Hunted for Halloween

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

AURORA

I stare at the dark clouds blankly from the window, not moving a muscle from where I'm seated on the sofa in a monk style.

The enormous compound that surrounds my father's mansion materializes before me through the drawn curtains and open windows. The incessant gushing of water from the fountain from afar does nothing to shake me out of my numb state.

I don't know how long I have been sitting there and rotting away, but it doesn't matter. Nothing has mattered since the blow up at Christian’s firm a week ago.

At first, it consumed me with so much hatred and fury that my father had reduced me to nothing but a prisoner in the home I grew up in. Not only did he confiscate every gadget in this house to prevent me from reaching out to Christian, he reinforced the entire mansion with huge, scary bodyguards, including the muscular duo that are currently outside my door.

I wanted to fight him on it but it's useless trying to fight someone that I haven’t seen once since that day. He has been a no-show since then and I have no doubt that he has thrown himself into work while I'm stuck here like a zombie.

Before Christian, my life was plain. Not too boring and not too exciting. It was in between. But when he came into my life, he brought a burst of colors and a dark, exciting thrill into my life, one I didn't know how much I depended on until he was ripped away from me.

Now, my life isn't just plain or boring. Everything around me feels dark and dead, drowning me, torturing me. I have been in hell since that evening, finding it hard to close my eyes because every time I do, I'm hit with the raw, disgusting and disappointing look in my father's eyes and the horrific scene that manifested before me.

It was an unceasing, agonizing torture.

And whenever I think it can't hurt more than it already does, every moment that passes without him chips away at a piece of my soul until I'm spent and empty. Crying has been rendered useless because I don't think I have cried the way I did these past few days.

A knock sounds at my door and I slowly look over my shoulder like a robot, staring blankly at the door. The knob twists open, momentarily spiking my heartbeat until Harriet pokes her head in through the door.

Her gaze softens when she sees me. I adjust my white silk robe that I'm wearing over a nightie, shifting in my seat.

“Oh, my beautiful girl.” She croaks, rushing over to my seat. I want to blink back the tears but I let them trickle down my cheeks, making no movement to wipe them off.

Harriet pulls me into a warm embrace. The tightness in my chest loosens and my tears rapidly fall. I don't hug her back but my loud sob punches through the air. I weep profusely in her arms while she strokes my hair.

“I'm so sorry, honey.” She murmurs, her voice strained. “I'm so sorry. I'm here. I'm always here. Just let it all out. You'll feel better afterwards, I promise.” She reassures me, her voice soothing.

Harriet is the only one in this house who didn't judge me when I told her everything that happened. At least, she understands that I'm an adult and I'm capable of making my own choices. Heck, she thinks I love Christian because of how deeply this affects me.

And me? I don't know…I don't know what to think. All I want is to be in his arms again and breathe him in.

I know Harriet didn't just come in to check in on me. She must have a reason. She disentangles from the hug, her warm eyes searching mine as she takes my hand in hers, squeezing it.

“Your father is back.” I freeze, my body feeling as though it has just been drenched in a bucket of ice.

Her gaze regards the fear that flashes in my eyes. She knows I'm not ready to see him yet. I don't want to see him. My Dad is my favorite person in the world, but right now, with his caveman and controlling behavior, he's the last person I want to see.

I shake my head slowly, my lips trembling. “I-I don't want to see him.”

Harriet sighs. “He's not asking, Aurora. He wants you downstairs. He wants you to come down for dinner. He was going to come up here to drag you himself, but I volunteered to come fetch you.”

My expression closes off, my muscles locking with tension.

“I'm not going anywhere.” I grit my teeth, spitting out and rising to my feet.

“Aurora—”

“He has locked me in this house like I'm some teenage girl who snuck out to a party to see her crush, and he expects me to show up to dinner to play happy daddy, happy daughter with him. Oh, he can piss off for all I care!” I snap, folding my arms under my chest.

“Well, you could go downstairs and tell him all of these things, you know? He might be mad at you, but he's still your father. He loves you so much, and that's why he's so mad at you. Go downstairs and talk to him. If anyone can convince him of what you have with Christian, it's you.” Her voice is soft and persuasive.

I look away from her, biting down on my lip hard enough to draw blood. A fresh round of tears well up in my eyes, but I blink them back.

“I'm not playing dress up for him.” I snarl, turning on my heels and marching out of the room. I stop short when I get to the door, glaring daggers at the two stiff bastards at the entrance before stomping my way downstairs.

My heart does a double flip when I get a peek at his thick dark hair from the edge of the staircase where I'm standing. He's clad in a button up crisp shirt with rolled sleeves, his body humming with nerves where he's seated as he taps away furiously on his phone.

I try to be discreet as I approach the dining room but he must have sensed my flip flops hitting the tiled floor because he looks up from his screen. My breath catches in my lungs and I almost topple backwards in shock because I feel like I don't recognize the man before me.

His eyes are harsh and cold, devoid of their signature warmth and adoration that always cloud his beautiful blue eyes whenever he watches me. He doesn't flinch or bat an eyelid. He merely looks away from me and turns his attention back to his phone.

