Alex’s P. O. V.
As I sit in my car, waiting for Stella to return, my watch suddenly begins beeping.
Damn it!
Something is wrong with Stella.
Without a second thought, I jump out of the car and rush inside, my mind spinning with worry. I keep praying in my mind that she’s alright.
I head straight to her room, but she’s not there. I check everywhere-the bathroom, the balcony-but she’s nowhere in sight. The constant beeping from my watch only makes my heartbeat race with anxiety.
What happened to her? She looked so happy when she walked into the house. How could things go wrong in just a few minutes?
“Stella…” Desperately, I call her name as I step out of her room, but there’s no response.
When I reach the door of her mother’s room, I stop, noticing Stella’s bag lying on the floor just outside.
I wonder what her bag is doing here.
Then I push the door open and step inside. My eyes widen in shock as I take in the scene. Stella is sitting, hugging her mother tightly, and both of them are crying.
What the hell happened? My mind goes blank, and I freeze in place, staring at her, my heart breaking at the sight of her tears. Why is she crying? And I swear, whoever made her cry, I’ll burn them alive.
As she notices me, her crying intensifies. She grips her mother even tighter, holding her as if she’s afraid to let go.
“What happened, Flower?” I ask in a soft tone as I approach her, trying to keep myself from breaking down at the sight of her like this. It shatters my heart to see her in pain.
“Why are you crying?” I add, but she doesn’t respond. She just keeps crying, staring at me through her tears.
Fuck! Why isn’t she saying something?
“Please, say something.” I place my hand on her face and brush my thumb against her cheek. She closes her eyes, and fresh tears stream down her cheeks.
Damn it. My worry deepens with every passing second. Why is so silent? What happened to her all of a sudden?
Her mother doesn’t look at me either. She just cries, embracing Stella, and that only makes me more anxious.
I can’t understand why she won’t tell me what’s wrong-what is bothering her so much.
I gasp in horror as my eyes fall on my father lying in a pool of blood on the floor. My heart skips a beat for a second, and I freeze in disbelief.
“Dad…” I rush over to him.
What the hell is going on?
Immediately, I pull out my phone and call for an ambulance.
As I wait, I turn to Stella, pleading, “Stella, will you please tell me what happened? Who did this to my father?”
Her response leaves me even more stunned.
“I did this to your father,” she responds, tears streaming down her face as she stares at his bleeding body with pure hatred in her eyes.
I can’t wrap my mind around it. Why would she do this? None of it makes sense.
“Why?” I ask, my voice shaking with shock. But then her words give me the biggest shock of my life. I can’t able to believe it in my ears.
“He was beating my mother with the belt. He’s a monster-your father is a monster. I just protected my mother from this devil.” Her voice trembles with anger, and she’s still crying.
No. My father can’t do this. He’s a good man… or have I never known who he really is?
My mind is spinning, each revelation hitting me harder than the last. Stella wouldn’t lie to me. If he really did this to her mother, then he is a monster-not my father.
I run my hand through my hair and close my eyes, trying to keep my mind steady, but I feel like I’m losing control. Everything is too much. I’m not ready to accept the truth-that my father isn’t the man I thought he was.
“Mom…” Stella’s panicked scream snaps me back, and I open my eyes to see her staring down at her mother, who has fainted in her arms.
What the hell is happening in my life? Just a few minutes ago, I was excited, looking forward to Stella’s surprise, wondering what she had planned. And now, everything has changed. I’ve just got the biggest shock of my life: my father is a monster lying in a pool of blood, and the woman I love is the reason he’s in this state. Her condition is heartbreaking, and seeing her like this is the last thing I ever wanted.
I feel completely helpless.
Was I so blind that I never saw my father’s true nature? Is this my fault? That I couldn’t protect her mother from him? That, right under my nose, he was hurting his wife, and I never even knew. What kind of person does that make me? And now, here I am-the son of a monster. This is the last thing I ever expected for myself.
My entire life feels like a lie to me. My father, the man I looked up to my whole life, is someone I don’t even recognize.
Stella is still holding her mother, her body trembling, her face pale. Her mother’s unconscious body lies in her arms, and I see how lost Stella is, her eyes glazed with pain, anger, and betrayal.
I feel an urge to pull her close, to tell her everything will be alright. But I can’t bring myself to say it. I feel so dead inside right now that I’m not understanding how to comfort her.
Life is completely unexpected. A few minutes ago, we were living the best moments of our lives, and now, everything is shattered in an instant. It feels like a nightmare to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get over this.
How will I stay with Stella and face her mother after what my father has done? How can I even look them in the eyes, knowing that the man who raised me caused them so much pain?
Will Stella accept me in her life after knowing this? Can she even bear to look at me without seeing the face of the man who hurt her mother? The thought of losing her tears me apart, and my chest feels so tight that I feel it’ll explode.