Fated To My Ex-Boyfriend’s Father

5: Sadness Overload

ARIANA

“You’ll be allowed to return home to pack your belongings,” he said, flipping another page of the documents like I wasn’t even there. “Be back before sundown.”

I blinked at him. “Sundown?”

“Yes,” he said without looking up. “You’ll be living in the palace from now on.”

My chest tightened.

Just like that. No time to prepare. No room to process.

I stood there for a moment, feeling like the floor had just shifted under my feet. I was leaving the only place I’d known—our tiny, broken-down house, the cold little room I shared with my sisters, the creaky kitchen table that wobbled whenever Evan leaned too hard on it. Everything.

And now… I was moving into a palace.

Not because I wanted to. Not because I was being “honoured”. But because I was bound by a cursed mate bond to a man who hated me more than I thought possible.

I wrapped my arms around myself and drew in a deep breath, forcing the panic back down where it couldn’t choke me.

It’s just a contract marriage, I told myself. Only a year. He said he’ll never touch me. That’s all that matters. I can survive this if I just stay quiet and keep my head down. No one will touch me.

But even as I comforted myself with that thought, my heart was still pounding.

I took another shaky breath, then spoke up. “I… I have a request,” I said quietly, nervously twisting my fingers.

The Alpha King’s eyes flicked up to me. Cold. Annoyed.

“What now?”

My throat tightened. “My siblings,” I began. “I have three of them. My twin brother Evan, and two younger sisters… they’re only ten. I can’t just leave them behind, not like this.”

He didn’t respond. His jaw twitched slightly.

“I wanted to ask…” I hesitated, swallowing the fear. “Please, can they move in with me? Into the palace?”

“No.”

His answer came like a slap. Immediate. Final.

I blinked. “W-what?”

“No,” he repeated, voice harder now. “Don’t make me say it again.”

“But… please—”

He stood, the chair scraping behind him. “This is not a charity house. I already told you—you’re only staying here because the curse forces my hand. Your presence alone is enough to sour the air I breathe. Don’t test my patience.”

My legs wobbled and I suddenly dropped to my knees. The marble floor was cold and hard under my skin, but I didn’t care.

“Please,” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “I know you hate me. I know I’m nothing to you. But they’re just children. They’ve suffered so much already.” I begged. I knew If they stay in that house, they’ll continue to starve. They’ll be forced to keep working like slaves. They don’t deserve that.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t move.

I would not be able sleep at night knowing they’re out there suffering while I was in a palace. At least here… they’ll eat. They’ll have a bed. That’s all I’m asking.

“I swear I’ll keep them out of your way. You won’t even see them. Just please…” I continued to plead.

I bowed low until my forehead touched the floor. I didn’t care how pathetic I looked.

“They’re all I have left.”

Silence stretched out and I thought he was actually considering it.

When he finally spoke, his voice was full of disgust. “Do you know how sickening this is to watch?”

I flinched.

“You think your begging matters? You think I care about some filthy brats from a disgraced bloodline? I allowed you to walk these halls because my life is at stake if I reject you. That is all. Your tears mean nothing to me.”

He turned away from me. “Get out. Be back before sundown.”

I stayed there for a moment longer, my tears slipping silently down my cheeks.

There was nothing more I could say.

No begging would change his mind. This was the man I was married to! f*****g hell.

Eventually, I forced myself to my feet, my limbs trembling. I kept my head down as I walked out of his office, my eyes stinging from the effort of not breaking into sobs until I was far away from him.

Outside, the fresh air slapped my face like a bucket of cold water. I crossed the courtyard with heavy steps, ignoring the guards who looked at me with disdain.

As I walked down the packed path leading away from the palace, I felt the weight of a hundred stares crawling over my skin.

“She’s the king’s mate?” someone murmured behind me.

“No way. She’s just an omega.”

“Probably already rejected her. I mean, what alpha king would claim a slave girl?”

A bitter chuckle followed that one.

“She must’ve begged her way into the palace. Everyone knows an omega can’t rule. The goddess wouldn’t allow it.”

