Dark Romance.

Chapter 3:Shattered Bonds 2

“Shut up… So I trusted the wrong duo, huh? You guys should have a nice life.” Lucy just smiled a bitter smile. She knew it all along. Her instincts were right. Kelly looked a lot like her husband, a handsome face that seemed to give Kelly the female version of himself.

Austin had finally admitted to what Lucy had always suspected. The man who had raised her children wasn’t their biological father after all. So she has no say in whatsoever he wants to do.

“Yes, you better leave with your children… If at least one of the children you have belongs to me, I would have not cheated on you. I will still be following the contract rule, but Lucy, I’m a man. I need to know the feeling of being a father too,am not getting any younger ,” Austin said, his voice loud and firm. There was an arrogance in his tone, a sense of entitlement that made Lucy’s stomach churn.

Daisy, still standing at the foot of the stairs, couldn’t believe her ears. Her mind was spinning, her emotions were all over the place, but one feeling stood out above all: relief. Relief that this man who had tormented her for years, who had made her life miserable, was not her father. She had never told her mother, but she always get maltreated by this damn man she calls a father for 18 years , since she clocked 18 years he has attempted to r*pe her for some times now but she always get lucky with her struggling and being able to escape his claws, she had her doubt about him being her father because he does what a father will never do to their daughters. But the abuse she had suffered at his hands was something that weighed on her heart every day. And now ,knowing that he wasn’t her father, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of happiness,even though it was bittersweet. Daisy thought were cut off when she heard her mother’s voice .

Her mother, Lucy, had always been strong, always put on a brave face for her children, but Daisy could see the tears welling in her eyes. Daisy had never fully understood the dynamic between her mother and Austin, but now it was clear. Lucy had been trapped in a loveless marriage with a man because of her husband “ daisy’s father “Daisy had been blind to it for years, but now the truth was in front of her, and it was almost too much to bear.

“Why are you talking like I was denying you from having a family ? But …” Lucy started to speak, but before she could finish, Daisy cut in.

“Mum, since he’s not my father nor Ken’s father, let’s leave his house and family to live in peace,” Daisy said, her voice steady but filled with conviction.

Hearing her daughter speak those words, Lucy could feel the tears start to fall. Her heart was breaking for her children, for all the pain that this life has caused for her and her children.But at the same time, she knew that they had to leave. They couldn’t stay here any longer, not with the truth hanging over them like a dark cloud

She was not feeling sad about Austin cheating on her ,in fact she was happy, happy that he had broken a rules in the contract , that can make her leave him for good. But she was feeling sad about the news she heard from a person today and she was not expecting the only person she calls a friend to betray her even if the man was not her husband but a cover up.

Lucy looked at Austin, trying to hold herself together. “If my husband comes to know how to explain things to him… never mind ,you can now bear your surname, Mr. Fernando,” Lucy said, a faint, almost mocking smile on her lips.

Austin, looking more confident than ever, nodded. “Yes, sure,” he said, his tone laced with pride, he can’t continue to father another man’s children like a puppet, he can’t even touch the mother or daughter, as if he had just won some sort of victory and freedom, he felt so happy.He seemed determined to stand his ground, as if he believed everything was now in his favor. He would be the one to decide how things went, and everyone else would have to comply.

But Elizabeth, who had been standing in the background, still looked confused. She couldn’t understand what was going on. Her mind was racing, trying to piece together the conversation that had unfolded before her. She turned to Austin, her eyes wide with confusion. “What is going on here? You’re not the father of Lucy’s children? Then who is the father? Please answer me, because I’m so lost,” she said, her voice filled with genuine confusion and concern.

Austin sighed, as if he had expected this question. “I will explain everything to you later… Just be patient,” he said, his tone sharp and dismissive. He glanced over at Lucy, who was now walking toward her two children on the staircase. His gaze lingered on Daisy, and for a brief moment, there was a flicker of regret in his eyes. He had never been able to truly taste the sweetness of “fatherhood” with Daisy, but now, standing at a distance, he could see her beauty in a way he hadn’t before. It was a beauty that mocked him, a reminder of everything he had missed.

Daisy, sensing the tension in the room, quietly approached her mother. She whispered in Lucy’s ear, “Mum, you will have to explain everything that’s happening right now to me later, okay? But let’s leave this house first.”

Lucy looked up at her daughter, who was standing tall and strong, even in the midst of the chaos. Daisy had always been brave, but today, she seemed like a warrior ready to face whatever came next. Lucy’s heart swelled with pride, and a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, not wanting to let her children see her vulnerability. But the truth was, she felt broken. How had she allowed herself to live in this lie for so long? How had she allowed Daisy and Ken to live in a house where they weren’t safe, where they weren’t loved?

“Yes, I will let go first , no need of taking anything with you,” Lucy said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She nodded as if she were trying to convince herself that leaving was the right thing to do.

As they reached the entrance of the house, Lucy paused for a moment. The rain was falling heavily outside, the sound of the downpour filling the air. It was as if the world was reflecting the turmoil in her heart. She turned to Austin, who was still standing by the door, looking like he didn’t care about anything or anyone. “Austin, can you let us stay this night, then leave tomorrow morning? It’s dangerous out here at night, and the rain is heavy. I still have a baby with me. Or if you think you won’t be comfortable with it, just allow your driver to come pick us up and drop us at our destination,” Lucy said, her voice calm but firm.

Austin, without hesitation, shook his head. “I would have allowed you to stay, but my wife and daughter will be uncomfortable with that. I can’t call my driver by this time of night for something as trivial as this. I can’t wake the innocent man up just to tell him to come pick you and your children up. It’s not a big deal or you could just phone your husband, oh! my bad you’ve not seen or heard from him for two years now haha,” he said, his voice dismissive and mockery.

“……”

Lucy was speechless. She stared at him, her mouth open in disbelief. After everything, after the years of suffering and staying with this man , this was the response she got? This man, who had been like her family, couldn’t even show a shred of sympathy for her or her children. He was more concerned about his own comfort than their safety.

She turned away from him, her heart heavy with frustration and sorrow. “So even if my baby catches a cold, you’re not bothered about it at all? Okay, fine,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm and pain. She tapped Daisy on the shoulder, signaling for her to start moving toward the door.

Daisy, still processing everything that had just happened, gave her mother a quiet nod. They walked out into the rain, leaving behind the house that had never truly been their home. Lucy didn’t expect any sympathy from Austin, but part of her had hoped for something. Some small acknowledgment that he cared. But it seemed that was too much to ask.

As the rain soaked through their clothes and the cold air bit at their skin, Lucy held her children close. She knew that leaving was the right thing to do, but it didn’t make the decision any easier. There was no going back now. She had to move forward, for the sake of her children and for herself.

And as they walked away from the house that had once been a place of false hope and broken dreams, Lucy couldn’t help but wonder what the future would hold. Would they ever be free from the ghosts of the past? Would they ever find the peace and love that they deserved? All she knew was that they couldn’t stay in this place any longer. They had to leave, no matter how hard it was.

As the rain continued to fall, Lucy vowed to herself that she would protect her children, no matter the cost. She would make sure they never had to face the same pain she had endured. She would give them a better life.