The Scorned Bride: His Cruel Vows

Chapter 5: Again

Thalia's Pov

I shook like a rabbit that was being chased by its predator, tears in my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

Adrian stared at me for a bit, the corner of his eyes red. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but eventually decided against it.

“Sleep well.” He merely muttered and briskly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I jumped out of bed and ran to lock the door. It wasn't until I heard the soft ‘click’ that my body stopped shaking, albeit only slightly.

His footsteps disappeared down the hall and I slid to the ground, not minding the coldness of the tiles at all.

Despite what just happened, the only thing that continued to echo in my ears was his voice saying that he missed Aria. If he wasn't drunk and hadn't mistook her for me, he would have never kissed me, he wouldn't have even touched me.

“Ha… hahaha.” I laughed; it was a self-depreciating laugh. How long would I continue to be this stupid. What was I even hoping for? That he would at least treat me like his wife?

I hugged myself tightly as I remained seated on the hard floor. I buried my head deep into my legs and closed my eyes, trying to shut out the entire world. The tears came anyway, soaking into the fabric of my sweatpants. I felt so small, so incredibly pathetic, trapped in a house where my presence was nothing but an unwanted shadow.

The silence of the house was heavy, but after what felt like hours, muffled noises from the hallway broke through my haze.

“Make sure the car is ready,” a deep male voice said outside. It sounded like Adrian’s assistant, I had seen him around a few times.

“Mr. Adrian needs to leave for the airport immediately if he wants to make the flight.”

“Everything is packed, sir,” another voice replied. “But is he really traveling tonight? The weather looks bad.”

“Yes, he is traveling tonight for an urgent business meeting. He won't be back until three days later. He wants no disturbances while he is away.”

The footsteps faded away down the stairs.

Hearing those words, my body visibly calmed down. The tight knot in my chest loosened just a fraction. Three days. I had three whole days where I wouldn't have to face him, where I wouldn't have to look into his eyes and see the hate looking back at me. It was sad how a piece of news like that could feel like a lifeline.

If it was before, I would have rushed out and begged him to take me along or to buy things for me when he was coming back, but now, all I wanted was for him to just leave.

It was only then that I finally managed to push myself up from the cold floor. My legs were numb and trembling. I stumbled over to the bed, crawled under the duvet, and closed my eyes. The exhaustion overtook me completely, and I fell asleep almost immediately.

*********

When I woke up, the room was bright. Sunlight filtered through the curtains, telling me it was already late in the morning. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over me. My stomach growled loudly, and that made me realize I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. I felt really weak, my limbs heavy like lead.

“I need to eat something,” I whispered to myself, clutching my stomach.

I unlocked the bedroom door and walked down the long, quiet hallway. Every step felt like an effort. As I approached the dining area, the sound of clinking cutlery reached my ears. I froze for a second. I thought the house would be empty, but as I rounded the corner, I saw them.

Adrian's family was gathered at the dining table, eating breakfast. His mother sat at the head of the table, flanked by his sister and his brother. But despite the lavish spread of food in front of them, the atmosphere in the room was visibly dark. Nobody was talking. The air felt thick, suffocating, and tense.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I wanted to turn around and run back to my room, but the hunger in my stomach was too sharp. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the dining room.

“Good morning, Mom,” I said. My voice came out soft, barely above a whisper.

Corinne, Adrian's mother, didn't even look up. She kept cutting her pancake, her expression cold and hardened. She didn't answer me at all, acting like she didn't hear a word I said.

I stood there, feeling the sting of the rejection and bit my lower lip so hard I tasted copper. My hands clenched into fists at my sides.

Since no one was going to acknowledge me, I decided to just walk past them and head into the kitchen to find something to eat on my own. I just wanted a piece of bread, anything to stop the dizziness.

“Stop right there,” a sharp, icy voice rang out before I could take three steps toward the kitchen.

I stopped in my tracks. I turned around slowly to face the table. Corinne had finally put down her fork. She was glaring at me now, her eyes filled with disgust.

“You really have the heart to eat?” she asked, her voice dripping with venom. “After what you have done, you still have an appetite?”

“What did I do?” Apart from what I had already supposedly done, what else did I do?

Seth, Adrian's brother slammed his hands on the table, his face squeezed in anger, “If it wasn't because of you, Adrian wouldn't have left in anger last night! He travelled so late at night and you aren't concerned about him at all?!”

My nails dug into my palms, “What does that have to do with me? He was the one that left, I didn't ask him to. Why are you blaming me again?” I asked, my eyes fixed on Seth.