ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Kathy Pov

Even after Cross left, I still couldn’t get over the shock of how fast things turned, like one moment I was sure he was gonna say, no, but the next moment he comes up with so weird reasons to why he will help me, I still didn’t know what he wanted in return of helping me but what was even more shocking was how he defended me in front of my mom, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and that those things were coming from him, I still didn’t like him or trust him but I was thankful.

“What did you say to him and how did you even meet him?”

My mom asked bring me out of my thoughts, I looked over to her and she was watching me with curious eyes, she looked like a total stranger to me, I still can’t believe it was so easy for her to cut me off.

“I just told him I was sorry and asked him to give me a second chance and he agreed,”

I said, there was no need for her to know the rest part, that was between me and Cross.

“Just like that?”

“Yes, just like that, he knows I am human and that I make mistakes, I can’t say the same for you guys though, the people who are supposed to be my family.”

I said, I couldn’t hold back the words.

“You are to be blamed for everything, Katherine, I warned you, did you go and meet him at the airport?”

“No I didn’t, I, his driver almost knocked me off, I wasn’t looking, and he took me to the hospital,”

“Aha, whatever happened, you are one lucky lady, you can go back to your room and rest, but don’t think it all over because you got him back, you still have to pay for stealing from the family,”

“But I didn’t steal, it was my money,”

“Yeah, your allowance, which means you are not getting any for the rest of the year, how you spent eight million within a week is still a mystery to me,”

“It’s none of your business ma,”

“Oh, you are back to being sassy, you were begging a few hours ago,”

“Yes, and you didn’t listen and you are supposed to be my mom, I thought the family was unbreakable, I thought no matter what I do my family will have my back but it just took a little mistake on my side for you to throw me off when all through my life you have been making mistakes with me and I have forgiven you ever time, those times when you missed important school events, those times when I had to celebrate my birthdays and other holidays with just my siblings and the nannies, yet I forgave you but you can’t do the same for me? It tells a lot about how well you value me, mom,”

“You don’t speak to me in that manner young lady, I can still walk you out of my house, I did everything I ever did for you so that you and your siblings can have the best of everything, and you chose to pay that back by embarrassing our family, I couldn’t let you taint the name your father and I have worked so hard to build all these years,”Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

She responded.

“Yeah,” I said chuckling, “I will soon leave anyway, so don’t worry, the remaining time I have to stay here I will be on my best behavior and also avoid you as much as I can, thanks for giving birth to me, that’s the only useful thing you have done for me,”

I said and walked off to my room, ignoring her outburst, I opened the door and everything was still intact which means my mom had lied about emptying my room, I wonder if she also lied about getting my name off the family register. Either way now that I was back, I had to set to work, I agreed to marry Cross because I needed money and power to be able to do what I plan to do, I am going to make Louis and Pearl pay for what they did to me, as for my siblings, I don’t think I can talk to any one of them now, I know I made a mistake but for them to have let my mom cut me off just like that hurts so bad, my dad and I have never been close so I didn’t expect him to have my back but at least I thought my siblings will turn out I thought wrong, the only person willing to help me was the same person I was running away from, it didn’t change the fact that I still hated him, still hated to be married to him but at least, I had a little respect for him. He may not be the bad guy that I painted him to be, even if he was bad, he was still better than those I called my family.

I took a bath and lay on my bed, for the first time since last week Wednesday, I had a good sleep.

Over the next couple of days, it was preparations for the engagement party, and then the engagement itself, this time only a few people were invited, and the wedding was set to be a month after the engagement, it would have been earlier but Cross had a few things to take care of in New York, so after the engagement, he went back to New York, I had to get myself a new identity card and international passport because I couldn’t find the ones I have given to Louis even after turning his whole house upside down, my family still didn’t know what actually happened because I didn’t tell them, I kept to myself most of the time and only came out when I was needed to make a choice regarding the wedding-related preparations.

My siblings came by but I didn’t talk to any of them, they couldn’t just throw me off and expect me to welcome them back with open hands they lost all the trust I had for them. Nathan tried to explain himself, but I didn’t give him a listening ear, even Nelson called me back and I told him to fuck off and never to call my line again, if he had answered my calls maybe I won’t have had to beg Cross to take me back, maybe I wouldn’t have had to marry him. I specifically told Nora to never address me as her younger sister because she hadn’t acted like an older sister when I had needed her, after the way, I treated the others, Nelly had not bothered to reach out to me, we just see each other in passing, I wasn’t ready to make up with any of them.

I stood staring at my wedding gown exactly one month later, and I still couldn’t picture myself as a married woman, I didn’t feel any of the excitement soon to be brides are supposed to feel neither was I excited for my wedding night, Cross already said we are not gonna consummate it, which was okay for me, I wasn’t ready to give myself to anyone, not after what Louis did to me, I have tried to track him down even went to Mexico but I didn’t get any clue as to where he went, it was as if he disappeared off the face of the Earth, I gave up when I remembered that Pearl had told me that Louis wasn’t even his real name, so he might have gone back to using his real identity while spending my money, I just hope he stays off forever because if our parts ever crossed I will make sure I kill him or at least make him twice the pain he made me feel.

I shook off thoughts of him and stared at the dress in front of me, it looked gorgeous and elegant but I didn’t feel like it was met for me.

I haven’t seen Cross since after the engagement but I heard he flew in three days ago, but we didn’t meet, I didn’t have a bridesmaid because I was much too proud to ask Juliet to do it, so Anna a girl who lived with Cross’s family had been asked to do it, Anna seemed like a pretty nice girl but we haven’t really had time to talk, not to mention she was pregnant too, I wondered who the father of the child was, I couldn’t ask because we were not close, but my mind kept thinking it either Cross or Max.

Ellen, Cross’s mom surprised me the most, she had welcomed me with open arms and even his dad had been welcoming, they had not even scolded me about the embarrassment I caused their family, but I had apologized anyway and they had accepted without hesitating which made me wonder if Ellen had been my mom if she would have listened to me.

A knock on my door brought me back to the present.

“Yes, come in,”

I said turning around to see who it was, it was one of the maids.

“Ma’am, your mom said to call you, the hairstylist is here,”

She said.

“Okay, I will be right there,”

I responded she left the room, I took one more look at the dress and left my room, walking down the staircase, I looked around the house, by this time tomorrow, I would be a married woman, married to a man I had zero feelings for, not that I plan on falling in love with anyone ever again, which made the marriage even more doable, I wasn’t looking forward to ever getting married to anyone, the only person I thought I would spend the rest of my life with turned out to be a fraud.

I looked around the big mansion again and it already felt like I was out of place here, soon this would not be my home again, as I will be moving to New York with Cross, I liked the idea of a fresh start in a new city so I was looking forward to that at least…