Chapter 130 Eternal rest
Chapter 130 Eternal rest
NANCY’S POV
I meant every single word of that statement, and the silence that followed was enough to confirm it.
Sometimes, repetition didn't fully ground the meaning behind a sentence. It was the silence that spoke volumes about the intent behind them and how seriously they would be backed up with actions.
And truly, I meant it when I said I would rather die than get married to Hudson.
Maybe I didn’t fully realise how much I meant it until I said it to my parents, but I did now and the tightening of my father’s jaw like I had insulted him instead of refusing to hand my life over couldn’t change my mind.
The first and only time we had an argument similar to this, I’d resorted to running away.
Now, the situation wasn't one I could avoid that way any longer, so I’d thought of a new solution to it, which was to hang myself before I let myself close to anything that remotely resembled Hudson.
But before that, I’d made one other conviction.
It was to ensure his death before mine.
I was fine with dying so long as I was able to achieve that.
The latter part of my thoughts wasn’t revealed to my parents, but what I said had been enough to deprive the room of air until it turned suffocatingly hot.
“Stop being so dramatic,” Dad said, like he was trying to convince himself that I would never actually follow through with my words.
I let out a hollow laugh, repeating, “Dramatic?”
“You think I’m being dramatic?”
“Actually, you should take a minute for self-reflection. You’re the one being totally unreasonable right now.”
Dad’s gaze turned deadly, but I no longer held an iota of fear for him, and I was past the point of caring how he received my words.
I was done sugarcoating how I felt, too.
“Take a good look,” I said, gesturing to my bruised cheeks and arms that weren’t covered by my clothing. “See it for yourself.”
“This is what the man you intend to tie me to did to me, and I’m the one being dramatic?”
“If this is what being dramatic is, then I’ll choose to be that over and over again, and you know what’s even worse, Da…” I held my tongue swiftly before I could call him Dad, biting the words back in.
“He has promised to do even worse. Think about that, then tell me once more that I’m being dramatic.”
His jaw ticked. I didn’t look away; I stared even harder until he looked away, as though he could not bear to look upon his own faults and shameful actions.
“Nancy, please…” my mother interrupted with a sob. “Just listen…”
“No,” I snapped, ignoring the flinch she gave. “You listen to me.”
“I don’t care what your lovely husband has planned or what his reasoning was in setting everything in motion, but I refuse to keep on being played like a fiddle.”
“I’m fucking done being the victim in my own story. I tell you now that your tears and yelling can’t do shit to persuade me unless you intend to tie me up and deliver me to him…”
I paused suddenly, then let out a loud chuckle.
“Oh, wait, you already did that.”
My mom’s lips parted and closed repeatedly as I laughed, but this time, she had no words to say in her defense or in my Dad’s defense.
She just stared at me, while my dad's brow was deeply wrinkled like he fully believed I’d lost my mind.
Maybe I had.
Who wouldn’t go crazy after hearing their parents blame them for refusing to get married to a man like Hudson?
Who wouldn’t lose their mind if their parents were trying to get them married to an old, horny man who couldn’t wait to get his pucker wet, even if it was with a girl he was old enough to father?
Mr Hudson and Mr Landon didn’t even have too much of a gap in their years, but where one was actually a kind, patient man who did make concessions, put me into consideration, and didn't force me to do anything I didn't want to, the other was the opposite.
Selfish, cruel, violent, disgusting…There was a plethora of words I could use to describe him, and it still wouldn’t suffice.
Before either of my parents could respond, even though they hadn’t moved in a way that suggested they would, the door opened, and Hudson walked in.
He moved through the space as he owned it, which technically he did, but it wasn’t in the charismatic way I’d seen men do to make women swoon.
It was with a chilling smile that made something crawly up my spine.
I see we are all finally catching up,” he said smoothly as his eyes raked over me, reminding me of what had happened earlier, and the way his hands had crawled up my body.
“Mr Hudson,” my dad walked forward about a minute later, with a gratifying smile, Polar opposites apart from how he was glaring at me just moments ago.
“Again, I sincerely apologize on Nancy’s behalf. She was immature, and she…”
“Do not speak for me!”
My voice rang heavily through the room, filled with rage as I watched my Father try to please the same man who’d hurt me.
After everything I just said, after everything I showed him, I couldn’t believe that he still smiled and bent over before the man like he owed him from many lifetimes.
Frankly, thinking of it now, I had no idea what exactly my Dad owed him to be acting like this.
However, I didn’t owe him anything.
On second thought, I did owe him one thing.
It was the gracious act of flipping his eyes closed with my palms when I finally managed to lay him to eternal rest.
Although I still didn’t know how yet, that was something I promised myself I would do.