Chapter 29
At that time my mother had just given birth to me. She was shocked and heart broken to find out that her husband was already married, and she threw him out of her life.
But unfortunately for her, the man had already planned everything. He laid a trap for; he never loved her.
He used her for her wealth.
He had already transferred all her properties to his name and left her with nothing.
He allowed her to continue staying in his house although only as a maid seeing he could not publicly throw her out of the house.
After all she was still a member of the company board, regardless of the fact that she owned nothing now.
He transferred all her assets to his and his wife—Vivian Harnes, even going as far as changing the company’s name from Dexters Industries to Harnes Industries.
He destroyed everything for her, a conniving snake just as bad as Vivian.
He watched Vivian abuse his own child with unwarranted beatings and whippings but he never stood up.
He watched her starve me, but never said a word, all he did was keep quiet, and that made me hate him with every bone in my body.
He watched Vivian abuse my mother, treating her like a maid, while he stood there.
He watched my mother slowly dying while I came back to that godforsaken mansion a year after I left at eighteen to beg for help to pay for my mothers treatment, but he did not move a muscle.
I don’t blame him, I blame my mother for not seeing through his facade, and falling for a monster like him.
The same way I am slowly for my own monster.
“Leah darling,” My mother’s croaky voice came as she stared at me through pained eyes.
“Hi mum.
The doctor said the date for your surgery has been fixed,” I said, giving her my best smile.
“What are you doing dear?” She asked in sadness.
Her frail body, wasted by torturous chemotherapy sessions, along with her bald hair, made me sniff back my tears, as I struggled to blink them away.
“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning confusion, knowing very well what she was talking about.
“Xavier came to the hospital earlier, alongside Vera.
He told me about your wedding. I thought we had agreed to put the wedding plans on hold for Leah.
So why are you rushing into this,”she replied, her gaze filled with worry.
“I’m not rushing into anything mum. I love Xavier a lot, and he loves me too, so we saw no reason to delay the wedding any longer. So don’t worry mom, I am very happy about it,” I said, giving her my brightest smile.
“Don’t lie to me dear. I know something is not right. How are you able to pay my bills Leah? And Vivian—she came with him and Vera you know.
Is Vivian working with them now Leah…” she forced out, filling with tears.
Her face scrunched up in a pained expression, as she shook her head repeatedly.
“No mom, not at all. Vivian is not doing anything like that.
I have a job at Blackwood Industries, remember?
I have even been promoted, and trust me, I have more than enough money to pay for your bills,” I said, trying to calm her down.
I knew what happens when her expression turns like that, and my mind could not bear to witness it again.
“And what about your dad? When is he coming to see me Leah?” She asked the same question she had asked repeatedly for over three years now.
I gave her a bright smile, my eyes twitching in the corner as I struggled to rein down my hatred for my dad.
“You know dad is very busy mom. He has a lot of work trying to rebuild the company.
But don’t worry, he asks you everyday. He still loves you mom,” I reassured her, spilling complete lies from my mouth. The truth was, I have not seen my father for three years now. Only Vivian knew where he was, and even if he were here, he would have never bothered to ask about my mom.
I don’t know why she kept doing this to herself, it made me hate her even when I didn't want to.
My mother was so fucked up in the head about my dad, that she kept me in that abusive house for eighteen years, till i was old enough to leave.
She stayed even when she had the chance to leave with me, but rather she chose to endure all the torture from Vivian, just because she thought that my father was going to realize his mistake and come back to her.
Unfortunately for her—he does not give a fuck whether she lives or survives.
“Mum, I…” I paused, when I saw the confused expression in her eyes as she looked at me.
Tears filled my eyes, and I sniffed, already predicting her next words.
“Who are you?” She asked, looking at me in uncertainty.
Chapter 30
“Mum, it’s me Leah,” I said in fear. She shook my hands away from hers, moving back towards the bed.
“Am I supposed to know who you are?” She questioned with suspicion.
The expression in her eyes made my heart twinge in pain, when she stared at me like I was a stranger.
“It’s me Leah.
