Chapter Five
1130 Words
Laughter resounded again, but this time it was his alone. The sound burrowed under my skin, equal parts fury and dread.
I forced my feet to move, quickening my pace until I was out of the building. My chest heaved, every breath ragged as I wiped at my tears.
**
By evening, I was pacing in my room, with my bag packed, and books stacked neatly.
Finally, I went downstairs.
The living room was dim except for the television, the stench of whiskey filled the air. My father sat slouched in his armchair, glass balanced in one hand, his jaw set in that permanent scowl he always wore.
“I’m going for tutoring,” I said, about to leave.
For a moment, he didn’t react. His eyes stayed glued to the screen. But then, as if he just heard the words, his head snapped toward me.
“Tutoring?” His voice cracked.
My stomach twisted. “Yes. I have…”
“You haven’t prepared dinner.” His fist slammed against the armrest, rattling the glass in his hand. Whiskey sloshed over the rim. “But you’re going tutoring?! Damn half-breed!”
The words hit me harder than a slap. I froze, heat crawling up my neck, shame and rage clashing inside me until I could barely breathe.
He leaned forward, eyes burning holes into me. “What is wrong with you? Why can’t you do anything right?”
My throat tightened but I still tried to speak my mind. “I don’t ask for anything from you, I do my best to lessen your burdens all the time. I try not to be a burden to you… I… ” I whispered, my voice shaking despite my effort to remain calm.
His lip curled. “If you really don’t want to be a burden to me, then maybe you should quit school altogether.”
My nails dug into my palms until they burned. “Quit school?” I repeated, the words tasting like ash.
“Yes.” He leaned back, sneering. “If you can’t run errands for me efficiently, then stop wasting your time with school.”
The anger tore out of me before I could hold it back. “I’m sponsoring my studies, I don’t ask anything from you, and now you want me to quit school? Why do you hate me so much, Father?”
The word Father felt like poison on my tongue, but I forced it out anyway.
His gaze turned to stone. “Because you’re a stain and a mistake.”
“I don’t care what you say.” My voice cracked, but I didn’t stop. “I’m going tutoring. And I will still do my best to make sure everything else in this house is attended to. But I will never quit. Do you hear me?” I lifted my chin, my nails digging crescent moons into my palms. “Never. It’s what Mother always wanted for me, and I’ll do it no matter what!”
His face twisted, ugly and red. “Don’t mention that b***h’s name in my house!”
I stumbled back, my chest heaving, heart pounding so hard it hurt. But I refused to look away.
“You don’t get to call her that insulting word, my mother is not a b***h!” I whispered, every word trembling with the fury I had buried for years.
“Enough!” He lurched to his feet, staggering from the drink, but the fury in his eyes was razor-sharp. “You think you can stand here and lecture me? You think you can defy me in my own house? You’re nothing! A mistake that never should’ve been born. I should’ve…” He cut himself off, chest heaving, fists clenching.
I knew the remainder of the words he was about to say. And a part of me wanted to scream at him and continue arguing but I bit down on the words until they dissolved bitterly in my throat.
I breathed in deeply, stepped outside and ordered an Uber.
The ride was a blur and when the car finally slowed in front of the Blackthorn estate, my stomach dropped. The house looked like something out of a gothic painting, it had stone walls, tall windows, iron gates. Everything about it screamed power and wealth.
“Wealthy people,” the driver muttered under his breath as I climbed out.
I almost asked him to wait, to stay, to give me an escape route. But pride made me straighten my shoulders. I walked to the door and knocked.
It swung open after a few seconds. Lucien had his hands in his pocket. His shirt hung loose, his sleeves rolled to his elbows, exposing the veins that ran like blue rivers along his forearms.
“Well, well,” he murmured. “The nerd showed up.”
“I’m here to tutor you,” I said stiffly, clutching my bag tighter.
He smirked. “Come in then, teacher.”
The house was eerily quiet, he led me upstairs, each step creaking underfoot, until we reached his room.
“Don’t just stand there,” he said, holding the door wider. “I don’t bite….”
I rolled my eyes, forcing myself past him. His room was exactly what I expected, it was very clean and elegant.
Setting my bag on his desk, I pulled out the notes. “Let’s get this over with. We’ll start with your history assignment. Here, please take these.”
He sat on the bed instead of the desk chair, stretching out like a king at rest. He didn’t even look at the papers.
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” he said, his tone mocking. “So diligent. So… boring.”
Frustration flared in me. “This isn’t for me, Lucien. It’s for you. So either you take it seriously, or I leave.”
His smirk deepened, as though my anger amused him. “Leave? Already? But we’re just getting started.”
I clenched my jaw, sliding the papers back into my bag with jerky movements. Fine. If he wanted to waste both our time, let him. I wasn’t going to grovel.
Swinging the strap over my shoulder, I turned for the door. But in an instant, his hand shot out and caught my wrist, dragging me back. The strength in his grip was startling.
My breath hitched. “Let go of me, Lucien,” I snapped, trying to struggle against him.
He twisted me, pushing me backward until I fell on the bed. My bag had already slipped from my shoulder and thudded to the floor.
Lucien’s body came over mine, his gaze was darker now, and his smirk completely gone.
“Where do you think you’re going, little nerd?”
- Writer
