Winter's Mate: Fated on Ice

5- Disowned

CHAPTER 5: DISOWNED

Rosie

I stared at the door of my parents' house and took a deep breath. I wanted to run away and hide. I didn't know how to face them. What would my parents say? Would they believe me?

Christmas Day was supposed to be a joyous day of people laughing, exchanging gifts, and pleasantries, but for me, since yesterday, it has been a nightmare. I could still hear those comments in my head, still see that video playing on loop every time I closed my eyes.

I looked at the snow falling to the ground, uncaring of what the humans were feeling, whether they were happy about the snow or not. The chiming sound from the bells and the Christmas lights from the neighborhood lit up. Everything looked so normal, so festive, like my world hadn't just ended.

With a deep breath, I pressed the doorbell. I could hear shuffling feet on the other side before the door was opened. My mother opened the door. Upon seeing me, her mood immediately turned sour and she scoffed before leaving the door wide open. She didn't even greet me or hug me or smile. Just turned her back and walked away like I was a stranger she wanted nothing to do with.

I wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck as I entered. The house never felt so small and constricted. Home was supposed to be comfortable and warm, but now it felt so distant and suffocating. Everything felt different. The familiar scent of cinnamon from Mom's Christmas candles made my stomach turn.

Can I still run away?

I rubbed my gloved hands together, walking through the familiar house, but it felt so hostile, like I was walking into enemy territory. The big family photo on the walls mocked me—the perfect daughter—and I dropped my head in shame for what was to come.

I reached the living room and my dad was seated on the couch, his head not lifted from the newspaper he was reading, with my mother beside him. The Christmas tree stood in the corner, still beautiful, still lit up.

"Sit down," my mom said, her voice sounding so distant, no warmth or recognition. I sat on the edge of the armchair across from them, my back straight, my hands clasped in my lap

A long silence passed—my ragged breathing and my dad flipping through the newspaper were the only sounds. After he was done, he folded the paper and removed his reading glasses, then faced me. His expression morphed into controlled anger as he spoke in a cold voice.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" I flinched from how his voice came out.

I rubbed my hands together again as I opened my mouth to talk, but nothing came out. Nothing. My throat was closed up, my voice trapped somewhere deep inside. My mother glared at me, and I could see the disgust written all over her face.

"How could you do this to us?" my mother asked. "Everyone has seen it. Everyone," she added, her voice rising. "The neighbors, people from church, your dad's colleagues." She listed them, and I wanted the ground to swallow me.

"Because of you, we became a laughing stock when we went to church today. Everyone was talking about it. Do you know how humiliated I was?" Her voice cracked on the last word, and for a second, I thought she might cry. But no—this wasn't sadness, it was anger.

"We can't show our faces anywhere," my mother said. "How could you be so stupid? So careless?"

"It wasn't like that." I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible.

"And how is it?" my father's voice boomed out and I nearly jumped from my seat, trembling. Tears were already welling in my eyes.

"I didn't know he was recording—" I said. "He lied to me. It was a bet—"

My dad stared at me in disbelief as he cut me off. "A bet? You expect us to believe that?"

"Yes—"

Mom whispered, "Even if it's true, you still chose to—" She shook her head in disappointment. "You gave yourself to him like a cheap w***e. On camera."

And I sucked in a breath. Did my mom just call me a slut?

"I didn't know about the camera!"

"You should have been smarter. Should have known better."

My voice rose, I needed to see I was torn apart, "I was lied to! I was used! I'm the victim here!"

Mom stood up, face twisted with rage and shame. "Don't you dare play the victim!" my mother seethed. Before I knew it, I felt a heavy slap on my face and my head snapped to the side.

Silence filled the room. My cheeks burned and my ears rang from the impact. Tears stung my eyes as my lips trembled. I touched my face in shock. This was the first time my mother ever raised her hand to me. My parents never beat me. I was the apple of their eyes. Their perfect daughter. The golden child who always did everything right. And just this single mistake, they were lashing out and turning their backs on me.

I raised my head. I didn't want to cry yet. I've cried enough today in the bathroom. I turned my red face to my mom as she shook in anger.

"We raised you better than this."

Daddy sighed and stood up from his seat but stared at me with disgust. "We have worked our entire lives to build a reputation in this community," he started. "Your mother and I are respected. We're looked up to." He shook his head in disappointment. "And you've destroyed that in one night."

My mom continued, "We held you up as an example. The perfect daughter," she said. "Everyone knows about your scholarships, your grades, your future." She whipped her head toward me in a mocking way. "And now? Now you're the joke of the town."

Dad put his hands clasped behind his back, trying to walk to his study room maybe, his voice flat, "We can't have you here."

"What?" My voice came out small and in disbelief.

"You need to leave," he answered.

"You're kicking me out?" I asked, my voice rising to panic.

"Don't come to church. Don't come to family events. Don't contact your cousins or your grandmother. Until we figure out how to handle this, you're not welcome here."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "I'm your daughter—"

"Right now, we don't have a daughter. You're an embarrassment."

Dad finally looked at me, "We're ashamed of you."

I ran to my daddy and knelt beside him, holding his legs as the tears fell freely.

"Please don't do this to me," I cried, begging.

"You should have thought of that before."

Dad walked out of the room, each step felt like a nail hammered in my broken heart, each distance tearing my heart. His back which always seemed to warm and shield me felt like a wall.

Mom pointed to the door, “Leave. Now."

I stumbled toward the door, crying. My mom threw my bag at me, and it hit my chest before falling on the ground.

"I don't even want to see you. I don't have a w***e as a daughter. From today on, you are dead to me."

The door closed behind me with finality. I stood on the porch, shaking, the snow coming down heavily, like it was mocking me too.

I had nowhere to go. The sky was darkened. Even the moon wasn't out to shine light. The night was as dark as my world right now.

My world was crumbling like the snow under my feet.

I didn't know how many hours passed as I stood outside in the pouring snow, staring at my parents' house as the light of the room went out. One by one, the windows went dark

Kira came. "Rosie? How did it go? You're freezing," she said the obvious, because I was already covered with snow. My face was white and pale. My lips were trembling and my nose was blocked. Frostbite.

My legs gave out as she wrapped her arms around my cold body and crouched down to my level. My body trembled as I cried harder than ever.

Not crying. Sobbing. The kind of sobs that tore through my chest, that made my whole body shake, that felt like they'd rip me apart from the inside out.

"They kicked me out," I gasped between sobs, my words barely coherent. "They didn't—they didn't believe me—”

"Everything will be okay," but I didn't believe her. How could anything be okay ever again?

After seeing I'd calmed down, Kira pulled me to her car, ushered me inside and turned up the heater, removed my soaked gloves, and handed me a coat as I shivered.

As Kira drove in silence, I just stared out of the window. I felt completely empty. Tears had dried on my face. My chest felt heavy, like there was a blockage. I just felt numb.