I’m your daughter,” I repeated this time, pleading for her fucked up brain to believe me.
But just like always—she laughed.
“Who are you girl?
Are you lost?
I don’t have a daughter, please get away from me,” she asked, sitting in a protective stance on the bed, as if she were expecting me to attack.
“I’m not lying.
Don't you remember mum—me—Leah Harnes, the daughter you birthed, with the love of your life—Robert Harnes,” I replied, pleading and begging for her to remember me.
I watched in hurt as her face twisted when I mentioned my father, as she whispered his name under her breath.
Then her eyes drastically flared, and she shouted for help.
“Help!
Somebody help me!
This strange woman here is trying to kill me,” she shouted, screaming frantically at the top of her lungs.
I stood frozen, watching her display.
This was not the first time she had a drastic memory loss in the middle of our conversations.
My mother suffered from retrograde amnesia, a side effect of her tumor.
For years I watched her slowly forgetting everything about me, to suddenly having episodes where she remembered me.
The nurses had warned me to stay away, because sometimes she became violent, thinking I was trying to harm her.
So I hardly visited her, except on the days when she was calm and remembered me, just like today.
But this was the first time I ever experienced her agitation.
“Miss Harnes. I’m so sorry, but you have to leave now.
The patient is not at rest,” A nurse said, as she gently pushed me out of the door.
“Is she getting worse?
She has never reacted like that before,” I inquired devastated.
Tears filled my eyes, and I did not bother wiping them away as they trailed down my face.
“Although there is no improvement yet, she is stable.
She had only one episode today, that was after your family members came to visit.
She reacted exactly like this, screaming in fear,” The nurse explained. Her eyes were full of pity as she watched me.
I wanted to scream that they were not my family members, but how could I.
Vivian paid for my mothers treatment, and she has been given full access to the patient, as one of her guardians.
And there was nothing I could do to stop her from visiting my mother.
“What did they say to her?” I asked. My jaw is tightened in anger.
I knew Xavier or worse Vivian must have said something to my mother, they just have.
Something that made her scared of me—enough to make her ask for help and not fight back.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but that’s not part of my job. I have no idea what they talked about,” she explained.
My body trembled as I walked out of the hospital.
My soul filled with so much rage at everybody, but most especially Vivian and Xavier.
My phone rang, and I looked at the unknown number knowing who exactly was calling me.
“Hello sir,” I answered. My annoyance for how he treated me earlier at work had not simmered down one bit.
“I need you now,” He said, and his gruff voice sent a twinge of pleasure down my core.
“Where are you, I’ll pick you up,” he asked, but it was not a question—more like an order.
I immediately shared my location with him, making sure to walk far away from the hospital before doing so.
I did not want him finding out about my mother, he already knew too much about me.
“What are you doing here at this time?
This place does not look safe?” He asked in irritation.
A permanent scowl etched on his face, as he watched me.
“You don't care about anything I do right? So why are you worried?” I asked, watching his orbs flare in anger.
His jaw clenched, but he did not say a word.
He entered his luxurious estate, parking his car, he stepped down leaving me two steps behind him.
He strolled to a room which I guess was his bedroom, he unbuttoned his shirt, his eye never straying from mine.
I watched as his ripped and hard body was revealed inch by inch with every button he popped open.
“Str*p!” He ordered one word—and I followed.
My dress laid at a pool beneath my feet.
“I’m going to f**k you hard and fast, do you understand me baby girl?” He asked, in his usual tone of endearment, transforming to the lover I know to be in bed.
“Yes sir,” I answered, my heart racing in anticipation.
“Good girl. Now pick a safe word,” he said, his words made me frown in confusion.
“So innocent.
Pick a word, any word.
When it gets too much, and you want me to stop, you’ll say that word,” he said.
“Red,” I answered, making his lips twitch slightly.
His eyes filled with dark promises for me, and that alone made me more wet.
The gaze of lust blinding my anger over how he treated me earlier today.
“Good. Now, get on the bed, and keep your a*s in the air. The way I like it,” he ordered.
