Guilty In Love ✔

CHAPTER FORTY FIVE

Quote of the day: Clear your mind of mindless thoughts so as to pave way for the mindful ones.

Looking at Mr Marshall lying motionless beside her was really unnerving. And her father said he wasn't dead, but he will soon be she knew, and and so would it be for her. Her heart was pounding aimlessly in her chest, what exactly had she done to deserve a fate like hers, she had been born to a heartless man who claims to love only one woman. She had let her father's misdeeds rub off on her, she had had to feel nothing but hatred for herself and her father and then guilt. And just when things had begun to look okay she had met with Greg, meeting him again shattered all her hopes, the same hope he awakened in her.

Now this was the end for her, she was going to pay for her and her father's sins, she felt new found tears spill out of her eyes.

"Revenge could be so sweet, I never knew," her father said with a condescending smile. He dropped the tea back on the tray again, she still couldn't get used to the idea of being in the same room with a dead person for so long. "So what next?"

"Aren't you the master planner, why don't you let us know," Ashley retorted. She just doesn't care anymore what he does to her, its not like she could escape his wrath anyway.

"You are still so blunt, aren't you?" He moved towards her menacingly, she held in a breath as he stepped closer. She was sure of one thing, if she dies he also dies, she would make sure they both go down together.

"Always being," she said smirking. His face flashed with pure anger, she felt fear grip her tight, she couldn't help it, he still scared her.

"Ashley!" Greg called in a warning tone. It was as if he knew what her father was capable of and didn't want her as a victim, but she ignored him and gave her father a death glare.

Her father walked up to her angrily and hit her against the wall hard. She grunted with pain at the impact. "You still haven't learnt your lesson have you?" He pulled her up by the hair and pressed her neck tight, she found herself choking on air, struggling to breath. "You never learn, and you never change, haven't you done enough harm!"

Ashley could glimpse Greg from the corner of her eyes, he was working on his cuffs, but she knew it was pointless. There was no hope there. She raised her knee up and made to hit her father in the crotch since he was kneeling over her, but he caught her before she could do so.

"You think you are smart, is that it, you think I will let you cheat me again, no, never!" He yelled continuously hitting her in the stomach. Amidst all this yelling she could hear a sound, it sounded like a miracle was there for them. She moved about trying to escape her father's wrath and then she saw it, the keys.

Her eyes lightened up with joy, she knew if she could get the keys then she could find a way to free herself, she could unlock the chains at her legs.

"Dad." Every movement stopped from her father as he heard Greg's voice. He turned to look at Greg still clutching at her, but he was no longer angry, his eyes filled with love instantly. Oh how she wished he could look at her that way, maybe just once. "Dad, stop Dad, let's leave. Let's start all over again as a father and son."

Ashley wondered what Greg was trying to do, but she could swear that he definitely didn't mean what he was saying. Then that could only mean he was trying to get her father off her which he succeeded in doing. Her father stood up with a look of hope in his eyes walking towards Greg.

"Do you remember me now son? You remember me?" He asked in a sad voice. Her hands went over to clutching her stomach, she held her broken wrist closer to her. Then she remembered the keys on the floor. She looked over at Greg who was staring at her father with so much love, he looked over at her slightly and mouthed 'take the keys.' That would mean he had seen the keys fall.

"I do Dad, I remember everything, I have always wondered why I felt so unloved with that man who calls himself my father and it turns out I had a different father. I had been so used to your love and couldn't get use to his coldness," Greg said. His voice was filled with so much sadness and she almost believed him, if not that she knew what he was trying to do. This guy really deserved an Oscar.

Ashley moved her right hand towards the keys, once she had picked it up she felt for once that they had a chance of escape. She got to work immediately trying to unlock her chains, but it was hard. Her right hand was shaking profusely with fear, and her left hand was in a cast so she couldn't make use of it, and it wasn't easy to put the lock in place.

"You remember everything son," her father said with a similarly sad voice. Still making his way to Greg, while she still tried to get the lock into place, but it wouldn't budge, the keys haven't even made their way into the holes yet. "You remember the walks we used to take, how we ate from the same ice cream bowl."

"Everything Dad, all of it, I remember calling you Dad, those days were the happy days, I remember it all Dad."

"Oh son!" At this point her father was now before Greg holding his hands, while she continued to struggle with the keys, but then suddenly her father went quiet, so did Greg. She looked towards them to see what was going on, she saw her father standing stiff before Greg and she wondered why. "Son, do you remember how I used to knot your ties for you also?"

"Yes Dad, I remember you knotting it and even adjusting it at public places," Greg answered, and right at that moment the keys entered the lock hole, she breath a sign of relief and tried to steady the lock with her casted left arm so as to turn the key in the lock.

"No, no, no!" Her father suddenly yelled. Ashley turned to him and saw him grab Greg by his shirt, by then all her fear returned in ten folds. "You are deceiving me, how dare you try to deceive me!"

Ashley grew white with fear and wondered how her father had found out that Greg was deceiving him.

"No I'm not," Greg said with a calm voice.

"You are, you don't like ties. You hate ties, you always complained about how it bites your neck so you never allow me to knot them for you." She took in a gasp as her father said this. She always knew Greg didn't like ties too much since he was always pulling at it, but she couldn't have guessed that it was from when he was a kid. Now that her father knew the truth she had to be quicker, and luckily for her she was able to unlock the chains, now she had to get out if it silently. "You don't remember anything right, you are lying to me, I knew you don't like ties that was why I made sure to take off your tie immediately I brought you here. Why are you lying to me?"

Ashley watched her father with her side eye as he kept on yelling at Greg still holding his hand, then he stopped moving abruptly. He stood upright and turned to face her, she let out a gasp. Now he had caught her, this was death for her, inevitable death.

She got out of the chains hurriedly, not caring about the noise now since her father was already aware of her mission to escape. He started walking towards her but then she saw him fall back into Greg on the bed, Greg had pulled him down with his free hand and was wrestling him down with his free hand.

"Go Ashley!" Greg yelled. She got out of the chains and stood up on her legs that felt a little weak, "go and open the door and get help!"

She stood there, glued to the spot staring at Greg. She looked down towards his father that was still lying motionless then back at him. Her eyes went wide with fear once she saw her father bring out his knife from his pocket, the same knife he had use to slaughter the dead priest lying on the floor now.

"Greg I..." She stuttered looking at him.

"Just go and open the damn door!" He yelled and soon his voice got muffled as he and her father got into a more serious fight. She was scared, her father had a knife, Greg could get hurt and he only had one hand free, she could either try to save him or try to get help. Saving him might be pointless since she only had one of her hand in use also, and getting help could also be pointless since she didn't even know if they were close to people, Greg could die before she got back.

She stood there debating for a long time but soon gave way for the more sensible act. She ran towards the door and started fitting in different keys to see the one that fit, while doing this she was staring at her father and Greg making sure Greg was fine.

Chapter forty five.
Mary Aden.