Chapter 182 THE UNRAVELING

Chapter 182 THE UNRAVELING

THE UNRAVELING

AUTHOR'S POV

Days had passed since Mildred announced that our children were dead, and the news had spread throughout the palace. Everybody in the palace wondered why she was not reacting to the news, and gossip and rumors spread like wildfire. But she did not care about any of it because she was not in her right state of mind; she was not controlling her own emotions. So she ignored the rumors circulating the palace.

Meanwhile, Alpha Hayden was really concerned about her and did not know what to do. She had been going out every night, and the guard who had been trailing her had always been watching her go. It was as if she found out someone was always following her. So she did not really go to the mountain to see Marcella these past few days; she had been changing directions. At times she would go to the garden, and at times she would just sit outside by the lake, staring into space.

When the guard was not trailing her, she would go to the mountain. She was supposed to see Marcella again that night, but she thought about the guard who was trailing her. So, as usual, she went to the garden to sit for a few minutes while the guard was always fooled by her. Every night she sat in the middle of the garden, idly pulling at a strand of flowers, and as she kept on pulling it out with annoyance she simply stared into space while the guard, who was supposed to be observing her, hid in the grass behind her, watching without being noticed.

He did not know that she had known about the tail long ago, right from the first day Hayden had put one on her. But she did not act as if she knew anything. She stood up at some point and went back to her room. The guard did not bother following her again and went to report to Alpha Hayden that she had not really been going anywhere suspicious. She would just go to the lake or sit in the garden and stare into space.

Hayden then thought that maybe their children were indeed dead and that he should not have been suspicious of her in the first place. Meanwhile, Hayden had called her father to come and talk to her. I remember a time when she had forbidden him from seeing their kids at all. Her father was the one Hayden called, and right now she was the only surviving family member he would listen to; she had already forgiven him for what he had done to her.

So he thought about calling Mildred’s father, and he had already called him earlier in the day to come over and talk. He had told him the news. He did not know anything about it previously because he worked as an importer who helped ship goods to their palace; he had not yet heard the news about his grandchildren’s deaths. He was really pained and promised Hayden that he would come over that night to check on his daughter and talk to her, thinking she would change because of the shock.

He promised Hayden he would speak with her when he arrived at night. Hayden could not wait for night to come so he could talk some sense into her and perhaps she would tell him the truth about where she had buried their children or if she had really thrown them into the river. He needed to know the truth about what happened that night. He had to know everything, he thought to himself as he eagerly awaited Mildred’s father.

Slowly, the day started to darken as he waited for Mildred’s father. While expecting him, he saw the guard whom he had put on Mildred knocking at his door. He ordered the guard in. The guard reported that she had not really been going anywhere suspicious lately. “She had only been to the lake or the garden, still sitting there and staring into space. She would stand up later and then walk into her room.”

He had not seen her going anywhere suspicious. This made Hayden more curious about what was really going on with Mildred, but he decided to hold his patience and wait for her father to arrive. Hopefully her father would be able to reach her; she could not lie to him, Hayden thought, eager to learn the truth. He did not care how the truth came to him, but he wanted everything uncovered so she might confess what really happened that night.

Not long after he spoke with his guard, her father came and asked where she was. Hayden had already consoled him over the phone, but now he consoled him in person about the loss of their children. Her father was pained; a few tears fell from his eyes as he walked to Mildred’s room and knocked on the door.

When Mildred saw her father, she was shocked because she was not acting under her own senses; Marcella controlled her. Marcella was shocked that her father had come. Mildred had never forgiven him and had told him never to come near her again. She had told him they were no longer related. Mildred continued to play along while Marcella kept control.

Her father walked up to her and hugged her immediately. Mildred inwardly thought, what the hell? Why would he hug her? They were not on good terms, and she hadn't forgiven him, so why would he embrace her? She did not react quickly; she wanted to hear what he would say. Meanwhile, Mildred’s clever father had already put his phone on record so he could play it to Alpha Hayden later. He had started recording the moment he walked into her room.

He began consoling her and patting her back. “I’m really sorry for your loss. I know how much you love your children. But tell me what is really going on, Marcella,” he said, taking her hands in his. “Why aren't you saying anything? Why are you behaving like this? You look dumb, as if you don't have any emotion left. Is this the shock of losing your children? Are you blaming yourself as you did when your sister died? I know the trauma you went through because of your sister’s death. Now I can't imagine what you must be going through losing both of your children at the same time. I'm really sorry,” he said, hugging her again and pulling her into a deep embrace.

