Chapter 46: Chapter 47

Chapter 47

I sull remember that night. It was the darkest for me. My aunt always treated me differently than their own daughter. Even for uncle Olivia came first. She was their pride and joy, while I was merely a burden to be endured. I used to get only two. meals. Fruits and snacks were a luxury to me. I was allowed to have them only if Olivia is not having it.

After a few months of me living with them, this behaviour of theirs became normal for me but that night their cruelty reached to a new level.

It had started with a simple mistake–an accident in the kitchen that had led to a broken dish.

Like other night I was doing the dishes before going to bed. As aunt invited her brother for dinner so she used her favourite dinner set. She told me that it was expensive and I was supposed to handle it with care. I was doing the dishes when Olivia came for something kitchen. Unaware of her presence I was busy in my work when her elbow collided with my hand. I am not sure if she did it intentionally or not, but one of the plates from the dinner set slipped from my hand and broke into many pieces.

The color drained from my face as I realized the gravity of my mistake. I knew that punishment awaited me, but little did I know that the events of that night would plunge me into the depths of despair like never before.

When aunt appeared after listening to the sound of plate shattering, I apologized to her but instead of forgiveness I was met with her harsh words as usual. She accused me of carelessness and incompetence, telling me that I am good for nothing and that I can’t do even the simplest task without creating any mess. She also said that I was nothing than a burden on this Earth who must have died with her parents in the car accident.

Saying all those cold and harsh words were still not enough for her as she locked me in a nearby windowless room at the back side of the house. It was dark and cold.

I begged and cried in front of her but she didn’t listen. Uncle tried to stop her for once but she even asked him to mind his own business and stay out of this.

She knew well about my claustrophobia still she didn’t care. I cried and banged against the door for her to open till my energy drained out but she didn’t open the door. She went to her room and slept where she hear my cries.

In that moment, I felt utterly alone in the world. I longed for the warmth of a comforting embrace, the reassuring presence of someone who cared. But all I was the oppressive silence of the room, pressing in on me from all sides.

Drained of energy and on the brink of unconsciousness, I felt as though I were slipping away into the darkness when , the doors to the room swung open. My eyes fluttered open slightly, struggling to adjust to the dim light filtering in from the hallway.

the shadows, the figure before me seemed like a mirage, a hazy silhouette against the darkness. Though I couldn’t see his face clearly, his presence was enough to dispel the suffocating loneliness that had enveloped me..

I can barely recall the details of what happened next, but I remember the feeling of belongingness washed over me in

presence. With gentle hands, he lifted me up and cradled me in his arms, offering me solace and comfort in

my darkest

He placed my head on his lap, and as I drifted in and out consciousness, he whispered sweet nothings in my car, his voice a soothing melody in the stillness of the night. It felt as though he had known me for a lifetime, his words a balm to my weary soul.

You were crying and I was completely unaware of your pain but I did what felt right at that moment. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching you out, placing your head on my lap and telling you that I was with you. My step mother’s behaviour was already not good towards me so it was not for me to understand the behaviour of your uncle and aunt towards you.”

I looked down. I never wanted anyone to know about the treatment I was getting in that house but I didn’t know that he was already aware about all of that.

“That the day I came to know about your claustrophobia. I wanted to take you with me but I was a minor by myself didn’t have enough power to do as I wish. That day I promised myself to become powerful and protect you with all the evils Chapter 47

of the world”

His words washed over me like a wave, filling me with a sense of awe and gratitude. Many a times I got the feeling that there was someone watching me from . I was even saved by buglars two three times at the silent alone streets, now I know who was guarding me all the .

It was him

“Why did you come back to me?” I asked him the obvious question.

Only if he had came in my life before Nathaniel, I don’t have to go through the betrayal and everything.

His eyes softened with sorrow as he met my gaze.

