Venge

Ch 5

The sun hits my eyes forcing me to jolt awake. I awaken from the cold floor still wearing the beautiful wedding dress. The silence breaks as the loud knocks enter the atmosphere. I walk towards the door as the maids enter the room. They swarm around me carefully removing the intricate layers of the dress. 

"Sir Silas has invited you for breakfast," Marion announces with a warm smile, her gentle hands deftly wiping away the remnants of my carefully applied makeup. "You were stunning yesterday, Lady Aya," she adds, her words tinged with genuine admiration.

After a while the maids finished with me leaving me staring at myself at the mirror. My chestnut hair was curled and put into a beautiful hairstyle. My ivory skin looked clear and spotless as they had covered my dark circles. But nothing could hide the pain behind my eyes. My eyes once looked like a combination of mother nature but now they felt as dark as a void. I looked so put together but nothing about me was perfect. Now I'd have to join Silas for breakfast and act like everything is ok when nothing is. My heart aches every time I see his cruel face. I can never forget the things he did to me. I give myself one last look in the mirror as Marion guides me to the dinner table. 

As Marion guided me towards the dining table, my heart sank at the sight that awaited me. I had expected to face Silas alone, but the presence of two additional individuals sent a chill down my spine.

"He has kids?" The thought reverberated through my mind, igniting a flicker of unease within me.

Seated at the table were a young girl and a boy, both bearing a striking resemblance to Silas. The girl, with her cherubic features and innocent expression, couldn't have been more than four or five years old. Her wide eyes sparkled with curiosity as she took in her surroundings, oblivious to the tension that hung heavy in the air.

Beside her sat the boy, his features eerily reminiscent of his father's. Though roughly my age, there was a hardness in his gaze that belied his youth, a shadow of maturity that spoke of experiences far beyond his years.

"Lily, this is your new mother," Silas smiled addressing his daughter. 

My heart plummeted at the realization of the expectation thrust upon me—to assume the role of a mother to children who were not my own, in a household ruled by a man whose very presence filled me with revulsion.

Lady Marion tactfully excused herself from the room, leaving me alone with Silas and the children, the weight of their scrutiny heavy upon me. As other staff members busied themselves with placing elaborate dishes before us, I couldn't help but marvel at the luxurious of the meals laid out before me. Never before had I seen such culinary extravagance, a stark reminder of the stark contrast between my former life and the gilded cage in which I now found myself trapped.

"Ezra, welcome your mother," Silas said smiling. 

Ezra's eyes remained fixed on his plate, his jaw tight with pent-up emotion. "I do not welcome her," he muttered through clenched teeth, his words barely audible.

Silas's smile faltered at Ezra's response, a flicker of irritation crossing his features before he regained his composure.

"Ezra, mind your manners," Silas chided, his tone laced with thinly veiled warning.

But Ezra remained resolute, his jaw clenched in silent defiance as he continued to avoid meeting my gaze. The tension in the air was palpable, each moment stretching taut like a bowstring ready to snap.

"She looks the same age as me!" He screamed "She will never be able to replace our real mother!" Ezra pushed his chair out heading out of the room. 

Silas's eyes narrowed, his façade of calm slipping further as Ezra's outburst shattered the fragile semblance of tranquility that had enveloped the room.

"Ezra, come back here this instant!" Silas's command echoed through the chamber, but Ezra paid it no heed, his steps echoing angrily against the polished floors as he stormed out of the room.

I sat frozen in my seat, the weight of Ezra's words hanging heavy in the air like a leaden curtain. Though his words stung, there was a kernel of truth buried within them. 

Silas's expression darkened, his features contorted with anger as he turned his gaze upon me, his eyes blazing with fury.

There was an awkward silence at the table. One by one they all left the table and head to whatever they were doing. Alone I sat at the table as the workers swarmed around me carrying the dishes out. My mind was blank I couldn't think straight. My heart was pounding at the thought of his children. He took away my everything and yet here he sits having breakfast with his family. The only precious thing in my life he took away from me. Our table may have been smaller and my mothers homecooked food may have been simpler but at least we were all happier. 

I wanted him to suffer as I had suffered, to feel the same anguish and despair that had plagued me every waking moment since he had torn my life apart. I'm going to take everything you find precious Silas . . . Even if it means blood shed. 

I will destroy your world the same way you destroyed mine

Silas Larimer may have thought himself untouchable, but he had underestimated the depths of my rage. I would stop at nothing to see him brought to his knees, to see him suffer as I had suffered.

The game had only just begun, and I would play it with a ruthless determination that would shake the very foundations of his world.