Sadness slashes through me, but I don't allow it to overwhelm me. I stop short at the seat opposite him at the high end of the dining area where he's seating. My hands tremble slightly as I take my seat, shifting nervously.

“Good evening, Dad.” I whisper, not looking up from my hands lying on my lap.

Dad ignores my greetings like I don't even exist. My throat closes up and I try to blink back my tears but they cloud my eyes, blurring my vision.

When I look up from my shaky hands, the maids are already filing in to dish up our meal. The thought of getting anything into my system makes bile rise to my throat, but I push it back.

I stare at the plate of Pan seared herbed salmon paired with Quinoa and some steamed asparagus. My taste buds feel dead, but I pick up my cutlery and begin to eat. As I slice through my protein, my eyes often drift to my Dad's figure, watching him scarf down his food without a care in the world.

Tension hangs thickly in the air, thinning out the breath in my lungs every time I try to speak to him.

“Are you really not going to look at me?” I choke out, suddenly dropping my cutlery.

“Eat your food, Aurora.” He answers curtly, pushing a slice of salmon into his mouth.

“I don't want to eat!” I raise my voice, glaring at him with tears in my eyes. His jaw ticks, frustration denting his features as his cutlery clatters against his plate. The sound makes me flinch. “We are going to talk about this, here and now and I'm not going to take no for an answer.” I say sternly.

“You want to talk?” he scoffs, taking a sip of his red wine. “Fine, let's talk. Let's talk about how you have been sleeping with my best friend behind my back!” he shoots at me harshly, his eyes narrowing on me in slits.

“I wasn't doing it behind your back, dad. We just didn't know how to tell you yet?—”

He laughs sardonically. “So, if I hadn't walked in on him almost screwing you in the elevator, would you have told me about it?”

My eyes flutter shut, tears streaming down my face. It's not that I won't tell him. I just didn't know how to because I know how protective my father can be.

“He's my best friend!” he yells and I flinch, wanting to stuff myself into the chair behind me.

“I love him.” I don't know when the words leave my mouth, but I realize that saying it makes relief swoop through me. His eyes flash with fear and shock, darkening with rage afterwards like he can't believe I just said that.

“W-what?” he stammers.

“Yes, Dad. You heard me. I love Christian. He makes me happy. If you hadn't allowed your ego and your impulsiveness to cloud your judgment, it should have been the first thing you asked me instead of throwing it in my face that I'm spreading my legs for him like a whore and asking me if he's forcing himself on me—” a sob rips from my throat.

“Daddy, he's your best friend. How can you accuse him of something like that? Why in the world would you think Christian would force himself on me? He loves and respects you! And let's not forget, I'm a grown ass woman who is capable of making her own decisions. If I want to be with Christian, you should respect my choices, not criticize them. I'm twenty-seven, Dad, not seventeen. Get that through your head!” my voice rises a notch at the end, my words thick with irritation.

He stares at me like I have grown two heads, his eyes narrowing on me in slits. “If you want to be treated like an adult, then act like it and stop screwing your father's best friend for starters—I can't even…Christ, Aurora, he's older than you!”

“I don't care.” I reply coldly. “Do you even know how many crazy thoughts have crossed my mind? I even wanted to lie to you that I'm carrying his child just so you'd have no choice but to let me be with him.”

His eyes widen in shock. “Are you pregnant?”

I hiss through my teeth. “No, but I wish I was. Maybe that way, you'd be forced to accept what you are truly terrified of.”

“I’d have dragged you to the doctor myself to get it out.” He grits his teeth and I reel backwards inwardly, his words hitting me like a whiplash.

“You'll let your daughter abort your grandchild because you are not in support of her relationship with the man who knocked her up?” I rise to my feet sharply, my lips parting in shock as tears stream down my face. “What kind of a monster are you?”

“I'm just a man who was betrayed by the two most important people in his life. My best friend and my daughter fucking each other behind my back.” His voice is thick with malice, lacking remorse.

I shake my head, wiping away my tears. “It's useless trying to convince you. You have already believed what's in your head. And to be honest, I'm glad mom's not here to see what you have become. Selfish, inhumane and a total jerk!” I scream at him, not caring about the impact my words will have on him.

My Dad sits still, his eyes shining with tears and raw agony. He looks like I just drove a knife through his chest, clenching his jaw in pain. I stand there, breathing heavily, and slowly, the realization of what I just said dawns on me.

Oh, my God…

“Go to your room, Aurora.” His voice comes out dead.

“Dad—”

“Get out of my sight.” He dismisses me coldly. I stare at him, my eyes crushing into pieces, and then, I turn on my heels and run upstairs to my room

C hristian

A grimace settles on my face as I stare at my empty whiskey tumbler.

I hiss through my teeth, grabbing the bottle off the desk and refilling the glass. I take a swig out of it, throwing myself back into the swivel chair. The movement makes me wince, because it hurts my bruises.