“After completing my business degree abroad, I returned home only to find myself entangled in the complexities of my own family issues, he explained. “By the time I realized the depth of my feelings for you and mustered the courage to search for you, I discovered that you were already with Nathaniel. It was like a dagger through my heart, seeing you in his arms after waiting for you all those years. My heart shattered into millions of pieces at that moment

I felt a pang of sadness at his words, the realization dawning on me that our paths had crossed too late to rewrite the past. If only he had appeared in my life before Nathaniel, perhaps I could have been spared the heartache and betrayal that followed.

“And then you joined my company,” he continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. “I saw you every day, a constant reminder of the love I had lost. I tried to show you Nathaniel’s true colors, to warn you of the danger he posed, but you were blinded by his fake charm and affection.”

I swallowed hard, the truth of his words hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Never for once I thought that if Nathancil was a good guy than uncle and aunt must have married him off with Olivia. Why they would have thought about me.

“Why you took advantage of my vulnerable state?”

asked after a long minute of silence.

“I never wanted to,” he responded, his tone heavy with regret. ‘I always wanted to express my feelings to you first. I imagined our first night together many times, but not like this. I wanted you to be fully present, to feel everything… for you to know how much I love you.”

Clouds above us crackled and I gulped when those three words left his mouth. His eyes shone with honesty.

“I love you, Dove,” he continued, lifting my hands gently in his “I always did.”

As the first drops of rain began to fall, I felt torn between the warmth of his affection and the cold sting of betrayal. His sincerity was undeniable, yet the shadow of his past actions loomed over us like a dark cloud.

The lightening thundered and it started dribbling. My breath hitched in my throat. I could see the admiration and longing in his eyes. His proved his multiple times in the past but still. But beneath the surface, doubts lingered, gnawing at my . Can I truly trust him again?

I remained silent, lost in the storm of conflicting emotions. The rain intensified, drenching me from head to toe.

“If you truly loved me, then why didn’t you wait for me to regain consciousness in the morning? You could have told me everything when I was in my senses,” I said, my voice tinged with a mixture of hurt frustration

I trusted Nathaniel blindly, believing his every word and defending his actions without question. But now, faced with the and the weight of his betrayal, I couldn’t afford to be naive again. I needed answers, and I needed to protect myself from further deception. I get flown away with these emotions.

“I didn’t have any other option. You may not know but I was there in your wedding, looking at everything happening around. I was desperately praying for something magical to happen and you to know everything. And when it happened there was no bound of my happiness. I just wanted you in my arms before any other evil could get hands on you. You are were too innocent to read the read faces of people. I knew it really well that if I we did for you to gain consciousness

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you would have never trusted me”

He e paused to take a deep breath. My mind processing words.

“You would have never understood how much I love you if that day I had told you that’s why I planned all this. My parents- were forcing marry Sabrina to expand the business, I didn’t like her. I wanted to be side evey minute of my life. I already almost lost you, I didn’t want that to happen again.”

As he spoke, I felt a pang of sympathy for him, but it wasn’t enough to quell the doubts and betrayal gnawed at my heart. His confession only deepened the rift between us, highlighting the deceit that had tainted our relationship from the

start.

Trust me, Vanessa. I didn’t have any ill intentions. I just wanted you near me.” He tried to explain his point.

But his words fell on deaf ears as I pulled away from him, my tears mingling with the raindrops that cascaded down my

cheeks

I can’t!” I shook my head, “I can’t go forward with the relationship which started with a lie”

I sniffed.

“Please, Dove, try to understand” He begged.

“I- I am really grateful for what you did for me in childhood. But I can’t deny the fact that you also betrayed me specially at the point where I started developing feelings for you. After Nathaniel I trusted .”

A sob escaped

my throat as I struggled to the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

“I wanted to tell you everything but at the same time I didn’t want to ruin the beautiful relationship that just started in between us

His lower lips quivered slightly as he said that.

“Please Vanessa, understand my situation, please. Just forgive me…”

My heart thump in my chest loudly. Shall I forgive

Part of me wanted to believe him, to trust in the love that always been between us. But another part remained wary, cautious of the lies and secrets that had plagued our relationship from the beginning.