Elena
The thing about being in power to do anything is that you can use it to your advantage. I successfully and publicly exposed the Quad’s father to the world.
He should be on the hot seat by now, and his damn sons should be seeing their father in chaos. I haven’t set my eyes on them since the rejection. It looks like they are doing their part by staying away and moving on. Good, they never disappoint at all.
“Thanks.” I pay the Uber driver as I pull up to the house. I haven’t been home recently. I have been around Ava and doing some things to expose Mr. French. I have to be around mom from now on because of her condition, although she has been texting me and I know she’s alright.
“Anytime.” He calls out before he drives away. I pick up my handbag and step into the compound. When I enter, my phone pings a text. I pull it out of my bag, and what I see is the news.
It’s going viral about an influential man in the society, who’s the Alpha, raping a girl and cheated on his mate. I use a finger to wipe the message from my screen, and another message pops up and it’s from Ava.
“Hey, I saw the news. Be safe though.” I read it and I suddenly feel strangely cold. I dial her number.
“I’m safe. I just got home, are you ok?”
“Don’t worry about me.” She says in a hushed voice. I stay in silence for a second trying to come up what to say next. I can’t tell her not to be sad because it causes too much sadness that her mom knew this and kept it a secret.
“I think my mom has been fucking him too, fuck that bitch!” She screams and sighs again when I haven’t given a reply to the other. I can tell she wants to cry but she’s fighting the urge to.
I swallow hard as though I’m feeling the pain she’s going through right now. “Will your dad find out about this?” I gulp down roughly again. I don’t know what to tell her.
“He’s out of the country. They don’t stay here remember?” she replies. Her parents have always been out of town, and her dad is always busy.
Could that be one of the reasons Ferry cheats on him? Fuck that! There’s no explanation for that. Once you are unfaithful, you are unfaithful. Only you should be blamed.
“Do you think he deserves to know she’s a cheat?” I ask, biting my lips. I’ve been standing outside the house. She needs someone, she needs me but too bad I can’t be there for her tonight. Tonight, I have to be with my mom. It’s like switching duties, like medical personnel.
“I don’t know. I thought my family was peaceful and happy. I don’t want to be the one to break it to him. I don’t want to be the one to expose mom to dad. Elena, this is so hard for me right now. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to think or even feel. I…I’m just so hurt right now.” She replies.
Tears fall from my eyes down to my phone screen when I take the phone from my ears for a moment. Hearing her broken voice hurts a lot.
“I know you are crying right now, just let it out Ava.” My eyes blur as I tell her. She’s trying to hide it by sniffing slowly. This is hell, the night is cold and I need a large space to breathe.
I squat on the ground, throwing my bag on the floor while I let out a long sigh. I think of what will make her happy, I think of what makes her smile. Although what makes her happy was her mom and what she loves most was her happy family and the second thing was watching the stars at night.
“Ava, breathe…” She’s still on the phone. I also have my ear glued to it. I won’t hang up until I’m sure she’s better. I tell her to breathe, but she’s struggling with it.
“Okay.” She says softly and lets out a heap of breath. I hear it on the phone, then she sniffs again.
“Where are you?” I ask her as I look up to the sky. There are only few cloud and there are stars tonight.
“I’m in my room.” She answers.
“Can you step to the window? I need to show you something beautiful.” I tell her.
“Yes, what is it?” She asks.
“Do it first,” I tell her, and I hear the sound of her steps as she walks to the window.
“I’m outside and I can see the beautiful stars, can you see them?” I ask in a sweet tone.
“Yes.” She bubbles out a little laughter.
I point a finger to the sky, “Can you see those in clusters? They are beautiful just as you are.” I tell her.
“Are you sure? Am I as beautiful as that?” She asks, smiling through the phone.
“I can bet my ass on that,” I scream through laughter and she smiles. She doesn’t laugh yet.
“Hey, hey!” I scream, pointing out to two beautiful stars, they are so close to each other and they are sparking.
“Ava, can you see the two stars?” I ask.
“Yes.” She says in a hushed tone.
“Well, that’s the two of us. I’m the one by the right and you’re at my side. We are beautiful.” I shout, making her burst into a mild laughter. The sound of it satisfies me.
“Elena, but I don’t see a red hair on the star!” she plays along.
“Well, I could dye my hair you know. So, yes, as a beautiful star right there, I dyed my hair got it?” I scream and she’s laughing hard now. How cute…
I’m relieved that she feels much better now, and I can hang up and not feel guilty. “Ava, I got to go now. Please, can you eat for my sake and go to bed?” I ask politely.
“I will do that.” She agrees with no complaints. I hang up when she calls my name loudly on the phone.
“Elena, thank you for always being the kind of best friend that’s more like a sister to me. I love you.” She says with so much sweetness in her voice.
