Arina

Chapter Fifteen

I'm going to be uploading a lot, really quickly, because I want to complete this story as quick as I can, so don't feel any pressure to keep up. Just read at your own pace and let me know what you think. :-) Thank you for reading this far if you have. 

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The breeze that swept past Arina's skin was warm and it was times like these that she appreciated the thin, short clothes Kos had given her. Nevertheless, she held her arms around her shoulders as if she was cold, but in actual fact it was just a subconscious way for Arina to feel protected. She paced up and down the road that her 'spot' was situated as she thought back to her Baba yesterday.

How could he do something like that to her?

She remembered his exact appearance when he had entered the building. The way he awkwardly stood, hands behind his back as if afraid, head hung down low. He had a new look to him that Arina thought was because he must have got himself together and could now afford to provide for the both of them. That must have been why he wanted to reclaim Arina now, but she wasn't having it. No, it was too late. There was no way she would go back to him even if she had the choice. 

She had her new life which was in the brothel. And no matter how much she hated it, she thought it was better than living with a man who had sold her off as if it was an auction.

The breeze was now getting stronger. It blew through Arina's hair, which was now growing back to its normal length before Natalie had the audacity to cut it.

That brought her trail of thought to Haden.

In the midst of all her other problems, she had forgotten about finding out the truth about what happened with him and Natalie. What did happen that night? Was he as guilty as the image looked?

Arina decided to find out once and for all. She couldn't have any more unanswered questions bugging her. But she didn't want to ask D to go back to her old spot. Surely, that would just sprout questions and accusations from D who was overly protective of Arina thus she decided to just go to Haden's store without D's permission. She didn't care for the consequences, she just wanted to find out what happened that night all those months ago. 

After checking whether the coast was clear, she took the backstreets to reach her old spot which was now occupied by another older girl. Arina whether Haden was now acting all friendly with that girl as he had been with Arina, and immediately she felt hurt even though she wasn't sure whether what she was thinking was actually true. 

Arina waited around the corner, waiting for the girl to look away (she was sure the girl would tell D), but luckily something else happened. A car pulled up, and the girl got in. Arina sighed, relieved. 

She waited until the car fully drove away and then quickly ran forward and stood in front of the store. She didn't give herself a chance to compose herself because she knew she would convince herself out of it. After all, she wasn't usually the one that went chasing after Haden.

                "What happened with you and Natalie?!" She blurted out, eyes staring down at the ground. She couldn't allow herself to look up- she didn't want to Haden's surprised reaction. Surprisingly however, she heard a voice that wasn't the voice she was expecting. It was a female's voice.

                "What on Earth are you talking about?"

Arina quickly looked up to see the older woman she had seen the first she had met Haden. She didn't know who this woman was, but all she knew was that the woman thought of Arina and the rest of the girls from the brothel as 'scum'.