Chapter 4 An unknown secret

Emily’s POV

I swear I shouldn’t have gone anywhere. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did anyways.

This gown was so difficult to run in that I almost tripped twice. I even had to sneak past the guards Penny had snapped the necks of. And trust me when I say it wasn’t easy getting past them without being caught. Thankfully, I made sure no one saw me as I entered through the forest behind the house.

It was beneficial to me, too, since my mother would be able to smell the forest on me.

Though it felt so weird entering the forest after what happened years ago. I still got goosebumps and nightmares whenever I remembered what happened.

I stopped at the left wing of the house, where my room was located, and jumped high enough to land in my balcony. I pulled off my shoes, held them in one hand, and walked gently into my room.

Thank God I had left the lights on. I wanted everyone to believe I’d been in the estate all day.

I quickly walked into my dressing room and tried to take off my clothes, but one of the strings on my corset was hooked.

“Fuck! How the hell did Penny tie this shit?” I cussed under my breath, beginning to feel irritated.

Just then, I heard a car pull up in the circular driveway.

God, I’m so fucked.

“I’m heading to Emily’s room. You two go freshen up,” my mother said from where she stood.

I used my strength to tear the corset, slipped out of it, and picked up my ball gown from the floor. I shoved the gown and shoes into a cabinet at the back of the island in the middle of my dressing room. Then I quickly stripped out of my undergarments and dropped them into my laundry basket before walking through the connecting door into my bathroom.

I made sure my movements weren’t too suspicious because I was very sure my mother would be listening for any unusual sounds coming from my bedroom.

Before leaving for the ball, I had made sure my bathtub was filled with water and soap.

I climbed the double steps leading into the bathtub, stepped inside, and lowered myself into the water before resting my back against the cool ceramic.

The bathroom was filled with the sweet scent of my strawberry soap, which had spread through the water.

I let out a deep sigh of contentment.

I didn’t know what my mother would do when she got in here, but I knew it would be something wicked. I could hear her footsteps approaching as she walked down my hallway.

My bedroom door was pushed open, and my mum’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor. A moment later, she opened the door to my bathroom.

She walked in gracefully.

She was wearing a regal emerald-green gown with a fitted bodice embroidered with gold and jewels. A sheer cape trailed behind her, completing the elegant look. She also wore an emerald-green diamond necklace and matching earrings.

The colour matched her green eyes perfectly. She and Evelyn had the same eye colour, but Evelyn and I shared the same facial features. I had brown eyes like my father’s, at least until they turned deep blue six years ago.

My mother looked elegant, beautiful, and innocent. But nobody would ever guess that behind that innocent-looking face was a bitchy, wicked, and self-centred soul.

“Welcome back, Mother.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile as I stared at her from inside the bathtub.

“How was the ball?”

She stared at me with a blank expression. Her eyes were so cold that it felt as though they were slicing through my skin.

She slowly approached the tub, sat on its edge beside me, and turned to face the mirror opposite it.

“It was spectacular, to be honest,” she muttered, resting her right hand on my shoulder and gently massaging it.

“You see, your father and I took Evelyn to see the king about making her his wife.” Her voice was calm, collected, and completely devoid of emotion.

“Well, that’s good news, Mother. So, what did he say?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound sincere.

They had been looking for a good opportunity to approach the king about marrying Evelyn. Every bachelor in Blackthorn, and England in general, wanted Evelyn to be their wife.

But I doubted the king would want a pretentious bitch like Evelyn for a wife. And I certainly didn’t want him as my brother-in-law. Not after what had happened tonight.

“Unfortunately, he declined. He looked at Evelyn with pure disgust in his eyes and said, ‘I hate pick-me bitches.’” She looked me directly in the eye.

I wished I could laugh right now, but I couldn’t.

“Oh, that’s mean,” I said sarcastically. I wished I had been there to see the look on Evelyn’s face. It would have been absolutely hilarious.

The next thing I felt was a sharp sting in my shoulder.

I cried out in pain, tears already forming in my eyes.

The smell of blood filled my nostrils.

My mother had pierced my skin with one finger, digging it deep into my shoulder. I looked down at the water and watched as red slowly spread through it.

“Do not open your mouth until I am done talking or I ask you to speak.” She clenched her teeth, her eyes turning slightly red as black veins appeared beneath them.

I whimpered and slowly nodded.

Her eyes returned to normal, and she looked away. But she didn’t remove her finger from my flesh. Instead, she pushed it in even deeper.

“Then King Caesar told us never to bring the topic up before him again, and he left.” She turned to me, her face twisted with anger and disgust.

“Now, I want you to tell me why I was hearing about a girl who piqued the king’s interest. Hmm?” She raised an eyebrow at me.

One thing I desperately hated about my mother was that she was always a step ahead of everyone else. That was how her gold digging ass had managed to marry my father.

Fucking smart bitch.

Stay calm, Emily. Any reaction I gave her could be used against me.

“I don’t understand what you mean, Mother,” I murmured, my voice breathy but firm.

She removed her finger from my shoulder, and I sighed in relief.

But I knew the torture wasn’t over.

“Ahhhhh!” I screamed as she drove all five fingers into my back, on the side where my heart was.

Evil bitch!

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Emily!” she gritted out, her eyes blazing with anger as she stared at me through the mirror.

Tears immediately began pouring from my eyes.

“I swear, Mother, I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I whimpered.

My back hurt so much that I couldn’t heal while her hand was buried inside my flesh. My shoulder, however, had already healed.

“Did you go to the ball this evening? Be truthful, and I’ll try not to rip your fucking heart out,” she spat.

I swear I hated her fucking guts.

“I didn’t go there at all,” I choked out, my throat feeling dry and constricted.

She scoffed loudly before digging her fingers deeper into my back. I could now feel her nails pressing against my heart.

I groaned in pain and squeezed my eyes shut as tears streamed down my cheeks. I was trying my best not to give her the reaction she wanted.

“I swear I only went for a run in the forest this evening. But I didn’t go anywhere else,” I lied, locking eyes with her through the mirror.

“The forest?” she drawled.

“Urghhhh!” I arched my back in pain as she began digging into my heart.

“Didn’t your father and I warn you never to go into that forest?” she snarled at me.

She withdrew her now-bloody fingers and slapped me across the face. My head snapped to the right, and my cheek began to sting.

“You know you are an abomination to the supernatural world, right? The most important instruction we gave you was never to set foot in that forest, yet you defied our orders!” she yelled at me.

“I wish your stupid self had died when you were kidnapped by that witch coven six years ago.”

My face was now drenched in tears as she spat those filthy words at me.

Why must she always remind me of my burden?!