CRUEL

Prologue -Verena’s POV

There was a black and empty void in my heart. I held on to my aunt as I cried my heart out. She wept as well, grieving her sister's unfortunate death—my mother's unfortunate death.

"I'll protect you as best I can, Vee," she said, stroking my hair as we sat through the somber funeral. As I gazed at the casket, condolences were being poured out for guests and visitors. Inside, my mother lay still and serene.

They kept repeating and repeating the same phrases: "I'm sorry for your loss," "It'll be okay," "You'll get through this."

Their condolences meant nothing to me; it seemed like they were just saying things, assuming it would be enough. Believing it would make us feel any better than we were feeling.

There was nothing they could say to make me feel better; they couldn't bring back the woman I had loved, and that was that.

"It's time to go, Verena," my dad said. "I'm not leaving with you. I want to stay here with Tia Esme," I replied, a tear slowly rolling down my already tear-stained cheek.

"I don't care what you want. You are my daughter, and you're coming home with me!" he seethed. "Don't yell at her," my Tio Carlos responded, shoving my dad. He beat my deadbeat dad until he was black and blue.

"Come on Verena. Let's go before he wakes." My Tia pulls me away from his unconscious body.

-TIME SKIP-

"Let me go!" I screamed. My dad had come back for me after years of ghosting us. He dragged me from my Tía's house by my hair and threw me into the back seat of his car.

He injected me with something and soon after, darkness enveloped me. When I regained consciousness, I found myself chained to a bed, stripped bare and shivering. Glancing down, I realized I was sitting in a pool of my own blood.

"Rise and shine, my little butterfly," he said as he approached me. He tried to r**e me again.

"No! Stop!" I screamed, hoping someone would find me and save me from the pain. No one came.

-TIME SKIP-

"Are you Verena De La Rosa?" I nodded. "Are you related to Nico De La Rosa?" "Yes, we are, unfortunately," I replied, disgusted.

"Well, sorry for your loss. Your father is deceased." I smiled. "Thank you for the news." I closed my door. He was dead after all the pain he had caused me.

I even made friends throughout all of my trauma. "Who was it Vee?" Alexis asked. "Police. My old man died," grinned. I heard the pitter-patter of little feet on the cold wood floor. "Who was that Vee?"

Landon wandered into the living room. "Don't worry about that. Just know we're free now. You can go back to sleep if you'd like."

-TIME SKIP-

"Landon De La Rosa!" I screamed when he walked across the stage. My brother was graduating.

"That's my brother!" I yelled from the stands. "Landon!" Ezra yelled. "You go, Landon!" Dolores yelled. "That's my nephew." We all over at Alexis. "What? He said I could call him my nephew," I shake my head at her silliness.

-TIME SKIP-

"I'm so proud of you, Landon. You finished high school. How do you feel?" I asked him.

"I feel but great, I'm miss going to it," he answered with a light smile.

"Well, you always have college. You're not done with school just yet," I reminded him. We were outside of our estate.

"Vee, I didn't know you ordered something," I looked at Landon confused.

He pointed to the brown cardboard box lying in front of my door. I pulled out my gun and slowly walked towards the box. As soon as I saw what was inside, I put my gun down.

"Landon, it's a baby."