Chapter 31
I laid in his bed, my body wrapped around dark sheets.
My mind lost as I listened to the sound of the shower running from the bathroom.
He fulfilled his promise, taking me h**d and fast, and I savored every moment.
The sound of Ethan’s ringing tone brought me out of my thoughts.
Allowing curiosity to get the best of me, I reached out to pick it up.
“What are you doing?” Ethan’s deep voice came, making me flinch in shock.
Wrapped with only a towel around his waist, he came out of the bathroom.
His ripped figure dripped with water.
He moved toward the bed, swiping his phone away before my fingers could touch it, his face stoic and expressionless.
Picking up the call, he moved to the balcony to answer.
My fist clenched, my chest burned with a sensation I could hardly explain.
I had seen the caller ID clearly ‘Little one,’ and there was only one person he called that: Jennifer.
“I’m coming right now,” he said as he walked back into the room still on the phone.
He ended the call, moving to his closet to get dressed.
I watched silently as he grabbed his car keys, not bothering once to even glance at me, almost like I barely existed.
“Where are you going?” I whispered in a shaky voice.
My chest tightened painfully because I knew he was going to her—Jennifer.
“Nowhere that concerns you.
Your job here is done.
My driver would drop you in the morning,” he responded rudely, sparing me one glance as he walked out of the room.
——
I walked into the Harnes mansion after Ethan’s driver dropped me like he said.
He never returned last night, and my guess was that he spent the night with Jennifer.
Earlier this morning, my phone pinged with an alert of ten thousand dollars.
He did it again, degrading me by paying.
If he loved Jennifer that much then why was he cheating on her with me and probably other women? Why not just be with her?
I could feel my face twist in disgust and hurt at his actions.
“What do you mean you have not found the papers? I thought you said you knew where she hid them,” a familiar voice growled, halting my steps, I turned towards the room wondering what he was doing here—Xavier.
I had not seen him since the day of our engagement, although he constantly sent me good morning texts along with his words of love, that irritated me to the core.
I barely replied back, not being able to control my revulsion at his actions.
He had not bothered to visit since, so what was he doing here now?
“Apparently I was wrong the papers were not there,” Vivian said, frustration seeping through her words, making my confusion deepen.
“I cannot bear being close to that thing one more time.
Do you know how hard it is to pretend like I actually love her?
It’s disgusting.
Find those papers fast so…”
Xavier's harsh words made me wince in shame.
I smiled sadly.
I had really been a fool for so long, thinking he loved me, when he could barely tolerate my existence any more.
His words did not cut that deep like before, or make me feel like the world was ending anymore.
No, all it did was ignite shame and anger at how foolishly I had pursued him in the past.
“Oh just shut up Xavier.
You were there with me yesterday when we met Gina.
That woman has gone completely mad and she does not remember anything.
I have no idea where she hid those papers,” Vivian snapped angrily.
The sound of a box shutting along with her voice startled me.
“Then it’s a good thing right? I don't know why you are so obsessed with finding those papers.
If you don’t find them, then Leah has no claim on the properties, because there are no papers to prove it.
So why am I still getting married to her?
Why don’t you call off the contract between the two families Vivian.
Her mother is already as good as dead, so it should be in your capacity now as her guardian,” Xavier retorted, a growl of rage breaking loose from his mouth.
The sound of ruffles made me peep through the small opening from the door, but I could not afford to get caught. Any wrong move, and it’s over.
I needed to know what exactly they were talking about, and what papers.
“Have you forgotten about the clause on the papers?” Vivian said with a sigh.
I watched as she paced around the room, her hands rolling around her forehead as if she had a headache coming on.
“Gina clearly stated that once Leah gets married, everything would belong to her and her husband,” she responded, and I felt all the air seep out of my lungs, as I struggled to catch a grip.
Chapter 33
There was only one person who I knew looked like that and that was—Vivian.
“Thank you,” I whispered to my landlord, squeezing a couple of dollar notes into his hands as I rushed inside our old apartment.
The musky smell of dust was the first thing to greet me immediately after I stepped inside.
