Mel
1636 Words
I stepped out of the cab the moment it stopped in front my house. I took a deep breath as I pushed open the tiny gate that hid itself in the larger gate. I could only pray that they hadn't gotten up from bed.
I unlocked the front door quietly as I snuck in with my tippy-toes.
“ Thank goodness no one has...” I might have rejoiced a little too early. Everyone surrounded Harlow who seemed to be crying profusely, their eyes lifted and fixed on me the moment I walked in.
“ Mel, I did my best to cover up for you but...but...” Harlow spoke between sobs. What was she talking about?
“ Mel, where were you last night? And where are you coming from?” Dad questioned in a rigid and stern tone.
“ I'm... I'm just coming back from the hospital,” I choose to answer the question that wouldn't implicate me.
“ Harlow, where did you say you saw Mel last night?” Pearl, my stepmom inquired from Harlow.
“ I was drunk while Mel was a bit tipsy. After one of our old classmates flirted with her, they ended up sharing a hot passionate kiss which I interrupted and I reminded her that she was already engaged but she pushed me aside and went with him regardless,” Harlow cried with her hands covering her face. What was she saying?
“ Dad, I didn't do anything like that. Harlow what are you saying?” I looked at Harlow confused.
“ Why are you trying to threaten me so I won't tell the truth? I warned you then but you didn't listen and I felt horrible that you were cheating on someone as nice and loving as Liam. He doesn't deserve to be treated this way,” she cried, clutching her chest. Tell me this wasn't happening.
“ Harlow, why are you accusing me? What is going on? I didn't kiss any guy during the reunion, you were the one who suggested I go upstairs and take a nap since we couldn't go home drunk. You booked a room for me! I can't even afford that!” Tears escaped my eyes. Why was Harlow lying against me?
“ Are you calling me a liar, Mel? All I've ever done was look out for you but I couldn't stand and watch as you cheated on Liam,” she played the victim card.
“ Dad, I don't know what Harlow is saying but it's a lie. She booked a room in the hotel for me and gave me the keys to it. I can't even afford such so why isn't anyone listening to me?!” I couldn't hold back my tears. Was Harlow doing what I thought she was? She couldn't have framed me intentionally, could she? No, she couldn't. There had to be a mistake somewhere.
“ Are you accusing Harlow of lying against you?” Dad looked at me emotionlessly. He was as cold as ever.
“ As much as I hate to say it, yes but I don't think she'd do it intentionally. There must be some mistake,” I explained. Harlow wouldn't do anything to harm me intentionally, I comforted myself. I and Liam's eyes met, the last thing I wanted was for him to believe what was going on or worst of all, find out what had happened last night.
“ There's no way Harlow would accuse you, all she has ever done for you is stand up for your sorry ass. Well, there's only one way to find out who's telling the truth,” a small smirk creeped at the corner of Pearl’s lip. What was she thinking?
“ Maids! Maids!!” She screamed and three maids came rushing to the living room. “ Strip her,” my stepmom ordered and my eyes widened in shock.
“ You can't possibly do that... You...” I took broken steps backwards as the maids approached me. I held on tight to my shirt.
“ Just take off her shirt. She should be wearing something underneath so...” Pearl shrugged and before I could find a way to escape, the three maids grabbed me from every side they could while the other one ripped open my shirt - I had a thin singlet on underneath.
I dropped to my knees as I shook in fear, they had seen it - hickeys everywhere. How was I going to explain this? How did Harlow know that this would happen? Why had she created a story that was non-existent just to get me in trouble? Did she... Did she frame me?
“ Ha, as expected of something your mother could give birth to,” Pearl scoffed. I wasn't bothered about anyone's criticism or rain of insults and mockery but what I feared was Liam hating me. I loved him, he was the first and the only person that had liked me for who I was and supported me. I looked at him with my tear burdened eyes, begging him silently with them.
“ I can't believe I was about to get married to a w***e like you,” he laughed like a crackhead for a moment in disbelief and shock.
“ Liam, I can explain,” I cried and begged.
“ Don't you dare say my name,” he snapped. He looked at me in disgust and that's when the reality of everything dawned on me. My once peaceful and quiet life with mom's sickness the only eventful thing, was ruined. There was no way Liam would ever marry me now, I had lost the only thing I loved other than mom in this world.
“ Where did you get the money to settle your mom's hospital bills?” Dad interrogated the moment he dropped his phone from his ear. Who had he spoken to? And how bad he found out?
“ I... I,” I stuttered and cried.
“ Isn't it obvious, mi amor? Mel has been selling her body,” Pearl laughed in the most satisfying manner.
“ Whoever it is you slept with must deem you highly enough to squander such money on you or you're doing something else that you're not telling us about,” dad accused.
“ You're getting it all wrong,” I cried. “ I'm not who you think I am. Someone spiked my drink last night and when I went up to the room Harlow had booked, I don't know what or how it happened. I didn't sell my body, neither would I willfully cheat on Liam,” I cried as I did my best to salvage the situation.
“ Enough of your sorry stories and lies,” dad hushed. “ So if you didn't get paid for your services, how did you get the money to settle your mom's bills?” He kept laying emphasis on mom like he had nothing to do with her.
I wanted to explain myself so bad but what was I supposed to say now? There was no way I could have gotten such money through regular means so denying that I had been paid would only worsen my situation.
“ Well, it's a good thing you've been exposed. The West family can't afford to have such a slut as a daughter-in-law,” Liam spat.
“ L... Liam,” I muttered between sobs. I could feel my own excessive crying choking me.
“ Since we're all coming clean, I guess I shouldn't hide it anymore. I didn't know how to tell you this before Mel because then I didn't want to break your heart since I did like you initially when I met you but after meeting Harlow, I realized that I might have judged too quickly my feelings towards you,” he spoke.
“ Liam,” Harlow held on to his hand as she cooed, acting innocent.
“ I've loved Harlow for quite a while now and every single time I wondered how I was going to end up with you and not her but now that you cheated, I have no reason to marry you,” he shrugged. I clutched my chest as it tightened and my heart constricted. There was no way he had dumped me for Harlow, there was no way - I kept chanting in my head. I was about to run crazy from everything that was happening.
“ I'm breaking our mate bond and calling off our engagement,” he announced. “ I, Liam West, reject your mate bond,” he declared and I felt a strangling pain before the feeling of emptiness swooped in. He had broken our mate bond, everything we had and once shared. I had lost it all and to the very person I trusted.
“ You are a disgrace to the Theodore family and I can't have you stay under my roof anymore. Not only do I disown you and cut off all ties with you, I'm giving you three days to pack your things and leave this house for good,” dad had given me an ultimatum to get out of his life. The dad I once looked up to, the dad I once loved and who once treated me like his princess was the very man who was casting me out.
I crashed to the floor and began to cry silently. There was nothing else I could do and this was all because I was naive enough to trust the daughter of the very person who ruined my perfect family to begin with. I had lost everything to Harlow but that was the least of my pain, what hurt me most was I could have done something about it if I opened my eyes to see just who Harlow truly was.
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- Writer
