Chapter 1 - Her Misery

Dawn's POV.

Bright sunlight played with my face as I kept staring out the window of my hostel room, thinking deeply about my upcoming life, my future which certainly didn't seem like it was in my hands.

Finally, high school is over but like everyone else, I couldn't be happy. I can't even think about happiness as I have to move back to the hellhole permanently from which I have been trying to escape for a long time.

My life was never good staying in a boarding school as I constantly got bullied but it's better than living in a fake family where everyone hates you to the core.

Today is the day I will go back to them and I don't know where my life will lead but I was hoping that I would be able to move out after earning a little bit of money after doing some odd jobs. My mom surely will not let me leave but she doesn't care for me anyway except for her reputation which she got after getting married into the wealthy Playford family after my dad's death.

The person who loved me the most, the person who protected me from every harm, the person who had done everything to bring a smile to my face, he is gone, forever.

I looked at the beautiful golden sun chain which was adorning my neck. It was gifted by him, the most precious thing of my life.

I wish he could come back as my savior but he can't. I closed my eyes and wondered who would save me from the cruel Playford family.

~~~~~

"Dawn, your car is here to pick you up!" Miss Maria informed me cheerfully and I wanted to tell her that the car didn't belong to me, it was just a show off for the outsiders to know how much the Playford family loves me but I just smiled at her.

"I will be there!" I answered her, closing off my small suitcase and taking my backpack.

"You must be very excited to finally go back to your family, you won't have to stay away from them anymore, your mom even called me to know about your whereabouts as you weren't answering her calls!" Miss Maria informed me and I am nowhere near excited, I am completely terrified.

"Sorry, Miss, yesterday my phone got broken, that's why I couldn't talk to her!" I answered her, showing my broken old phone.

It got broken because I clashed with Anne, my all-time bully who broke my phone after breaking my wrist.

"You could have taken my phone dear but never mind, be happy that you are finally going home." Miss told me and I nodded at her, getting goosebumps by listening to 'home'.

I took my things and left my room for the new beginning of my life but it was short-lived as my eyes got locked with Anne who was smirking at me.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything anymore to you because I don't need to torture you anymore when you already have enough bullies in your stepfamily! So good luck!" She told me and left with her rich ass family and I felt like slapping her with my broken hand but I just sighed.

I went outside the building to notice the driver waiting for me and as soon as I went near him, he quickly greeted me and took my things, and kept them inside the car properly.

I opened the back seat door to get inside but when suddenly my eyes clashed with the deep black eyes, I shrieked a little and closed the door abruptly in shock. I was still in my position due to shock, not believing it was him!

The car door opened automatically and I heard his deep ordering tone which scared me more.

"Get inside!"

With a shaky body, I got inside and closed the door, and started taking deep breaths. I felt like dying because the person beside me could intimidate any person with just one stare.

He is the center of the family, the person who can achieve anything if he wants it, he was the one running the family business gracefully with his genius mind and everyone was scared of him to death including me. He is not only intelligent but also heavenly good-looking.

He was the great Hunter Playford.

"Hello, Uncle Hunter!" I greeted him politely with my best smile while he was working on his iPad, looking fully concentrated on it but I saw him, gripping it a little tighter after what I said but why?

"How have you been?" I asked as previously he didn't give any reply.

Is he that much disgusted to talk to me like the rest of the family? I always felt he was different from others though he appears cold to me too!

I looked at myself, I was wearing a short sundress with spaghetti straps, sneakers, an old watch, my necklace, and simple earrings, and my hair was tied up by a claw clip. I looked pretty decent when I saw myself in the mirror in the room then why is he behaving so odd?

Am I not looking up to their standards?

I looked at his branded three-piece suit which was making him look way too good that I kept staring at him like a creep and he even glanced at me and caught me staring at him but I just kept looking at him dumbly, waiting for his response.

"I didn't know you would come to pick me up!" I tried again to start a conversation with him.

No one had ever come to receive me from the Playford family, not even my mom but suddenly he appeared out of nowhere, which is pretty overwhelming for me.

But what's the reason? A few days later, my eighteenth birthday is going to arrive, is it because of that? Is that why they are treating me well suddenly?

I was lost in my thoughts when I suddenly heard his gruff voice.

"What happened to your hand?"