My fists clenched at my sides as I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing how badly their words stung.

I wanted to shout—I haven’t been rejected! He didn’t dare because of the curse! But that would be pointless. Even worse, it would make me look desperate to prove something I didn’t even want.

What good was it, anyway?

I hadn’t been accepted either. Not truly.

The only reason I wasn’t lying in a dungeon or out on the streets right now was because the king didn’t want to drop dead from the curse. That was all.

I wasn’t Luna.

I wasn’t wanted.

And deep down, I didn’t even want this either.

So, I kept walking.

By the time I pushed open the crooked door of our house, the sky outside was turning orange and gold, and the smell of warm herbs drifted faintly through the air.

Evan was the first to see me. He rose quickly from his spot on the rickety bench near the window.

“Ariana?” he asked, brows knitting in concern. “What happened?”

The twins, Ana and Elia, perked up from where they were brushing the floor, their little hands pausing mid-sweep.

I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. My throat felt like it was tied in knots. I just stepped inside, closed the door behind me, and slid to the floor like my bones had given out.

My back hit the wall and I buried my face in my palms.

“They’re making me live in the palace now,” I croaked. Under normal circumstances, the words that just came out of my mouth would have been good news but nothing about my life was normal.

My siblings were instantly around me. Elia sat in my lap, Ana clung to my side, and Evan knelt in front of me.

“Why?” he asked softly.

I looked into his eyes—eyes so much like mine—and I forced myself to say the words.

“Because the king… he’s my fated mate.”

Silence.

Elia’s hand slipped into mine.

“You’re going to be queen?” she asked, eyes wide.

I let out a shaky laugh. “No, baby. No. He hates me. He only accepted me because he has no choice. There’s a curse that would kill him if he rejects me.”

Ana sniffled. “But that means you’re going to live there now?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I have to. I asked him if you all could come with me but… he said no.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. My chest was so tight I thought I might choke.

“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to leave you.”

Evan pulled me into his arms, holding me like he always did when we were little and I’d cry after the other kids mocked us.

“It’s okay, Ari,” he said quietly. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” I cried. “You’ll still be here, working like slaves while I get locked in a golden cage. It’s not fair.”

Evan pulled back, looking me dead in the eye. “Listen to me, alright? If there’s even a chance—no matter how small—that you could use this bond to change our future… then you have to try. If you become Luna one day, even by accident, you’ll have the power to help us. To help mama. So don’t waste this chance by holding on to guilt.”

I stared at him through the blur of tears.

“I’ll take care of Ana and Elia,” he continued. “You don’t need to worry about them. Just go. Do what you have to. We’ll be fine.”

I didn’t deserve him. I didn’t deserve any of them.

But I nodded and hugged all of them again, memorizing the feeling of their warmth, their smell, their voices.

We packed up the little I owned—just two dresses, a few torn books, and a comb that had once belonged to our mother. I wrapped the items in a thin cloth, tied it at the corners, and held it to my chest like it was treasure.

Ana and Elia walked me to the door, holding my hands tightly.

“Don’t forget us,” Ana said, voice small.

“Never,” I promised. “I’ll come see you soon. I swear it.”

Evan stood at the door, his arms crossed tightly. His jaw was hard, but his eyes shimmered with the pain he refused to let show.

“Go before sundown,” he said. “Don’t let them use it as an excuse to punish you.”

I gave one last look at our home—our worn wooden walls, our slanted roof, the crooked little table with a crack running through it—and then I stepped outside.

The wind felt colder now.

I didn’t make it far before I heard a voice call my name.

“Ariana.”

I turned—and my stomach dropped.

It was Rue.

Her silver gown dragged behind her like a snake. Her lips were curled in a cruel smirk, and she was flanked by two royal guards, both wearing smug expressions like they already knew what was coming.

“You didn’t come to serve me this morning,” she said, voice icy. “Care to explain?”

My fingers tightened around my cloth bundle.

I opened my mouth to reply, but the words never came.

Her palm struck my cheek so hard my head snapped to the side, and the bundle in my hands slipped to the ground.