7. Before him

SERENA

“No! Don't touch me! Leave me alone!”

All my cries fell on deaf ears as they dragged me out of the bar. There was no one to come to my aid as it was still very early in the morning and there was no one around.

As much as I tried to fight against them, I couldn't because they were very hefty men. Why would they send someone after me?

Why couldn't they just let me be? I mean, they didn't want me around either so this was the best thing for all of us.

But no, they wanted to put me through the worst so they needed me to feel better about themselves. They stuffed me into the back of their carriage and two guards got in beside me.

“You gave us a lot of work, young lady.”

They pulled me outside and brought ropes to tie my hands and feet. I wanted to use that opportunity to run but I knew that if they caught me, I might be beaten and j couldn't let them do that to me.

I just sat there as the carriage began to move, not being able to move, not being able to utter a word. Why did I stop?

I should have just kept moving even though it killed me. Now, they had caught up with me. What did I do to deserve this sort of treatment from them?

They hated me, which I had accepted. I'd stopped bothering myself to be liked or accepted by any one of them but now, I just wanted them to let me be.

We rode for at least another three hours and then the sun was high in the sky and they had to let the horses rest for a while.

All of them got down from the carriage to stretch their legs but they didn't allow me to get down.

Their voices seemed to get farther and I waited for a moment before I moved closer to the window and peered out.

This would have been the best time to make a run for it but my hands were bound behind my back and my legs were bound too.. plus, there was a guard by the carriage to keep an eye on me.

With nowhere to go, they finally came back and I just stayed there while they talked and laughed loudly. I guess they didn't care if I had to use the bathroom as well.

They did offer me a piece of bread though but I rejected it because I didn't know if they had poisoned that.. I wouldn't be stupid enough to trust Amelia and her mother.

Even though I was hungry, I wanted to bank on the food the bartender had given to me last night. It wasn't a lot but at least, I wasn't going to die.

I'd fallen asleep by the time the carriage stopped. It was nightfall or dawn, I don't know. It was dark though.

It was the way they sharply pulled my arm that woke me up.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, my heart started beating. I was going to get a whole lot more than I could handle tonight.

They dragged me inside, my eyes squinting as they met with bright light.

They were all seated in the living room. Amelia and her mother. The witches who were after my life.

“There she is. The stupid bitch.”

Amelia stood up immediately and charged for me.

“Amelia, go and get your brother. He should see the thing that made him go through so much trouble."

Brother? What had he got to do with this?

They pushed me to my knees and I stayed there like a chicken waiting to be slaughtered.

I was left alone with her mother and I knew she was staring at me.

“You stupid girl, I always knew you were worthless. Pregnant? How useless can you be?”

I didn't plan to be pregnant. I didn't even think in a million years that that one night with a stranger would lead to this.

Why would I want to bring a child into this sad situation of mine? I didn't want my child to be a part of my suffering.

I heard footsteps and I didn't even bother looking up because I knew that Amelia had returned with whoever her brother was.

“That is her, brother. That is the stupid whore that had the guts to get pregnant in our house.”

There was silence.

“Raise your head."

That voice. Why did it sound familiar?

“Didn’t you hear what he said? Lost your head up, you cow!”

I raised my head and my mouth dropped open.

This was him. The man from that night.

“She’s a bloody slut, brother. An ungrateful one at that. She has everything she could ever wish for here and she had the guts to go and do something like this. She didn't even think about the implications of what it would do to my family.”

She talked like she was the real daughter of this family but I didn't even have time for her right now. Standing in front of me was the man I had spent a night with that led to this.

The man responsible for my baby.

Her mother sat forward in her chair

“I’ll ask you once and I won't ask you again. I heard you were pregnant but I don't want to believe it. I know you're stupid but I know you're not that stupid. So tell me from your mouth, are you pregnant?”

My eyes drifted to him, the answer stuck in my throat. He recognized me, I could see it in his eyes. He didn't say anything though. He had the same expression that I did, the situation shocking the both of us.

I didn't even see when she stood up from her chair but I felt the slap across my cheek, causing me to fall back. I hit my shoulder on the floor and the side of my cheek.

“I asked you a question, you fool! Answer me! Are you pregnant or not?! I heard of how you go around with different men in the pack. So that's what you do, huh? Go around this pack and act like a slut?!”

“Mum, I already told you she's pregnant. You don't need to ask her, the fact that she's not answering should tell you what you need to know already. She knows what she has done and the worst part of that is that she doesn't even know who the father is. How disgusting.”

He just sat there and looked at me as his sister and mother shouted and rained every insult on me. It was like he had suddenly become mute.

What did I expect from him though? I should have known that he would be like this too. My father wasn't any different. He sat back as well while they abused me and now, the man who had gotten me pregnant was a robot too.

“Dimitri, don't let her get away with it. She's done something very stupid and she has to pay for it. Make her suffer!”

He just stared at me like he had never seen me before.