Chapter 2.

Averys POV

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I hastily picked up my phone and saw that I had no missed calls or texts from my parents. How come? Did they not notice that I wasn't home all night? What's going on?

Whenever they didn't hear from my brother, if he missed to call them once a week they would be on the first flight to go and check on him. My brother lived in another town since many years back, he had a job, a wife and a life of his own but our parents were determined to be a big part of it.

The lack of contact from my parents confused me, but they must've had a good reason for it.

As I scrolled down, I saw I had texts and calls from Lydia, my best friend. I could understand why she would be worried as we talked every day, but yesterday I hadn't called her, and she had been at work until late that night. As I scrolled even more, I saw that I had missed texts and calls from Liam. And like a slap to the face, all the events of last night came running back to me, the touching and kissing, the other woman and the running. 

I got up on my feet and saw what seemed like a bright light coming from my left, so I walked towards it, and as it turned out, it was the way back to the village. As I made it out of the woods, the light was gone. I wondered what it was but my mind was too tired to give it too much thought. It was probably just the sun reflecting onto something.  

I walked slowly with my arms just hanging there by my sides.

As I reach my house, I realized my hair must look like a bird's nest because that's what it felt like when I touched my head. I was just about to unlock the door when I realized was already open. I put my palm on the door, letting it slide open with a feeling of distress growing in my body. But there they were, sitting by the kitchen table drinking coffee. As I walked in, they both turned to me, and shock was written all over their faces, not because of the way I looked or the fact that I hadn't been home, but because I was home. 

”Avery? What are you doing here?” My mother asked me with a shake in her voice. 

”Seriously? I haven't been home all night, and this is your reaction to seeing me?” I could feel my eyes tearing up, and I forced myself to hold back the sob, but my voice had already given me away. 

”I just thought—” My mother didn't finish the sentence as my father grabbed her arm in a warning. 

They looked at each other, and like something had clicked, both their faces altered. As if putting up a facade or a mask of sorts, they quickly rose from their seats and came running to me.

 ”We are so happy to see you, darling.” My father said as they both hugged me.

 I stood there in shock, knowing there was something going on, but without permission, my mouth took control

 ” Liam was with another woman.” I could feel my face not making a single movement, my eyes blank as if I were dead.

They pulled back and looked at each other again, then back at me with little to no emotion in their eyes whatsoever. 

 ”Sweetheart, we are so sorry to hear that. Have you broken up with him?” My mother didn't look all too shocked, but then again, perhaps she saw something in him that I didn't because I loved him. 

Then again, regardless of your motives, shouldn't a parent be concerned and upset when their child delivers such news?

Without answering her question, I turned around and started taking slow steps towards the staircase. 

As I made my way up the staircase I could hear my mom calling out for me, but just barely. I had closed out her voice and didn't stop walking. As I made it upstairs I turned left and walked down the small hallway, I walked past my sisters' room, my parent's room, and the bathroom as I finally got to my room.

 I opened the door and went straight to my bed, crawled under the comforter, and just laid there. 

For three days I just laid there, I didn't eat, I didn't talk, and didn't react to what anyone was doing or saying to me. I just lay there under my blanket, staring at the ceiling. I felt like everything was over, like my life was ruined. 

Then I smelled how the scent of cologne filled my room. I knew that scent. I knew it because I was the one who had bought him the cologne.

 It came from Liam.

 He took a seat on my bed and took my hand. I automatically jerked my hand back to my chest as I sat up and looked at him. 

"Hey babe, how--" I didn't let him finish. I cut him off because I didn't want any excuses, and I was not about to pretend like I didn't see what I saw. 

"Who is she, Liam?" I asked him with tears in my eyes. I hadn't cried since the day I saw them, and crying now, in front of him was the last thing I wanted but apparently, I wasn't the one in charge. 

 "Who is who, babe?" 

Babe?

BABE?

He had no right to call me that anymore.

"Who was the girl you were making out with in town the other day?" I couldn't conceal my anger or my pain.

"oh, you saw that did you, "

What? he wasn't gonna try to defend himself, to tell me I was being crazy? was he gonna deliver the truth on a fucking silver platter like it was NOTHING?

"Her name is Nadia, I've known her for a while. She works at the farm with her father..." His eyes went around the room before landing back at me. He scratched the back of his neck and he looked to be in turmoil with himself, his mouth speaking words that he himself objected to.

I just sat there and waited for him to continue. 

"Avery, I love her..."

And there it goes, my heart, breaking all over again.

"Go," I didn't want him here. I never wanted to see his face again; I never wanted to feel his touch. I wanted every memory of him erased from my mind.

He got up and walked to the door, but before exiting, he turned around and locked his eyes with mine.

"I'm sorry, Aves, about everything."

His last words before he left. He didn't put up a fight, it was as if he couldn't wait to get out of here and back to her.

I lay in my bed the following week, eating nothing but soup. 

Until one day, she stormed into my room, slamming the door shut behind her, and slammed herself down on my bed. Then, ladies and gentlemen, leave it to Lydia to make an entrance.

"Get up. He is NOT worth you missing out on life! So get up, get dressed, I'll pick something out for you."

Her eyes glistened as if she had a devious plan in mind. Her long red-curly hair flared across her back as she was digging in my closet. 

She picked out a short, backless dress with a slit and a pair of high heel black pumps and threw the clothes onto the bed.

 " Get. Dressed." She insisted. I looked at the clothes and then back at her with lifted brows. Her energy somehow got me up off the bed and put a smile on my face. I was lucky to have her in my life. I got dressed, and Lydia did my hair and my makeup. 

I couldn't remember the last time I looked this pretty. 

We went downstairs and told my parents that we were going out. They looked at me as if they were trying to remember how I looked. They scared me with pity in their eyes, but there was more joy there than anything else. My parents had never been much for showing affection or any sort of emotion but something was different tonight.

Upon seeing my reaction, their faces, yet again, changed. They looked at me with a serious look on both of them.

 "Have fun, sweetheart, and be careful." my mother said before swallowing hard like she was holding back something. My father looked at me and nodded at what my mother had just said. We then went out and jumped into Lydias' car, and drove off.

"Where is this party?" We had been driving for one hour, and I was getting worried we were lost. I also wanted to be able to make it home in case something were to happen, I had a weird feeling in my gut that something was up.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." For some reason, Lydias' naturally happy nature could always calm me whenever I got too nervous.

As we drove in on a supported pathway through the woods, I could begin to hear the music. 

The house was old yet beautiful, and I knew the owners. They must've been having a moving-in party, my parents were good friends with the couple that owned the house, and they had just moved in. The facade was a rusty brown ash color, and in the front of the door, there were two big peelers. There were three steps of stone that led to the two-door entrance. 

Inside it was like walking into a castle, the hallway was big and magnificent, and on the roof, precisely in the middle, there was a big chandelier. We walked over to the bar, and as we were walking, I got a strange feeling that someone was following me. 

I felt a chill run down my spine but not in a bad way.