The Queen: Love's Death || ✔️

Chapter 19: Princess' Drive

Hera

After pulling away from our seventh kiss and telling each other how good we were for each other, Bryson took me to his car and drove me to a destination I didn't know.

"You still won't tell me where we're going?" I asked him with a shy smile.

"Yes. Even if you put me at gunpoint, I'll never tell you where we're going." He answered truthfully.

Suddenly, Bryson placed his right hand on my thigh, heating me up instantly. The gesture was more of lust than love and it made me realise a few things about our marriage that I never took into consideration.

We'd have to get sexual. I had never been sexually intimate with someone and I had never thought about it until now. I hoped that Bryson wouldn't find it as a turnoff if I couldn't give him my virginity. This made me scared.

"Why are so tense?" He asked me suddenly, snapping me back to reality.

"I-It's n-no-nothing." I sighed. "I just realised that after our wedding, we'll have a wedding night. And we both know what happens on a wedding night." I chuckled dryly, trying to calm my nerves.

"What happens?"

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"You said we both know. Well, I don't. Since I'm guessing you do, I guess you won't mind telling me. What happens on a wedding night?"

"You can't be serious." I sighed.

"I actually am." He shrugged then stopped at a red light. Bryson turned to face me and he caressed my exposed thigh since I was wearing suede shorts and a white blouse. "Tell me." He challenged me, staring into my eyes.

"You know..." I mumbled. Bryson shook his head. The red light turned green, but he didn't dare to move. "... Bryson..."

"... tell me." He said again, and now the cars behind us were hooting like animals.

"We need to move." I said a bit panicky.

"You still haven't told me yet. You have to tell me."

My eyes widened and my mouth opened in an 'o' shape. Bryson was serious, and so were all the motorists behind us who were pounding against their cars' hooters in pure anger, frustrations and confusion. But for some reason, the whole lane didn't move. No-one tried to overtake or even drive past us while screaming profanities. They must've seen the size and the brand of the car.

"Bryson... drive." I gritted from fear and he only leaned in.

"Tell me."

"Please." I pleaded.

"Tell me."

"Ok..." I inhaled loudly, "... sex."

"Sex?" He asked me.

"Yes. Sexual intimacy." I said with a strained voice and he suddenly pulled back and began to drive.

Once he started, the cars on our sides had already begun driving since our light was now red and theirs was green. They immediately stopped and let us drive at our own slow and calm pace. I couldn't believe this man. He was so nonchalant about the scene he had just caused.

There was so much I couldn't understand about Bryson. He was twenty-four years old so he should've known by now what happened on a wedding night. He was just trying to get me to say it, but why? I was so confused and that made me a bit emotional.

Just as I looked out of the window to avoid him seeing me cry, I saw someone who I recognised sitting on a bench outside of a coffee shop with her tablet in hand and coffee in the other. Aunt Estelle King.

"Stop the car." I said suddenly and Bryson didn't hesitate since my voice was so sudden and shrilling. He reversed until his eyes also landed on her.

She was typing wildly on her tablet with stress plastered on her face and her hand with the coffee in it was shaking uncontrollably.

"Who is she?"

"Get me out of this car." I said bluntly, not wanting to be rude but wanting to know what my workaholic aunt was doing back home instead of being in the UK.

I rolled down my window and once she looked up and saw me perfectly, her eyes widened and she got up in an instant, dropping her coffee in the process. Bryson showed up at my door with my wheelchair and after helping me on it, he helped me towards my aunt who actually looked worried about me.

"Hera. You're alive!" She said while holding me in her arms tightly. I couldn't even comprehend what was happening but once my mind managed to process everything, I froze.

Aunt Estelle was showing me affection. All of my life, this woman was bitter and hateful towards me and my siblings only because she had a problem with my mother. Whatever brought her all the way here and made her show an ounce of humanity towards me had to be bigger than I could handle.

"What's wrong?" I asked in a whisper and she let go to inspect me properly.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine, Aunt Estelle, what's wrong?" I pleaded for her to tell me.

I looked at her properly to see how much she had aged these past five years. Her natural afro was shorter and looked a bit thinner with grey areas peaking through. She developed lines near her mouth, nose and above and below her eyes. Her eyes were full of worry and fear.

"And Athena? Zeus? Poseidon, Mason, Bullet and Blade? How is the family?"

"Everyone is ok, Aunt Estelle, what happened?!" I screamed at her in frustration.

"Oh thank the good God!"

"Aunt Estelle." I whispered, not knowing that I was now in tears.

"Hera..." Aunt Estelle kneeled down in front of me and faced me while holding my cold hands tightly in hers. "... your mother and father passed away in a fire last week Friday."