Chapter 2
1516 Words
Serena' s POV
I hauled my suitcase up the ramp, my arms screaming from the weight. The taxi driver had been kind to help me carry it this close but didn’t go all the way. I carried the big suitcase alone, its weight was dragging me to the ground every second.
The cruise ship loomed ahead, massive and gleaming under the sun, its white exterior almost blinding. But I already lost interest in it. I was not with the right people to enjoy the trip.
A lot of passengers passed through me. They were laughing and talking happily. Most of them are families. They support each other and have great expectations for the trip.
Not like me, since I was young, I living in an orphanage and never saw my parents. I also expected that maybe they abandoned me for some unavoidable reasons, but as I grew older, I gave up the unrealistic thought.
A few cruise staff moved effortlessly and helped passengers. I finally was released from the heavy.
As I was standing there, I saw Daniel surrounded by his family. His mother, his sister, and Vivian.
He was very popular in the hospital for his humor and always made people laugh, I felt very relaxed with him, so I agreed to get engaged to him. But why did he change so much after the engagement? It was as if I was removed from the list of people he needed to care.
And Vivian?
She laughed at something Daisy had said, tossing her perfectly curled hair over her shoulder.
Daniel was right beside her, helping his mother lift a suitcase. Daisy leaned against the railing, popping her gum, completely unbothered. Not a single one of them looked my way. I swallowed against the hollow ache in my chest.
It shouldn’t bother me. It shouldn’t feel like a punch to the gut. But it did because they looked like a family. A real one. A unit.
A true family I had expected for almost two decades.
For one second, only one second, I doubted if there was something wrong with me, or if I did something wrong that caused them to not accept me. But I quickly denied the stupid thought.
But then Sophie’s voice cut through the air, sharp and smug.
“Look at her, standing there like a queen, expecting others to do the work.”
My spine stiffened. I turned, pulse hammering, and met Sophie’s stare. Her lips curled into a slow, taunting smile. Right beside her, Vivian held a neat pile of Daisy’s bags, her posture so effortlessly graceful it made my stomach twist.
Sophie tilted her head, voice dripping with condescension. “Unlike some people, Vivian here actually knows how to be helpful.”
I had had enough.
After I stopped regarding them as my future family, it was much easier for me to fight back for myself.
“Oh? You mean that four of you carry three suitcases and need help, while I have to free up my hands to serve you while holding a huge suitcase by myself.” I raised an eyebrow.
Sophie’s face darkened.
Daniel stepped forward, “Serena, don’t start.”
I let out a short laugh. “I’m not starting anything, Daniel. Your mother insulted me first.”
Sophie scoffed. “Because you’re acting spoiled. Daniel works so hard, and you throw money around like it’s nothing.”
I froze.
“Sophie,” I said, voice as sharp as I could make it. “I paid for this trip. Seventy percent of the money in that joint account? Mine. The rooms, the tickets, everything, you and Daisy are here because I made it possible.”
Sophie’s eyes flashed with irritation but she didn’t say anything because she knew it was the truth.
Daisy blew a bubble with her gum, letting it pop loudly. “So what? You make more money, big deal. Doesn’t mean you should rub it in our faces.”
“Oh, I see. So when Daniel spends my money without asking, it’s fine, but when I bring it up, I’m the problem?” I didn’t step back.
Daisy and Sophie were both shocked because I used to make concessions when there were problems between us. This time, I would not do that again.
Daniel dragged a hand through his hair, looking exhausted. “Serena, please. We just got here. Can we not fight?”
I stared at him, and more frustration filled my chest. I wanted to shake him. I wanted to grab his shoulders and yell, Why do you let them treat me like this? Why don’t you ever stand up for me?
But I already knew the answer. He wasn’t going to take my side. He never did. So I pressed my lips together, and shoved past them without another word. This trip was already a disaster. And we hadn’t even left the dock.
By the time I reached our room, my body ached with exhaustion. The cabin was stunning, spacious, with a private balcony overlooking the ocean. The kind of place that should have felt like a dream. But standing there, I felt nothing. The excitement I’d felt in the days building up to the trip was gone, replaced by a strange feeling of fatigue.
Daniel walked in behind me, closing the door softly. “Serena,” he sighed.
I didn’t turn around. “I’m tired of this.”
He said with a soft voice. “Sorry, I know. But she’s my mother. She raised me alone and had a hard time doing that. She worked so hard to give me a good life. So sometimes she might be difficult to deal with, that’s understandable.”
No, she sacrificed for you, not for me. I had no obligation to take her temper and selfishness.
I turned and argued for my spot, “And I respect that. But it doesn’t give her the right to treat me like garbage. She has to understand that you’re grown now, you need to stop living under her thumb.”
“She’s just old-fashioned,” he muttered like that excused everything. “She wants what’s best for me.”
I let out a sharp breath. “No, Daniel. She wants what’s best for her. And that includes keeping you under her control.”
His jaw flexed. “She’s not controlling me.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Really? Then why did you let her invite herself on this trip? Why did you let her bring Vivian? Why did you let her use my money to pay for everything?”
The silence was loud and deafening.
His hands curled into fists at his sides. He looked away.
“I just… I didn’t want to fight. I owe her.”
The words hit me harder than they should have. Because that was always his excuse. He never wanted to fight and he needed to pay back his mother. But somehow, even when I tried to fight for myself, I was always the one he expected to back down.
I exhaled, pressing my fingers to my temples. “Daniel, I need to know that when we’re married, I’ll be your priority.”
“You are my priority.” He quickly responded.
Lies.
I took a step back. “Then how come you’ve never acted like it? Every single time, it’s always been your mother and your sister first, even when it should be me. You have never made me feel like I was your priority, never even pretended to act like it.”
His face flickered with hurt.
Tension stretched between us, thick and heavy.
Finally, he exhaled. “Can we just… not do this tonight? Let’s enjoy the trip.”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat and turned away. “Sure.” Might as well enjoy my money’s worth.
A beat of silence passed, then he stepped closer, his hands grazing my waist and he hugged me into his chest. “Let’s at least make the most of our time together.”
I tensed. His fingers trailed over my hip.
I moved out of his reach. “I’m not in the mood.”
I saw his expression tightened for just a second before smoothing out. “Okay fine.”
I ignored it. I took a shower and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me. A sigh was followed by the creak of the mattress as he lay down beside me. Neither of us spoke. But at least the bed was soft and the softness was bought by my money.
***
A loud, hurried knock jolted me awake, and a deep, uneasy feeling settled in my stomach.
Daniel groaned. “Who the hell is knocking this early?”
The pounding continued more urgent this time. I checked the time, it was quite early. A peep at Daniel assured me he wasn’t getting up to check the door which only meant one thing.
I pushed the covers away and got off the bed to go check.
Who would come to visit in this early morning?
- Writer
