Chapter 50 lcy winds
The silence was broken by a soft knock on the door. A beat skipped in my chest.
With the phone still warm against my ear I froze for a second. In the deafening silence of the room the tentative gentle knock sounded like a thunderclap.
Since Fred was on the other end of the line it couldn't be him. Carson had already made his spectacular departure so it couldn't be him.
Only one person remained.
Not even a second knock was necessary before the door swung open. It was Victoria.
With a mask of icy rage covering her face she stood there as a picture of flawless elegance.
As soon as I fumbled with the phone I hung up before she could hear Fred's voice.
I blurted out my voice shaky but defiant “You can’t just barge in here!”
With my legs still feeling weak and a towel still loosely wrapped around my wet hair I got out of bed.
Victoria didn't pay attention. Glancing over the sterile décor as though she were examining a piece of trash she strode into the room.
My already frayed nerves were assaulted by the sound of her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.
She gave a cruel twist to her lips and scoffed “Barge in?. Girl this is my home. I am able to go anywhere I want. And I think you've got something of mine.”
Her pristine white palm was facing me as she extended her hand. My thoughts were racing. Nothing of hers was mine.
The bed and the towel were the only items in this house that I had touched.
I said my voice hardly audible above a whisper “I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Oh I believe you do.” Her purring low voice was brimming with disdain. “My son. My only son. Don't you have him completely enamored with you to the point where he is unable to recognize your true self?”
She narrowed her eyes and I had the impression that she was attempting to remove my skin in order to reveal the rot she believed to be beneath it.
“He needs to preserve his legacy and his future. A legacy, you a poor everyday girl can never share in. You have nothing to give him.”
Each of the dagger-like words found its target. My hands at my sides clenched into fists. I was itching to yell.
I wanted her to know that I loved her son for who he was and that I wasn't after his money. But her ruthless stare choked the words out of my throat.
“Look at you.” she said lowering her voice to a dramatic murmur. “Fading jeans and an inexpensive t-shirt. You're not welcome here. Our world is not the place for you. Feeding off a family that you will never be a part of you are a parasite.”
“That’s not true.” I uttered at last my voice quivering. “I am not a parasite. This is not what I ever wanted.”
She gave a sharp little laugh.
“Oh please. Don't claim that you're not having fun with the freebie. The opulent home, the cuisine and—well your lackluster attire. You must have used a cheap trick to win him over. What he sees in a girl like you is beyond my comprehension.”
With my voice hardly audible I questioned “Why are you doing this?. How did I ever hurt you?”
She stepped closer and hissed “You exist.”
Her hatred ignited the air between us.
“You are a problem and you exist. You bring disgrace to my family name. You remind me of a life my son ought to have given up long ago. An ordinary person's life. He's worthy of better. Someone who gets his world is what he deserves. Someone who will support him rather than hinder him.”
No knife could pierce like her words. These were not merely taunts they were an outright rejection of my value and existence.
Without a doubt she was telling me that I was nothing .
With a fervent plea I said “I love him. I love Carson. And he loves me too.”
“Love?” she sneered her face displaying utter disgust. “Love is an emotion that comes and goes. You have a naive infatuation. It will be over. And he'll recognize his error when it happens. When he realizes what happened he will be grateful that I tried to protect him from you.”
My blood was boiling.
At last my fear gave way to my rage.
“You are mistaken.” I asserted raising my voice. “You’re wrong in every way. You don't know me. You know absolutely nothing about me. You are merely a self-centered resentful woman who believes she has authority over everyone. You can not in fact control me. And Carson is beyond your control.”
Her already disdainful face hardened. An icy rage flashed through her eyes. Tension was high in the air and I realized I had overreached. I had confronted her. I had the audacity to tell the truth.
“How dare you.” she muttered in a lethal silence.
She approached with one more step then another. Now she was directly in front of me her angry face covered in a mask.
“How dare you speak to me in such a manner in my own home. You’ll come to respect me.”
Then she made a swing. A stinging shock of sharpness followed the slap. Even though it wasnt a forceful blow it was enough to cause my head to snap sideways.
The sound a loud defiant punctuation to her words echoed through the silent room. The skin on my cheek was a fiery red burning.
I could’nt believe it. The fact that she had just slapped me shocked me. Her eyes glinted with a perverse satisfaction as she gazed at me for a moment.
I had broken my defiance with her. With one last disdainful glance she turned and left.
She turned away.
I was left alone in the quiet chilly room when the door clicked shut behind her. Then my knees gave way.
With my hand still on my burning cheek, I fell to the ground.
I tried not to cry. I needed strength. I kept thinking of Fred's words: Dont let her win. Make sure she doesn't see you break.
But it was too late. I had already been shattered. The slap served as a final agonizing affirmation of everything she had said.
With my face buried in my hands I let out a choked cry. The tears came then hot and stinging not just from the pain but from the sheer overwhelming anger.
I was by myself in this large chilly house. I was just “that girl. ”
And my heart was a hollow empty wound. I was just Annabel on the floor in a strange room with a stinging cheek and a broken heart.