Chapter 017
Alina was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing. She groaned, eyes barely open, and reached over to grab it from the nightstand. She grumbled under her breath, ready to snap if it was Kelvin calling.
But when she looked at the screen, her expression changed. It wasn’t Kelvin. It was her mother. Alina blinked in surprise. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she checked her call log and saw eight missed calls; all from her mother, starting late last night.
“Did something happen?” Alina thought, biting her lip.
Before she could think more, the phone rang again and her mother’s name lit up on the screen.
She let out a slow breath and finally picked up.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Come home. Now,” her mother said sharply, then hung up without waiting for a reply.
Alina exhaled softly and dragged herself out of bed to take a quick bath. After getting dressed, she stepped out of her room and headed into the living room, where she found Lorraine wiping down the table.
“Where are you going?” Lorraine asked, pausing mid-swipe.
“She’s back,” Alina replied with forced casualness. “She wants me home.”
Lorraine’s expression shifted instantly. She dropped the cloth and reached for Alina’s hand. “Don’t go.”
Alina gave her a soft smile and gently squeezed her hand. “It’ll be okay. Trust me.”
Then she leaned in and whispered something in Lorraine’s ear. Lorraine furrowed her brows, confused but nodded slowly.
Alina left without another word.
Outside, she flagged down a passing cab. As it stopped in front of her family home, she remained seated for a moment, staring at
the familiar front door.
She pulled out her phone and quickly typed a message, a small smirk appearing on her lips before she hit send and put her phone
away.
Then, with another deep breath, she stepped out of the cab and walked toward the door, ready for whatever chaos waited inside.
***
Aiden was sitting with his family at the large dining table, when his phone buzzed on the table. Just as he reached for it, his sister Mandy was quicker. She picked it up and glanced at the screen. Her eyes widened in shock before she blurted out the message.
“Help, please, I’m dying.
“What?!” Grandma Linda stood from her seat, her expression fierce. “Who dares touch my granddaughter-in-law?!”
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Chapter un
Aiden grabbed the phone from Mandy’s hand, already pushing up from his seat.
“I’ll handle it,” he muttered.
Without wasting another second, he grabbed the car keys from the table and left the house with a cold, focused look on his face.
Grandma Linda stood, eyes blazing. “If even a single hair on her head is hurt… I won’t let them get away with it. I’ll tear down
whoever’s responsible.”
“Should I go with him?” Mandy asked, worriedly.
But Jessica, gently shook her head. “Let your brother handle it.’
Mandy sighed and flopped onto the couch, frustrated.
****
Alina stood calmly in front of Susan, her step-mother, wearing a polite smile. She stepped closer and gently wrapped her arms
around her in a hug.
“Good morning, Mother. When did you get back?” she asked softly.
Susan hugged her back, smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes. It never did.
“I heard you’re dating Aiden Blackwood. Is that true?” she asked, pulling away slightly to study Alina’s face. Jennifer, standing nearby, rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Haven’t you heard it from Jennifer already? I thought she’d have told you.” Alina said with a slight smirk. “She saw us kiss. Once
at a dating party, and the other at Grandma Linda’s birthday party.”
Before another word could leave her mouth, a sharp slap cracked across her cheek.
Her head snapped to the side, and she just clenched her jaw, one hand rising to touch the sting.
“I asked ‘you,”” her mother said coldly. “Don’t send me to your sister for answers.”
Alina straightened, her expression hardening. “Fine. Yes. I’m dating Aiden. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
Susan’s face turned cold. “Then you’ll end it. Jennifer wants him.”
Alina slowly turned her gaze toward Jennifer, who now wore a smug, satisfied smirk. The sight made Alina let out a low, bitter
chuckle.
“Then maybe I should tell you the truth,” she said, her voice sharper now. “I’ve slept with Aiden. Something I never even did with
Kelvin. And you think I’m just going to step aside because Jennifer wants him?”
She lifted her hand and flashed a ring.
“I’m engaged to him.”
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Chapter 017
The room went still for a moment and then came another slap, this one just as hard.
Jennifer stepped forward, furious. “Does it matter? Did you forget how Mom took care of you? How can you say that to her face?”
“With my own dad’s money.” Alina shot back.
Jennifer raised her hand to hit Alina again, but their mom held her back.
“Enough,” she said coldly.
Frustrated and angry, Jennifer screamed and knocked over the flower vase on the table. Alina simply laughed, almost mockingly.
Suddenly, her laughter died down, and she glanced toward the dining area. Her eyes landed on an empty bottle on the table.
Before anyone could react she hurried over, grabbed the bottle, and returned, gripping it tightly in her hand.
“What are you doing now?” Susan asked. “Going to stab me? Or maybe smash my head in? Go on. Do it.”
But Alina didn’t speak. Her hands trembled. Her breathing was shallow. Then, without warning, she raised the bottle and slammed it against her own head. The glass shattered on impact, and blood trickled down the side of her face.
Jennifer’s eyes widened in shock. Susan wasn’t an exception.
Her knees buckled as she slowly knelt before her mother, blood and tears mingling down her cheeks. Her hands were cut and bleeding as she placed the jagged neck of the broken bottle gently into her mother’s hands.
Just then, the door burst open.
I’ll do it, Mom,” Alina sobbed. “I’ll break off the engagement with Aiden. Jennifer can have him. Just don’t kill me. Please… I’m
begging you.”
“Alina.” Aiden shouted, eyes wide at the sight of her on the floor, bleeding, broken.
She turned to him, her face wet with tears. “Please…” she sobbed, “Please save me.”
Then she turned back to her mother, and slowly, deliberately, her lips curled into a chilling smile.
“Welcome home, Mother,” she mouthed.
Susan’s eyes narrowed, her face twisting in confusion as she stared down at the girl in front of like she’d grown two heads.
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