I walked into the small space which I converted into a room for my mum in the past.
After searching each and every corner of the room, I still found nothing, not one document about the Harnes inheritance.
My eyes landed on my mothers old journal, and I stretched my hand to pick it up.
She always wrote in this old thing, and she valued it more than her life.
I remember trying to throw it away once and she completely lashed out at me.
I wonder what she wrote in here, that made her too busy to actually take care of me.
I flipped through the book’s contents reading how my mother described her failed love life with my father.
My eyes widened in shock when I read the contents of the next page.
“My dear daughter, Leah.
Would you ever forgive this stupid mother of yours?
Who spent her entire life dedicated to a man who constantly made her second best, but I had my reason my dear I promise.
I needed to protect you, trust me.
I know I have never been a good mother to you, and words are not enough to express how sorry I am for that.
Today, I realised how much of a fool I had been hoping and believing that one man would change and come back to us.
I let you spend your entire childhood in that wretched house.
I knew about what Vivian was doing to you, I knew how much she abused you, yet I did nothing.
All because I was too selfish to let go of one man who broke my heart continuously.
Holding my test results in my hands today made me realize how short life actually is.
It made me realize how much I actually failed you.
It made me realize how little I did for you, when I should have done so much more.
I should have taken you out of that house a long time ago.
A house like the Harnes mansion was never a place an angel like you should have had to grow up in.
Please forgive me my dear, forgive this foolish mother of yours.
I knew I did so little for you, but I had tried hard to rectify my mistake, even though I knew it would never be enough.
I know that I might never be able to tell you this to your face; so if you are reading this someday my dear, that means you must have discovered my long-kept secret.
Please guard it with your life, I was scared of him finding out.
There are so many things I kept from you, and I cannot write it all here.
I fear this might land in the wrong hands and then they can harm your life.
Don’t trust anyone my angel, it never got me anywhere.
Just know that everything I did, even staying in that house was for your protection my dear, and nothing else.
I left something precious.
It was my mother’s and now it’s yours.
It has always been yours, it’s in my box, I kept it for you my dear, even if it costs my life.
It’s the little I could do for you.
Take care my angel.”
Tears fell on the old pages, a sob breaking through my mouth.
I sat on the dusty bed, trying to process my emotions properly.
All these years she kept me in that house, watching Vivian do things to a child that even adults could not handle and she said nothing.
I hated her for it, I despised her for keeping me in that house throughout my childhood, while I watched as everybody fawned over Natasha.
I watched Natasha get things I could only touch in my dreams, and still she said nothing.
And now she says it’s for my protection.
What could possibly have made a woman, a mother so sacred that she’d keep her child in her abuser's home, watch the child get beaten and still decide not to leave.
What could have frightened her like that, and who was ‘him’ she talked about?
Who did she not want finding out exactly?
And what did she not want him to find out about?
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Table of Contents
×1
Chapter 1
2_3
Chapter 2–3
4_8
Chapter 4_8
9_13
Chapter 9_13
14_18
Chapter 14_18
19_23
Chapter 19_23
24_28
Chapter 24_28
29_33
Chapter 29_33
34_38
Chapter 34_38
39_43
Chapter 39_43
44_48
Chapter 44_48
49_53
Chapter 49_53
54_58
Chapter 54_58
59_63
Chapter 59_63
64_68
Chapter 64_68
69_73
Chapter 69_73
74_78
Chapter 74_78
79_83
Chapter 79_83
84_88
Chapter 84_88
89_93
Chapter 89_93
94_98
Chapter 94_98
99_103
Chapter 99_103
104_108
Chapter 104_108
109_113
Chapter 109_113
114_118
Chapter 114_118
119_123
Chapter 119_123
124_128
Chapter 124_128
129_133
Chapter 129_133
134_138
Chapter 134_138
139_143
Chapter 139_143
144_148
Chapter 144_148
149_153
Chapter 149_153
154_158
Chapter 154_158
159_163
Chapter 159_163
164_168
Chapter 164_168
169_174
Chapter 169_174