Facade

Chapter 25

    Tears were streaming down my face as I banged my fist against Alex's door, hoping he'd be home. My chest was heaving as I closed my eyes and thought about how Mother had just disowned me. Just because I didn't want to marry someone I hated, she had told me to leave. It hurt so much and I hugged myself, wishing my life hadn't been one big facade.

    Suddenly, the door flew open. A confused Alex appeared and when he saw me, his eyes went wide with worry. Without a second thought he then stepped forward and hugged me, and I cried into his chest, letting everything out. As he began to rub my back, my aching heart soothed down a bit.

    "Oh Diana," he whispered, holding me tightly. "Oh sweetheart."

    I sobbed at how gentle he was. It was so unlike Mother and Philip that I calmed down a bit, realizing I had saved myself from a future of hell. If I had stayed I would have been miserable, so maybe I had made the right decision.

    Suddenly, I pulled away from Alex. I wiped the steams of tears on my cheeks away with my hands and took a deep breath in, trying to calm down. Alex watched me and I straightened up, knowing I needed to finally tell someone about my hectic life.

    "I need to tell you a lot," I said, my eyes suddenly tearing up again, even though I tried so hard to remain composed.

    "Come in," Alex said, his eyes softening. "We can talk inside."

    To my surprise, Alex took my hand in his gently and led me inside. To more of my surprise, my heart stammered at the gentle touch, and I flushed, knowing I shouldn't be dwelling on something so simple. So shaking my head, I let Alex lead me to his couch.

    Alex and I sat down side-by-side. He sat close to me, so close I could feel the heat of his skin. It was warming and for a second, I savoured it.

    Then, I spoke.

    "My life is one huge facade," I said, looking at Alex - at his incredibly dark blue eyes. "Everything I thought was so ordinary, so perfect, isn't true."

    Alex stared at me, his eyes expressing concern as I teared up once again. I hated crying. Especially in front of anyone, I hated looking so weak. But knowing I had every right to break down, I took a deep breath in.

    "My mother is a prostitute," I confessed, causing his eyes to widen. "She's a prostitute so that she can earn money for our castle. Apparently we would have gone into poverty if she hadn't done this job."

    My words began to come out shaky and Alex suddenly slid to my side. He put an arm around me and as I looked up at him, I noticed he no longer looked worried. Instead he looked solemn, and I leaned into him, wanting him to hold me together.

    "She wants to quit being a prostitute, so that's why she's wants me to marry Philip," I said bitterly, looking down at the wooden ground. "So his money could 'fund' us, she wants me to give up everything and marry him. I understand that she's tired and I feel guilty, but I just couldn't agree. I had to be selfish for once and I told her I wouldn't do it. She then proceeded to tell me to leave and never come back."

   I closed my eyes and forced myself not to cry. My energy had been drained and all I wanted to do was sleep and forget. I wanted to wake up the next day and realize everything was one big nightmare. Too bad, I knew deep down that that wasn't the case.