The Aftermath
894 Words
The ride back was a quiet descent into madness. When I said madness, I mean I almost ran mad at the stiff quietness that settled between us.
Lucian hadn’t said a single word since the conversation we had after i had offered myself to him, bold, trembling, reckless and f*****g stupid. I sat beside him, my heart pounding like a warning drum in my chest, my fingers clenched tight on my lap. His silence wrapped around me like a noose, tighter with every passing second.
Have I gone too far? Have I played my only card too early? I wasn't going to be that jumpy but the fear I felt that moment pushed me.
I was still lost in my thoughts when the car stopped in front of the hotel.
He cleared his throat, his eyes looking at me expectantly.
I muttered ' thanks for the ride' before unlocking the door with a soft click, and I stared at him for a beat longer than I should have—searching for something. A flicker. A sign. Anything.
But Lucian D’Amaro was as cold as stone so it's not a surprise I didn't get any thing that indicates what's going through his head.
So I stepped out into the night, the cold air biting at my skin like punishment, and before I could close the door behind me, he drove off—disappearing into the dark like he’d never been there at all.
I stood there, frozen, heart crumbling quietly inside my chest.
What the hell had I just done? I've ruined it.... I've ruined it all.
Swallowing hard and almost on the break of tears, I dragged my feet into the hotel. My stomach churned as the elevator climbed. Floor by floor, my anxiety grew—until it was a wildfire inside me, devouring every inch of courage I thought I had left.
Ding.
The doors opened, and I stepped into the hallway of the presidential suite, limbs heavy, chest tight.
The second I pushed the door open, my face met with...
Smack.
A sharp, scorching slap landed across my face so hard my vision blurred. My cheek stung, and I staggered back with a gasp, clutching the doorframe.
“What the —” I started, dazed.
But Laura was already screaming. Her eyes were wild with fury, her voice shrill with venom. “You disgusting little slut!”
Rage fuelled inside me and I lifted, ready to slap her back—
But a cruel hand yanked my hair so violently I cried out. Then came the crash—my body slammed against the cold marble floor, pain bursting through my skull as my head cracked against the edge of the glass table in the middle of the room.
My breath left my lungs.
I blinked through the ringing in my ears—and froze.
My father.
Standing over me like a monster pulled from my worst nightmares. His face was red with rage, his lips twisted in a sneer of disgust. “You shameless whore.”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. The hot fear that terrorized me had me immobile.
“I raised my daughters with decency. Cultured. And you—whoring around?”
My knees buckled as he shoved me upright, his fingers like iron on my arm. I stumbled, barely catching myself.
“I don’t care what filth you get up to in private,” he growled. “But you will not drag our family’s name through the mud.”
I shook my head, wanting to deny everything he just said but no word will come out of my mouth. My lips only trembled.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Regina sneered. Her lips curled in a smirk so smug it made me sick. She was enjoying this.
“She probably begged him for it,” She said, voice smooth like poison. “Opened her legs like a common street w***e, thinking she could tie a man like Lucian down.”
I wanted to scream. To claw her face. But I couldn’t move. My body trembled, my thoughts scattered like broken glass.
My father released me with a shove that sent me sprawling to the floor again.
“You’re grounded for three months,” he said, voice final. “Once we return home, I don’t want to see your face. You won’t step outside this house. Not once. Am I clear?”
No, no , no,no. I wanted to scream. To tell him that to hell with his rules but my tongue remained tied.
Regina rose and walked past me like I was dirt under her heels. She paused, leaned close, and whispered, “You really think you're special enough to make a man want you? You’re nothing, Lia. You’re just the embarrassing mistake my husband refuses to clean up.”
She walked out, laughing softly under her breath. Her husband soon followed her, not sending another glance to me.
Laura scoffed , her eyes still flaring with anger but she looked triumphant as she gave me a cocky smile before going into her room.
I crawled to my feet slowly, , dizziness washing over me. I felt wet substance tricked all the way to my neck and when I touch it, I realized it was blood.
I somehow staggered into my room before collapsing on the bed.
- Writer