There’s another tear at corner of my eyes. “I love you too, Ava.” I quickly hang up so she wouldn’t hear me cry. I don’t want her crying again. Hearing me cry might urge her to do the same. I cry for a minute, crushing the phone in my hands.
I wipe my eyes and take another long breath before I walk inside my house. I walk into the living room and everywhere is dark. Shit, why is it so dark? Is it already late? I quickly take out my phone from my bag again to check the time. It is still 8 p. m. and mom couldn’t be at least asleep by this time.
“Mom?” I call out as I search for the light switch.
I don’t hear a response. “Mom, I’m home. Why is the light turned off?” I shout again, searching for the switch, but I don’t hear a response.
I found the switch and turn on the light immediately. What I see got my knees shaking. Looking around the room, my breathing escalates. The entire living room is turned upside down as if something terrible happened here. Slowly, I walk over to the staircase and I start to scream my mom’s name.
“Mom!” I yell. “Avera!” my hands shake as I run up to the stairs.
“Where is my mom?” I scream as many thoughts crosses my mind. “No,” I whisper my stomach dropping at the sight of him.
“I’m afraid that you won’t find her here.” He says and I take a step back in shock.
“It can’t be. What do you mean?” My throat closes on me.
“I warned you, Elena. You were taking a big risk. If I’m going down, I’m not doing that alone!” Mr. Callum laughs to my face.
“What are you talking about!” I shout at his face, I’m confused.
“Right now, Mr French is in big trouble. It means I am as well because we’ve been into this together.” He takes another step closer to me.
“What does my mom has to do with this!” I shout through tears and confusion. “Do you realize she’s pregnant with you? She has your child in her stomach, what the fuck are you doing?” My voice is cracked.
“Child?” he mocks and begins to laugh.
“I’ve been waiting for this time, Elena.” He speaks in riddles. And with each step he takes closer, I take the next backward.
“W-what do you mean?” I shutter. I reach the chair and realize, there’s no more moving back. My hand hold onto it. I watch him with blurry eyes as I see another shadow behind him.
“To take a revenge on your father, Elena.” Mr. Callum says.
“You should have been dead by now, Elena.” A shadow comes out and I know it is him. Mr. French. I gulp roughly as I don’t know what to say, and Ava’s words comes to my mind when she said ‘be safe’ as though she saw this coming.
“You can’t do me nothing. And let my mom go.” I yell at them.
“Empty threats won’t save you, Elena.” Mr. French steps forward.
“It’s not a threat, it’s a warning. I’ve exposed you and if anything happens to me, they will find you!”
“We will see about that then. We will do all we can so that nobody knows anything about your disappearance, and the case will end that way. Just like that, you will be forgotten.” He sneers at me.
Jesus. I stumble on the chair, but I get up quickly and run for the door.
My mom is already in trouble and if I’m not careful, I will be too and no one can come to save me or her, because nobody knows about this. Tears prick my eyes at the thought.
“Keep my mother out of this!” I scream. I grab the door handle but won’t open. What happened? Why is it locked?
“Come on, fucking open!” I grit as I kick it with my foot. I’m already crying. I don’t have anyone to come to save me. Nobody knows and I’m sure these two will make it remain like that.
“Don’t waste your time, Elena. You have been foolish just as your mom was.” Mr. Callum shakes his head as he comes closer. He pours something into a piece of rag in his hands. My legs are shaking and I’m fucking hitting the door hard to open.
I hear what he just says about my mom being foolish and I’m confused. ” She thinks I love her? She thinks I love the child she’s carrying?” He asks and laughs.
I arch my brow in confusion. I have always thought of him as not being a nice guy for my mom, but I never thought he would try to hurt her or say he doesn’t love her.
“What?” I scream as I try catching my breath. What the fuck is going on?
“It’s her punishment, Elena. What makes you think I brought you here to my house and sold your father’s? To fucking punish you and for revenge. Your mom is so stupid to have fallen for me.” I’m crying. What the bloody fuck is going on? My knees are shaking. I want to fall to the ground.
“W-what did we do to deserve that?” My watery eyes couldn’t stand the sight of this man.
He laughs, but he doesn’t reply to my question, “Do you think your dad died of cancer? I killed him, I fucking killed him. He didn’t die of cancer, he did not.” He says heartlessly.
I’m confused. Did mom lie to me or what? Did she not know? Why would she tell me he was sick? My head is blasting.
” nd well, too bad you will be like your dad very soon. Dead.” he comes closer but I have no fight to run anymore, because I’m fucked by everything he just spilled out. I’m drained.
It’s killing me.
“Ryan!” I don’t know why him when I know we have nothing to do with each other anymore. They have forgotten about me, and they have moved on but I manage to scream out as he pins one arm around my neck and places the rag over my face, making sure to cover my nose and mouth. I breathe in the liquid he put on the rag, struggling to free myself…