Chapter I

Kimberly

The door of the car was pulled open by my driver and I climbed out of the car with a bouquet of lilies in my hand, I sucked in deep breaths and made my way towards the cemetery. The guards followed me as I walked but I stopped them right away.

“Finn.” I’ll be fine, I need alone time.” I wasn’t smiling as I spoke and even if they were given orders not to let me out of their sight, I was sure they wouldn’t try to ruin today for me.

“Sure thing, Miss,” Finn muttered, his voice thick and loud. I nodded then tucked my curly brunette hair at the back of my ear, sucked in another breath, and walked into the private cemetery where my entire family lay in there all dead from the ambush 13 years again.

I had in my hand a bouquet of lilies and I placed it on the ground then took the lighter and began to light the scented candles everywhere, i lit all the candles up and stood in front of the grave

Mom, Dad, and Mason, I miss them so much.

My lips quivered as I tried to make words but they kept coming out empty.

“It’s my birthday again, I’m finally 18 and it’s already been 13 years since you guys left me all alone.” I finally mustered the courage to speak.

“I’m sorry if I took so much time to come visit, I’m in my finals now and I’m preparing for my last examination after that I’ll come visit you guys regularly.” I slowly sat on the ground and I let the tears flow. I cried so badly because I was missing my family. It felt like everything was new, the pain was new again and I had no one to share my pain with

“Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me.” I was unable to make a decent harmony as my voice quivered in horrible cries.

“I’ll find whoever did this to you and I’ll make them pay, so dearly,” I whispered. I have always wanted to find out who had killed my family. I know they were murdered and this was the year I was going to get to the bottom of it.

The sound of a car driving in distracted me from the nice chat I was having with my family and I wondered who it was, the cemetery was made only for my family members, this was where they were buried and it was a restricted area so I was super shocked to see a black and tinted Tesla pulling up in front, I watched the car door open and watched the person climb down the car.

He was dressed in a neat black suit and black shoes that spelled expensive even without asking.

My heart fluttered a bit the moment my eyes met him, he took off his eyeglasses and walked in. Our gaze met for a while and I snapped myself out. No way

Godfather Ethan, what was he doing here? I thought he forgot he had a friend that died, after leaving me to stay on my own for more than a year. If I was younger, I would say it was good to see him, maybe run to him and give him a big hug like before but I was older.

“Goodbye, mom, dad, Mason.” I squatted to the ground and tapped their graves slowly before standing on my feet and trying to walk away.

“Kim.” As I made to walk past him, he calmly called out to me but I glared hard at him and walked out. Why was he back, there was no need for him to be here, he shouldn’t have talked to me, he decided to leave without telling me and now he’s back.

I got into the car and ordered the driver to drive me home. I didn’t want to waste any other time.

My father had handed me to My godfather before he passed away.

My father is a bit older than Ethan and I do know that Ethan took good care of me, he accompanied me to my therapy sessions, took me to the best schools, and taught me whatever I know now and he’s been so good to me not until one morning I woke up to find him gone, he had left me in the care of my nanny.

How could he leave me? He knew I needed him, I had no other person but him and he left.

This was the worst birthday ever, the car arrived at the mansion and I quickly got out and stormed in, took the stairs up, and ran to my room.

I had a lot of things running through my head and in all, the one that hurt the most was when he left me all alone knowing that he was the only person I had in my life.

I had stayed in my room

For the rest of the day until my nanny came up to call me for dinner.

I hesitated and almost declined to go down to eat but I was too hungry, I had barely had anything to eat.

I got down the stairs thinking it would be just me like always, just me having my meal but surprisingly godfather was there, I stopped on my track seeing him sitting at the head of the dining patiently waiting for me.

His eyes gazed at me the moment he heard me climb down the stairs.

“Kim, come here.” He ordered

“It’s Kimberly to you and don’t you dare order me around, you are not my father.”

He huffed. “ Let’s talk Kim.”

“About what? Seeing you just made me lose my appetite.”

“I said let’s talk, I want your ass on the chair right now!” He demanded and I knew he was pissed, Ethan didn’t have much patience but I was not going to listen to him.

“What do you want to talk about? About how you left me all alone without any family for a year and three months? About how you never bothered to call, you never bothered to check up on me, you left.”

“I checked up on you all the time.”

“Yeah you did, you asked my nanny if I was good then went ahead to hire tons of bodyguards who watch my life like it’s a movie. I don’t know if you think I’m a child that you can boss already, but I’d hate to disappoint you, I’m not a child and I’ll not let you boss me around okay?” I turned around but his voice stopped me.

“I had reasons why I left.” His voice was low and as egocentric as Ethan was, I felt how remorseful he was but his remorse was not going to bring back all the pain I felt and the loneliness.

“It doesn’t matter. You are here now, right? your reason doesn’t matter anymore?” I asked

“Kimberly, if you could stop giving this sassy attitude and let me explain.”

“Okay fine, tell me the reason why you left, just one valid reason.”

“I had work.” He replied sharply and licked his bottom lip.

“Work?” Ethan ruffled his hair as I gave him a questionable look.

“You have had work all the time but you never left, how about now? Your work doesn’t matter, do you know I was worried? Look here, the truth is that you left because I wasn’t important to you, I was just this burden, my father left you with and you got tired and decided to leave me.

“I never got tired of you, I will never get tired of you.”

“But you left without telling me, you left me like everyone else did. You left like my mom, my dad, my brother, and Luna left me and you weren’t there, what about all the promises you made? I hate you. “ I rolled out angrily and turned to leave but I was caught by his strong grip and Ethan pushed me to the wall of the dining.

Pinning me down. “If you can give me this chance to show you that I love you so much and would never leave you because you mean the world to me.”