I am so dead

No One’s POV

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Grace quickly removed the bracelet from her wrist and kept it inside her handbag, in haste so that her mother wouldn’t see it and interrogate about it. She knocked at the door, and a very angry father opened it.

Oh shit! How did I forget that even my father and my brother were going to return home from town?

‘I am dead. I am so dead.’

I hope mom would have handled the situation because she knew who I was, or maybe she would have told the truth? Well, all I could wish for was the later option.

“Why did you plan to stay at your friend’s house even though it was her birthday?”, Her father asked angrily and let her come inside. Once she was inside, she looked at her mom wondering what fake story she had cooked in front of her father.

‘stay at your friend’s house’

‘her birthday’

“Dad, I am really very sorry for that. Her parents insisted a lot stay at their house because by the time her birthday party ended. It was already 2 AM. And considering my safety, they asked me to leave in the morning after breakfast.”, She lied and felt bad for doing so.

“You are not going to attend any such party EVER.”, His father announced her punishment. Her brother started laughing at her condition. Grace glared at her brother.

“Don’t show your eyes to him. Tell me why didn’t you call us to inform us of the same? Leave all that, why was the number switched off?”, Her father scolded her. At that moment something hit her like a wave.

My phone! Oh shit, shit, shit. I forgot to take it from him. Maybe he will return it later and at that time, I will beg him to leave my world and let me live happily in my life.

“And what is this?”, Her father continued her interrogation, pointing toward her handbag. Grace looked in the direction in which her father was pointing and cursed inwardly at herself for not hiding the bracelet properly.

‘Shit!’

“Oh, this! Dad, it’s not real..it’s fake.”, She lied again. ‘Damn it, I have never lied so much in my whole life.’

“I didn’t ask you whether it is real or fake. I am asking why this is in your handbag when this is not yours?”

“My...My friend, Sofia gave this to me last night to wear something nice to her birthday party. She had also lent me her dress last night. I guess I forgot to return her bracelet to her.”, She lied again. Her brother realized that Grace was lying because he had known her all his life and he very well knew that his sister was not someone who would forget to return anything which didn’t belong to her.

While her mother realized who could have given this to her daughter, she kept mum in front of her husband because she knew no matter what her husband would blame Grace instead of that criminal.

“How could you forget to return it? Even though it is not real, it looks so expensive. You should have returned it in the first place. Anyways, do this today itself when you will leave for your work. Okay?”

“Okay, dad.”

Grace’s father looked at Grace for a while before speaking, “You are not lying to me, right Grace?”, Her father asked because a part of him was telling that her daughter was lying but then Grace was someone who could never lie to him and his trust on her daughter was so strong that he was denying that part who was telling him again and again that something was FISHY.

‘What have you gotten me into Zayden? I hate you so much for putting me in this situation.’, Grace cursed him.

“Oofffff course, n.not dad. Why would I lie to you?”, She said, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

“Who can be here? That too this morning?”, Her father asked or said something more like talking with himself and went to answer it. He opened the door wide.

“Zayden Staunton?”, Her father's eyes widened in shock and fear. Well, he was not the only one on that list, everyone’s eyes popped out hearing his father. Grace turned her face to look toward the door and indeed, there stood Zayden Staunton in all his glory.

‘I am so dead.’, She thought in her mind. She looked at her family members one by one who was scared and afraid when they should be after all a criminal standing at their doorsteps.

‘Why is he here? Is he here to kill everyone? Oh my god! This all was happening because of me I knew this would happen after all now I knew his secret about being a monster. Oh, Lord! Forgive me for throwing my family into such a fate!’ Grace thought.

“Hello Mr. Felton.”, Zayden greeted him as warmly as he could. Grace’s father didn’t know what to do. So, he greeted him back.

“Di.did we do something wrong?”, Her father asked, feeling scared. Zayden smelt his fear and fought to not chuckle.

“No, Uncle.”, He replied with a smile. “I actually came to return Grace’s mobile. I forgot to give her back.”, He added casually, thinking her mother would have told the truth to her father that she was with him.

Grace’s father looked at her in disbelief. He realized now, that what he was feeling was true. His daughter was indeed lying to him. He was furious and….hurt. Zayden smelt his emotions. He couldn’t understand why he was angry and hurt at the same moment? That’s why he elaborated.

“Please don’t scold her for getting home this time. Actually, she lost consciousness that’s why I took her to my home.”, He said.

Grace lowered her eyes and cursed at her fate. ‘Why is he telling everything!’, She cursed.

Zayden wanted to know the reason why the atmosphere of the house was so tense but he also knew to stay there to know that reason. So, he decided to leave.

“I think I should leave now. Nice to meet you, Uncle. Bye Grace.”, He said, specifically to her. She raised her eyes to meet his and lowered them quickly.

‘Why Zayden? Why did you do this?’, She asked in her mind but didn’t have the guts to ask the same in front of her family. A part of her was thankful that Zayden didn’t reveal anything about her mother's acknowledgment in all this incident.

Once Zayden left, Grace’s father closed the door. When he realized what just happened, he turned around to face his daughter. He looked at her as if she betrayed him.

“Dad, I can explain…”, Grace had just begun to speak when…

SLAP

Grace’s hand involuntarily came toward her cheek. Realization hit her like a bullet.

‘My dad slapped me! Did he slap me without knowing my part of the story? He already believed and trusted in Zayden's words.’

Her mother and her brother both came to her rescue because they knew if she would not be protected by her father then she might end up getting killed by her own father.

“EXPLAIN WHAT?”, Her father asked angrily. Tears welling in her eyes and soon those tears rolled out of her eyes because she couldn’t control them. It was the first time her father raised her hand on her from the day she was born. Her throat caught her voice because of her cries and it was difficult for her to even breathe. “This was your friend, Sofia, huh?”

“I. I was a.about t.to...tell y.you, da.dad.”, Grace answered her father between her cries.

“WHEN? WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL US ABOUT EVERYTHING? YOU SPENT A NIGHT WITH A CRIMINAL AT HIS PLACE. I CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT ELSE WOULD HAVE HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO!”, Her father accused her of things that didn’t even happen between Zayden and her. “I HAD NEVER THOUGHT THAT I HAVE TO SEE THIS DAY IN MY LIFE.”

Grace kept shaking her head while she was crying badly. “No, dad. It’s...It’s n.nothing like t.that. Trust me!”

“Trust you?”, Her father mocked her. “I thought that you are the pride of the family but never did I thought that you will bring shame to our family.”

“No, dad. Please don’t say this.”

“What not Grace? Did I say anything wrong? Tell me, isn’t it true that you spend your night at that criminal’s place?”, He asked.

Grace remained quiet at her father’s question, only if she could tell her the truth. The truth was that she became unconscious after seeing a wolf changing into a man.

Not just any man.

But Zayden.

How could she explain everything to her father, when he was not even trying to understand? How could she explain the long story after listening to which no one would believe her? And how could she explain Zayden’s truth to everyone even after knowing that he had threatened that he would eat everyone if she dared to open her mouth?

“I was at his place.”, She whispered in a shaky voice. “But nothing happened, dad. I was unconscious because of weakness.”, She half lied and cried.

“Fine then. You are getting married to the man of my choice.”, Her father announced.

#TBC