She already knew what i was thinking before i even said it
"Yes… I know what you're thinking," she finally said as she stood up. "I was the woman who stopped you last night."
"You shouldn't have " i mumbled under my breath.
She crossed her arms and walked toward my window, staring outside as if the world beyond it interested her more than me. The room felt heavier with her silence, like she was deciding something without even speaking.
Then she turned.
And walked back toward me.
She stopped right over me and stared down with those piercing blue eyes. I felt trapped under her gaze. My chest tightened, and I quickly looked away because I couldn't hold it. She didn't say anything at first. She simply lifted her hand and gently took my chin, guiding my face back up to hers.
"Get some rest now," she said softly.
Her voice wasn't harsh, but it wasn't warm either. It was calm… controlled… like a command disguised as care.
She turned to leave.
And that was when my tongue slipped before I could stop it.
"Don't you think you're a little too young for Father?" I said quickly, my voice shaking slightly. "I mean… you can get a good man your age."
She paused mid-step.
The silence that followed was sharp.
For a moment, she didn't move at all.
Then slowly, she turned her head toward me and smiled.
It was a beautiful smile, but if you looked too long, it felt wrong. Forced. Like something carefully worn rather than truly felt.
Without responding, she walked out.
"my father is a monster. I only wanted to help you since you'd been nice to me." I muttered.
But then she was gone.
I didn't dare leave my room that entire day.
I stayed inside, barely breathing, doing everything I could to avoid my father.
And I did.
Of course I did.
Until he came in again.
His voice was low when he spoke.
"Brace yourself, Ivy."
My stomach dropped instantly.
"You're no longer going to college ,you will be stuck in this house with helps forever, youre not allowed to go anywhere past the gates of this house" he yelled.
I stilled for a good minute. Then.
"No…" I whispered immediately. "Father, please don't."
I dropped to my knees and grabbed his trousers without thinking. "Please… I'll behave. I swear I'll do better."
He yanked me off him instantly, his grip harsh and final.
"Do you want to disgrace us even more?" he snapped. "After everything, you still want to show your face to the world?"
He shoved his phone toward me.
"My phone hasn't stopped ringing," he said bitterly. "Everyone knows now. Everyone knows my daughter is a cheap woman."
My throat tightened painfully.
"Please, Father… not college," I begged. "I cant handle it. I swear I can endure it the beatings but not this."
His eyes darkened.
"The worst is yet to come, Ivy," he said coldly. "You will receive punishment from the clans when they arrive on the full moon, and dont think i am done with you just yet"
My body went cold," THE VELISTRA BLOODLINE CLANS"?
The word alone felt like a sentence I didn't understand but feared anyway.
He exhaled sharply, pacing slightly as anger built in his voice again.
"Just look at this," he said, holding up his phone again. "My phone is blowing up. Everyone know The king of the bloodline's daughter, my own blood is now a disgrace."
Tears burned my eyes.
"Father, please…"
But he didn't listen, he turned and walked out.
The door shut behind him.
And something inside me broke.
I ran to my bed and threw the pillows across the room in anger, my hands shaking violently. Not school… anything but that.
College had already become something I could survive. Something I had learned to endure. The bullying, the whispers, the humiliations, I had built a wall around it.
But this…
This was worse.
Being trapped here meant no escape.
No future.
No life outside these walls.
I had always told myself I would endure everything, graduate, get a job, and leave once I had enough money.
That hope was all I had.
And now it was gone.
I sank onto the bed and cried until my body refused to produce tears anymore.
Until even the pain had nowhere left to go.
The next morning, I woke up feeling empty.
Not rested.
Just… hollow.
***
( THE NEXT DAY)
The house was already awake.
And I was already expected to work.
A maid handed me cleaning supplies without looking at me.
"Start from the downstairs hall," she said flatly.
I scrubbed floors until my hands ached and my fingers turned sore. I wiped surfaces I used to walk past without thinking. Every movement felt like punishment disguised as routine.
Then I was sent to Layla's room.
Of course it was already spotless.
But I still cleaned it.
I folded her clothes carefully, even though my hands trembled slightly from yesterday's ordeal.
I dusted surfaces that didn't need dusting just to keep my mind occupied.
And then I heard her voice.
She was on a phone call, laughing.
"So she's still here," Layla said casually. "Like she doesn't even matter anymore."
A pause.
Then another laugh.
"I posted everything. The whole group saw it. She's done."
My hands stopped for a second.
Then I continued cleaning.
Because reacting wouldn't change anything.
When I finished, I moved to Marcus's room.
He was there, sitting on his bed, scrolling through his phone like I didn't exist.
He looked at me once.
Just once.
Then looked away again.
That single glance felt heavier than insults.
As I walked out, I heard him speak quietly.
"Because of her… I get bullied at college," he muttered. "They think I'm part of it."
I said nothing.
I just kept walking.
Because I had become the reason for everything wrong in this house.
Even silence blamed me.
By evening, the atmosphere in the house changed.
I felt it before I saw it.
Everything felt arranged. Controlled. Formal.
I followed the silence downstairs.
And stopped at the dining room entrance.
Everyone was gathered.
The servants stood still.
My family sat in rigid silence.
At the head of the table stood my father.
And beside him she sat.
She looked calm. Like nothing in this house could touch her. Like she had stepped into chaos and decided it would not affect her.
My father cleared his throat.
"This is Seraphina," he announced.
A pause filled the room.
Then, more deliberately:
"My fiancée."
The word hit the room heavily.
Seraphina smiled softly.
Elegantly.
And I sat there, staring at her, suddenly unsure whether she had come into my life as salvation…
or something far more dangerous.