CHAPTER 2
1299 Words
The Morning After the Betrayal
Liesel was awake and felt a numb ache that pulsed throughout her body. As she walked around and shifted her body, every muscle screamed in protest, causing her limbs to bend heavily and her skin to become abrasive. A thumping in her head was making it difficult to concentrate.
The woman rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the fog that was still obscuring her thoughts. It was dark with curtains drawn, and the room smelled of musk and something more masculine.
She got it in her mind.
An appearance.
She caught her breath. Slowly, she swung her head.
Man.
Wide shoulders. His dark, tangled locks were a striking feature. He faced her back, his waist barely covered by the sheets.
No. No, no, no.
An intense shiver swept through her body as she held the blanket close to her chest. It was completely untidy beneath her. She was completely naked.
Her pulse was rumbling in her ears.
What did I do?
Recollections of the night prior came back as broken pieces: heat and desperation, hands moving with her lips pressing into her skin. All of it didn't make sense. It was like a dream. It was like a nightmare.
Tears stung her eyes. She had set her heart on marrying Viktor. The plan was to have her in the wedding aisle in the hopes of pledging her future to Viktor, the one she loved.
Then, she came here.
I am working together with him.
Her body began to shake when she pushed herself to walk, getting from bed as slowly as possible. The frigid air stung the skin. She picked up her dress from the ground with her hands shaking as she lifted it up over her head.
The man moved to the side, and then a deep sigh flew from his lips.
Liesel was frozen.
The time seemed to go on forever. However, he wasn't awake.
She placed a hand over her mouth, sucked up a euphoric cry, and turned towards the front door. The woman couldn't remain here. She was afraid that anyone would be around her.
I'm going to go missing.
With no further glances, the woman slipped away from the space, leaving just the last traces of her life that she believed she was living.
The afternoon sun was up in the sky at the time the man got up and shook his head.
The loud knock on the door made him scream to express his anger.
"Go away." His voice was loud. His body was still slowly exhausted.
The knocking ended.
Good.
He breathed heavily and then shifted to his bed, only to see it unoccupied.
The brows of his face twitched. He rubbed his hands across his face as he tried to make sense of the blurred incidents of the night prior.
He did not forget warmth. Warm hands. The body is pressing on his.
He would remember how she gasped when he mentioned his name.
Wait. What is her name?
He stood up, looking around the area. There was no sign of her. There is a faint scent of perfume in the air.
The eyes of the man shifted to the sheets.
A dark stain was visible on the white fabric.
He uttered the curse himself.
He took the virginity test.
Then he didn't know.
The knock was louder but this time more cautious. The door slid open and revealed his companion looking nervously across the area.
"We checked the security footage." The person who was in charge was able to swallow. "We've wiped it out."
The man's jaws slammed shut.
"And?"
"There was a ceremony here the night before. It was a scandal. Bride ..." The assistant was reluctant. "She ran away."
The silence lasted for a long time between them.
"How does that concern me?" The voice of the man was cold and disengaged.
The person in charge shook her head in a tense manner. "We think— we think it was her. The girl from last night."
He stilled.
His fingers were tighter around the cigarette the man had lit just before, and the flame was glowing brilliantly before he cracked the cigarette between his hands.
"Find her."
"B-Boss--"
His voice, as cold as ice, pierced the air. "I want her back. And if anyone gets in your way—
A pause.
"--Eliminate them."
Curling up on her mattress, Liesel cradled her knees against her chest.
The walls in her bedroom,, located at Bauer Manor, felt suffocating. Many memories were sucked up by the walls, memories of a past life that didn't belong to her.
The fingers of her hands swung tightly around her dress, which was still dirty from the sins of her night.
I'm not allowed to stay here.
The woman had ruined everything. There was no hope with her Ravensburg, and that was not even after the events transpired.
She washed her tears away and then slid off the bed. She had to force her shivering legs to walk. The suitcase. The woman needed an item to carry.
She packed essentials like her purse, clothes, and passport into her bag, her breath rushing out in short bursts. Her goal was to get out before anyone knew. Prior to Viktor realized. Prior to her father's death
The entrance echoed with a soft clap.
Liesel's blood was cold.
"My dear sister," Anneliese's voice burst with delight. "Running away, are we?"
Liesel changed her direction, and her heart was pounding in her ribs.
Anneliese was leaning on the door's front, laughing. "You didn't show up at the wedding. Poor Viktor. So heartbroken."
"Get out," Liesel said, her voice clear.
"Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your sister?" Anneliese wandered into the room and was looking at the suitcase that was open. "Had a good night?"
Liesel felt her stomach turn.
"What do you mean?"
The smile of Anneliese widens. "Oh, come on. Don't play innocent now. Mother and I know exactly where you spent the night."
Liesel was feeling like she was being ripped off.
The voice of Helga came from behind Anneliese,— sharp and angry. "You disgrace this family."
Liesel looked up to catch her stepmother's cold eyes with her arms stretched across her chest.
"You should have just died outside," Helga laughed. "It would have been less shameful than this."
Liesel was flinching as though someone had struck her.
Her stepmother was never a lover to her. Yet to hear her say the truth so clearly, in such a cruel way—she was devastated.
"You're nothing but filth," Helga added. "If I were you, I'd take poison and end the humiliation."
Liesel was able to feel the air leaving her airways.
The jewelry belonged to her mother. She had memories of them as a couple. She previously believed that the love they shared was genuine.
Gone. Nothing remains.
"You were never my mother," Liesel said as her hands slid into fists.
Her face twisted with anger.
Anneliese stood between the two, smiling. "Oh, don't waste your energy, Mother. Liesel has bigger problems now."
The woman pulled out her cellphone and waved it across the room.
"Would you like to see the footage?"
Liesel's stomach dropped.
Anneliese tapped her screen. The video blurred, showing a dim space, tangled sheets, and a shadowy man hovering over her.
"Shall I send this to Viktor?" Anneliese's voice was sweet and sweet. "Or better yet—Father?"
Liesel's hands shook.
They had done it.
The team had planned to do this.
They were now going to ruin her totally.
"You won't get away with this," Liesel said.
Anneliese's laughter was as piercing as the blade. "Oh, sweet sister. We already have."
Her world fell apart.
Then there was no where to go.
- Writer
