What Now?

Chapter-22

We were sitting side by side holding a mig of hot chocolate each on the balcony. The sun started to peak from the dense clouds making it a bit better but the chilling weather had yet to fade.I was still feeling uneasy.Nomatter how much harry was convinced that I was safe with so much security, I wasn't. I knew him! I knew how his mind worked.I knew how deranged he truly was.

He would stop at nothing to get to me.He wanted me from the start and now that I have his father arrested and in imprisonment for life, I doubt he would feel threatened or sorry.... he's more enraged than ever I'm sure. They have been blaming me for their bad life for as long as I  lived.

even if they didn't pose a direct threat to me at the moment,they were to Harry, and even his family. He would stop at nothing to get to me. I just knew it was matter of time, Harry had to bargain me for exchange for another life. I shuddered at the thought alone.

Seeing my discomfort, Harry placed his palm on my knee.I pushed it away and he frowned at the ground. Then to both our surprise,I kept my hot mug of chocolate down and climed his lap and cuddled upto him.

I felt better knowing I was in his arms. The heat from his body engulfed me and his scent made me feel a tad bit better. I could feel his steady heartbeat on my back and his warm breath flowing through my neck.He left soft butterfly kisses on my shoulders and hugged me tight to himself.

Taking a shaky breath I prepared myself to tell him all that I knew of.

"Due to my dad's job, he was mostly out of town or atleast that's what he told us. Adrian was dad's friend and he ran this chain of orphanages and co-owned the restaurant with my dad. I was often left at their home when my parents were out.

 I never liked it in there but Adrian had been nice to me. It was his wife and son who took to hatred towards me. They thought I took Adrian away from them.

Now that I think about it, he wasn't exactly nice to me. He was just pretending to be.Dad had the restaurant as his front and he had to do all the work while dad took the credits. No wonder he was angry at me.

One morning I woke up at their place in the middle of the night with the news that I was an orphan now and had to live in one of their orphanages.

 His wife was incharge and she practiced all the punishments in the book and blamed me for every little thing.

One day there was a fire and his wife died in it and his son was burnt on the left side of his body.From then on ,I was being shuffled from one foster home to the other. Adrian was driven by anger and revenge.He started lusting after me but I kept brushing him off.

His son once got to me and tried to burn me like he thought I did his mom and him.But it wasn't me.Adrian found out and hit his son saying I only belonged to him and sent Adam to boarding school soon after the incident.

I left the town and started a new life here in New York.Guess my past has caught up to me again.What with Adrian being in jail,I think ... Adam thinks he can come back at me again.I don't know what I can do to stop him.He got to me once, he can again. He's always been jealous of me even if I had nothing and he had everything that I ever wanted.... he had a family,Harry."

I broke down in his arms again.He spun me around and held me to himself.I don't know how long we lay there together.But eventually I woke up pn the couch wrapped up in a blanket and to a light chatter from the kitchen.

I stood up in haste wit hwide eyes, only to fall back down  feeling dizzy. Staring at the timer on the kitchen microwave,I could tell it was half past two. Had I slept the whole morning?

Did he carry me here to the sofa? The idiot! He was hurt and was meant to rest,not strain his muscles.Not that I know he has muscles, I don't stare at him. Okay, biggest lie of all times.

"Ella? Are you awake? Mum's here." I heard his voice drifting from upstairs and as I looked up, sure enough I could see his head full of wayward curls tumbling all over his forehead with an adorable smile.

Well someone's in a good mood. Wait... was he laughing at my attempt in getting up and failing miserably? That fucking twat.

"You're gonna regret picking me up styles, You were supposed to rest,not put me to sleep you dumb fuck!"

I rushed up towards the staris but was stopped in the middle of my sprint by a fored cough.Focusing towards Harry's right, I saw a stern woman dressed in green just like his eyes and looking really mad at me.

What? Can't handle a girl cussing or being playful with your son? No wonder Harry used to be stiff as a rod with a bad attitude even his sister complained about. Sure he didn't want to see his mum.

"Hello Mrs.Styles , I'm Ella Lavery." I said with a smile and a nod. She raised her brow and looked at her son. " I thought I made it clear that your 'entertainment' shouldn't cross the threshold." I was seething within. I wasn't his flavour of the week.

From the corner of my eye,I saw him clench his fists to restrain his anger. His eyes turned like green marbles with such intensity , I was scared. He shoved past his mom and held my elbow.

"Don't disrespect my guests,mother. She's not a random girl, she's my best friend and much more. You've seen that I'm all good as you wanted to, we need to rest and dig into the case.If you'll excuse us." With that he dragged us to his room and shut the door on her face.

"That went well." I said with heavy sarcasm. I plopped down on his bed. "Now I regret calling her. But I think she only wanted whats best for you Harry, in her own weird way. You're filthy rich, anybody can fool you to take them under your wing.But you're not naive I know that.But you'll always be her baby." I said with a sigh.

She was rude,yes.She didn't have the right to judge me like that.But she was right in a way.He souldn't have let me in that easy either.

"Don't overthink it El .And don't you dare defend her.She knows nothing about us.You're not.... you aren't temporary El. You mean the world to me and I don't care if I have to fight her on this."

Sometimes, I think I'm only good at separating families. I'm no good anywhere. I was better off alone. I shouldn't have come into his life.Look where I got them.

I shook my head at him and whispered, "She's right. I've broght danger to your family.I should leave. I don't want you to  hurt anymore."

"No! Don't you see El , you make me happy. I've been the happiest ever since I found you.DOn't leave me El, I don't wanna go back to darkness again.You're all I got.Don't ever leave me." He was holding onto my stomach while I was standing beside his bead.He was shaking and pleading me to stay.

How could I? When I didn't know what was waiting for us.What was next?