My Dangerous Prince

Chapter 26

It had been a full week since I got out of the hospital. For that week, I stayed with Harry while he took care of me, doing whatever I asked. He took amazing care of me, and I'll admit I did take advantage of that a bit. But what could you expect?

In that time Zayn had come over and apologized over and over again for leaving me alone. While I forgave him, Harry glared the whole time, not letting him off the hook easily.

But now, I was back at home, laying on my bed as I heard my mom move around downstairs. She had gotten home about an hour ago after her three week long "business trip".

"Alyssa!" She called from downstairs.

I rolled my eyes before getting up and stomping down the stairs to where she stood in the kitchen. She smiled at me when I took a seat in the barstool in front of her.

"So," she said leaning in closer to me. I noticed her hair looked blonder and her face looked tanner, but that could happen on a business trip, right? "What did you do while I was gone."

I shrugged, playing with a bottle cap in my fingers. "Nothing really."

"Oh. Mrs. Farens, the next door neighbor, said you were gone a lot. So, where were you?" I could tell by her tone of voice that she was suspicious.

"I didn't want to be alone so I stayed with Hannah."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"I called Hannah's, her mother said she hadn't seen you in a while."

I stayed silent, my heart rapidly beating in my chest.

She took a breath, her attitude suddenly changing. "Where you with that boy, Alyssa?"

I still didn't speak, not wanting to hear her rant of how she disapproved of him.

"Alyssa, answer me! Where you with that boy?"

Out of no where, I felt all my rage build up on her judgment about him. And I exploded. "'That boy' has a name! It's Harry, and maybe you would know that if you gave him a chance! But no. You're to good for him, he's below your standards so you can't even be in the same room as him!"

"I know boys like that Alyssa! I married a boy like that and you know what happen there-"

"Don't! Don't you ever compare him to that monster. Harry is nothing like my father!"

"That's what you think now!" As she spoke I felt anger fill me more and more. "But that's what I thought to until he hit me!"

"You don't know him like I do. He would never hurt me!"

"How do you know that?"

I couldn't tell her how protective he was and all the things he had done for me, so I said the only reason that mattered. "Because I love him."

A smile formed on her face before she started laughing- actually laughing. "That's funny, you think you love him. I bet you think he loves you too. That he wants to be with you forever. Alyssa, you don't know what love is."

My jaw nearly dropped. "Oh that's rich coming from you! The woman who stayed with a man who abused her for years-!"

Slap.

I didn't even expect it when it happen. But when I felt her hand come in contact with my cheek and I stumbled onto the floor, I realized the impact of what happen.

She glared down at me as I held onto my raw cheek. "I did what I had to do to keep our family together."

"Even if that meant letting him hurt me?" I asked in a small voice.