling ignited the gas, causing an explosion that engulfed the room and the intruders in flames.

Recognizing Mike among the chaos, his body on fire, Carol's immediate reaction was to smother the flames on the carpet and walls. Outside, Mike struggled on the lawn to extinguish the flames on his clothes.

As emergency services arrived, Carol retreated outside as well, coughing and unable to see well through her teary eyes. There, a paramedic assisted her. "Breathe deeply, ma'am. Everything is going to be okay."

The police detained Mike and his accomplices. They revealed their plan to destroy Carol, leaving her with nothing. Carol felt a shiver down her spine and shook her head at the idea that she had once loved that man.

A fireman approached her after the cops left, offering reassurance. "Ma'am, your house is clear. Everything's fine inside," he said. "I know this might not mean much right now, but you're safe. That's what matters. And you're not alone."

Carol shook her head. She was safe, but at what cost? Not alone, but how could she ever trust again? The well-intended words of the fireman felt like salt on her raw wounds.

"I appreciate your attempt to comfort me," she said, "but you couldn't possibly understand what it's like. To have the person who promised to love and protect you try to end your life in flames."

"I'm truly sorry for what you've gone through," he said, his tone earnest. "And you're right, I haven't lived through what you have. But in my years of service, I've seen the depths of what people can do to those they once loved. It's not the same, but it's given me a glimpse into the pain and betrayal you're feeling."

She felt better, hearing the fireman's words. "You're incredibly brave, ma'am. And you survived… that's what truly counts here, so don't forget it. He may have tried to hurt you, but he failed. You won," he finished.

Finally, Carol smiled.

The next day, the fireman visited her home, bearing a peace lily. "I, uh, I know I probably shouldn't be here," he said, "But I couldn't stop thinking about what happened, about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

He handed her the plant, explaining, "They say peace lilies help purify the air, but I guess I was hoping it could bring a bit of peace to you, too, after everything."

"Thank you," she said, accepting the gift.

"If you need anything, or even just someone to talk to, I'm here," he assured her.

They introduced themselves formally, sharing their names. He was Jimmy. "It's nice to meet you, Carol, despite the dire circumstances that brought us together," he laughed softly.

"It's nice to meet you too," she said and felt a strange current as their hands shook.

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If you enjoyed this story, here's another one: Shirley’s world crumbles when she catches her husband, Brody, flaunting his mistress at their work and he threatens to divorce her and take everything. Heartbroken and homeless, Shirley rediscovers her fighting spirit when her dashing new boss seems to be determined to punish her for a past mistake.

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