He was also crying on her shoulder, but he tried not to let her see him break down so she would not start crying because of him. He pulled away slightly, trying to keep control. Mildred, however, looked at him scornfully and snapped, “Smith, what the hell do you think you’re doing? I told you never to come to me.”

He was shocked. “But why is Mildred talking like this? Could Hayden be right? She has not been herself,” he thought. “Why would she say that? Mildred, what are you saying? You are my daughter and you just lost two of your children. Of course I would come to console you. Why are you telling me to get out?”

He could not believe her. She continued, “Why are you acting as if you care? I clearly warned you and told you I am dead to you. So please, just get out of here. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but I told you not to ever see me again.”

She blurted this without even looking at him. He was dumbfounded. He immediately rose from the bed and looked her straight in the eyes. “Is this really Mildred? Could she have forgotten that she forgave me? Or is it because of the death of her children that she has become aggressive and unclear in her mind?”

“No, I can't believe that. She is a very strong woman, and I know how she can be. Even at the loss of her sister, she showed how she cried. Going through this kind of pain would not make her act like this. I know, because she’s my daughter.”

He shouted at her, “Mildred, what the hell is going on with you? Even when you were going through the trauma of your sister, it showed on your face. Your emotional expression showed how hurt you were. But now that you have lost someone dearer than anything in this world, you show no emotion at all. Why are you like this? Are you numb now? Have your emotions died with the children? I don't understand what is happening.”

“Alpha Hayden actually asked me to come check on you because he also did not like how you’ve been acting lately. What is going on with you? You can talk to me. I am your father,” he said, not wanting to accept that she had really changed.

But she shouted, “Why the hell do you care? I hate you. I have always hated you, and nothing will change that. I never forgave you, and I will never, ever forgive you in this life.”

She blurted this out, and he stood there dumbfounded. He realized she was not in her right mind and was not thinking straight. “This isn’t Mildred,” he thought.

Her father did not know what to say. He kept looking at her, stunned. “What the hell is really going on with her?” he wondered, then decided to leave her alone. He thought he might try one more time, that perhaps she had not realized he was there.

“I came to console you because no matter how much you hate me, I can't abandon you in this situation,” he said, thinking she might calm down.

She did not say anything; she gave him a dead glare as if she could choke him with her eyes. In that instant she looked like an enemy, and even the mere sight of him irritated her.

He decided to leave the room and walked to Alpha Hayden’s chambers to share what had happened. “No, that wasn’t my daughter in there. She was someone else,” he thought as he walked with heavy steps toward Hayden’s room, not sure what to say.

He knocked on the Alpha’s door, and Hayden opened it almost immediately as if he had been expecting him. He slumped onto Hayden’s bed while Hayden hurried over.

“What did she say? Did she tell you where our children are?” Hayden asked, but Mildred’s father looked dumbfounded and could not speak.

“That girl inside that room isn’t your Luna, Alpha Hayden,” Mildred’s father finally said.

Hayden asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“She has been acting weird lately,” the father said, and he handed Hayden his phone, not wanting to explain further. Hayden listened as the recording played.

“We really need to figure out what is going on with her. I am not sure she’s in her right state of mind, and it is not due to the shock of the death of our children. Something is wrong. There is something we are missing, and we need to find out,” Mildred’s father said to Hayden as the recording finished.

Mildred’s father decided to leave for the night because it was getting late and he did not want to stay in the palace and see his daughter in that state. He and Alpha Hayden agreed to investigate further and find out what was really going on in Mildred’s head, because at this point they were not even sure whether their children were dead or alive.

Mildred’s father bid Alpha Hayden goodbye. After seeing him off at the door, Hayden noticed the guard who had been on Mildred pacing in front of the entrance, waiting and looking anxious as if he had shocking news.

Hayden and the guard rushed over. “What is going on? Did she leave the palace?” Hayden asked directly, and the guard nodded.

“She is no longer in the palace. I came to report that she had been visiting the garden and the lake, but when I went back to check on her she was gone. She left about an hour ago and has not return
ed,” the guard told Alpha Hayden, who stood there staring at him in shock.