Chapter 47

Chapter 47
Aurelia's POV

He smiled, staring at her as if he expected it. "Very well then." Pushing himself off the wall, he spared me one last glance and then walked out.

Ivy rolled her eyes when he didn't close the door. She went to it and did it herself. "I don't want him near you. That's why I allowed you to stay here instead of moving with us."

"You're marrying him," I deadpanned.

She only shrugged.

Seriously, what was with the silence these days? First Killian said nothing when I asked him an important question, and now she was doing the same?

I was getting beyond frustrated.

"I'm serious...if it's already hard, like I'm sure it is with everything today, you can just call off the wedding. Come on, it can't be that hard," I whispered, moving closer to her.

"Ivy," I said again when she did not answer.

She let out a sigh of frustration. "Aurelia, it's not that simple. I can't call the wedding off. It's too late.'

"It's never too late.' I took her hand in line, eyes boring into hers. "People call off weddings all the time... Some leave them at the altar... There's no... I don't know, love between you anymore. Something has changed, clearly."

"I can't call it off," she said firmly.

"Is this about shame?" I couldn't help but ask her. "Is it about what people would say? That you've called off many weddings... That you can't stick to a man."

"Funny, you don't want him near me, but you're marrying him," I commented.

"It's not a shame, dear. By now, you and I both know I don't give a shit about what anyone says or does."

"So it's not a shame... It's something deeper. Something related to the vague bullshit Killian was saying?"

She was silent.

"What is it?" I asked again. God, was she really going to be quiet and not tell me the things I needed to know? My frustration was peak at this point.

She sighed finally. "I don't know where to start if I'm being honest."

"Start anywhere,' I told her. "Just let me understand whatever the fuck is really going on."

"I married him, to keep you safe. Now I know it's complicated but that's why."

"Keep me safe?" I was bewildered. "Ivy, am I in danger? Safe how?"

"Yes, safe."

"Safe from danger, or safe from the truth?" I questioned.

"Both, Aurelia."

"Killian is dangerous, if I'm in danger, it's because you brought him into our lives!" I yelled, feeling annoyed. "You're not keeping me safe by going through with this marriage. You don't want him around me, but you can't call the wedding off?"

"Aurelia, do you really think you would have been safe if I didn't bring Killian into our lives?" She looked at me like I had said the most ridiculous thing. "Bringing Killian was your best chance at safety, and he will forever be your best chance at safety."

"Can you just explain why?" I asked. "Maybe if I knew what danger there is, I would be better equipped for it huh?"

"That's not happening," she said firmly.

I moved closer. “You can’t just say that and expect me to sit here. Tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t give you details.”

“You can,” I said, trying to catch her eyes. “If he’s hurting you, I can help. We can go to the police. We can do something.”

“No police,” she said quickly. “You don’t understand how deep it goes.”

“Then help me understand.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “If I tell you everything, you’ll want to fight back. And if you fight back, he’ll use you to get to me. So it's best if things are the way they are... That way, he can protect us."

“Use me how?”

Her jaw tightened. “He’s not the person you think he is. And if he knows you know, he’ll come for you.”

“That’s—” I stopped, my mouth dry. “Ivy, that’s not a reason to stay with him. That’s a reason to run.”

She gave a small, bitter laugh. “You think I haven’t thought about running? You think I don’t dream of it every night?”

But if she wanted to run, why was she blackmailing him to go through with the wedding? Was she lying to me? Did she not want to run?

She had said it's best things stay the way they were?

So was she at a crossroads? Leave him and she is doomed. Stay with him and she was mess doomed?

“Then do it. We can leave tonight. We can pack a bag and go," I said. If we were out of town, then we could be safe.

“It’s not that simple,” she said, moving back to the couch. “He has people. He has money. He’ll find us. And you're in college... You have an internship soon..."

I followed her, sitting beside her. “There’s always a way.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Then tell me who he really is.”

She looked at me for a long moment. “If I tell you, you’ll never sleep again.”

What could he possibly be? I already knew he was a murderer. Was there something worse than that?

Yeah, as if that'll stop your attraction to him, a voice in my head whispered.

“I’d rather know than walk blind into something that could hurt you or me," I told her. I wasn't sure where the sudden care that I felt for my stepmother was coming from.

She covered her face with her hands. “You are always stubborn.”

I shrugged.

“I don’t like this,” I said after a few minutes of silence.

“Neither do I.”

“Then why are we just standing here?"

“Because rushing will get us killed,” she said.

I swallowed hard. “You think he’d kill you?”

She looked at me. “I think he’d do whatever it takes.”