The pain is nothing compared to the ache that has been clawing at my chest since Jonathan took Aurora that evening. I haven't been able to reach her since then, and it infuriates me to bits and pieces that he must have confiscated her devices and grounded her. The part where his daughter is an adult must have flown past his head because I didn't understand why he'd go to such an extent to keep her away from me.

It's just been a week but I have been in hell since then. Every single thing around me reminds me of Aurora and our time together. It consumes me as much as it destroys me. I guess I never really knew what it meant to be empty until she was taken from me. I used to think I had gotten attuned to the emptiness and bleakness of my life but when I crossed paths with her, everything changed.

Now, the darkness that she managed to tame has engulfed me all over again. And this time, it was fucking worse.

“You look like shit.”

My head snaps up from the glass in my hands. The space between my forehead dips in confusion, surprise descending on my face when my eyes clash with his blank blue ones. He's leaning against the doorframe in his dark crisp shirt, his lean frame emitting a mix of tension and fury.

“Have you come to gloat, Jonathan?” I ask dryly, taking a sip from whiskey.

“Oh, I'd fucking love to.” He snarls, pushing his frame off the wall and striding into my office. The fucker slumps into the seat before me, snatching the whiskey bottle off my desk. He chugs the remaining contents. “But after I bash your fucking head against the wall for even daring to come close to my daughter.” He seethes.

I exhale, not saying a word because knowing my best friend, he hasn't gotten everything off his chest.

“She's my daughter, Christian. My little girl. I still remember her first day of preschool like it was yesterday. I taught her how to ride her bike without wheels. I…she's my little girl. How could you do that to me? How the heck did this even happen right under my nose?” he squints his eyes at me, his voice thick with disbelief.

“We met on Halloween night and before you say anything, I didn't even think she was your daughter?—”

“You slept with my daughter on Halloween night?!” he growls.

“Calm the fuck down, Jonathan!” I yell at him, glaring daggers at his frame that looks like it's about to lunge off the chair and attack me. “It's already weird as it is to go into details of things like this with you.” I grimace.

“But it wasn't weird when you were spreading her legs?” he fires at me sarcastically.

“One more word from you and I'll punch you in the face.” My molars grind against one another.

His eyes flare with annoyance and it’s clear he wants to say something, but he holds back when he sees the murderous look on my face.

“Other things happened, but I didn't have sex with Aurora that night. I didn't even know who she was because we both had masks on. It wasn't until that night at dinner that I put the pieces together. I know I should have stopped, but she took a piece of me with her that night, and…seeing her again, I just couldn't stay away from her. Trust me, I tried.” I voice bitterly, raking my fingers through my hair.

“How long has this been going on?” he asks harshly.

“A few weeks now…” I trail off.

He stares at me, scoffing afterwards. “You know…she's convinced she's in love with you, but I know she's not. You must have brainwashed her.”

My heart skipped multiple beats, my eyes widening a little. My pumpkin loves me? She thinks I'm worthy of being loved. I can't contain how my heart thuds in my chest, swelling with pride, and it was hard to fight back the grin threatening to leave my lips.

But, I snap out my thoughts, looking towards him. “You think I brainwashed her?”

“I know you did.” He frowns.

“Fuck,” I murmur under my breath, palming my face. “For fucks sake, you idiot. I didn't. What happened between Aurora and I was purely consensual. But what I think the problem is, is you not wanting to admit that you are scared of her having genuine bonds with other people because she'll pull away from you!” I raise my voice at him.

Horror flickers in his blue eyes. “That's not true.”

“Really?” I arch a brow at him. “Your little girl finally loves someone and wants a future with them, but you are scared that she'll get carried away and forget about you. Aurora is a woman now, Jonathan. She's not going to be with you for the rest of her life. She'll get married. She'll have kids. She'll have her own family.”

My voice weirdly softens because somehow, I resonate with his fears and pains. “You have to come to terms with that. While she's going to have her own family someday, you are still her father, no matter what. She loves you so much. Nothing and no one can change that. Not even me.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose, looking away from me for a moment and sniffing. “How did my little girl grow up so fast?”

For the first time since he walked in here, my lips slowly curved in a smile. “She has been for a while now. You just didn't want to accept it.”

Silence envelops my office for a moment. I don't attempt to break it but Jonathan's words cut through it before mine.

“She was so mad at me last night. She told me that she's happy Meredith is not here to see what I have become. It hurt like hell because, what if she's right?” his eyes meet mine, shimmering with tears.

“You know she didn't mean that. She was just mad at you. We say things we don't mean when we are angry.” I sigh.

He snorts. “Look who's grown a heart.”

“It's all your daughter.” I grin weakly.

“Do you really want to be with her?” he whispers. “No lies. No games. I want the truth.”

“I love her, Jonathan. I might not have seen it at first, but this past week has been hell. It's all it took for me to realize how empty and lost I am without her. I have never needed anyone the way I need Aurora. She's…she's everything to me.” I confess, my voice raw with emotions.

Jonathan's gaze lingers on me, now void of the hate and malice that etched in it a few minutes ago. “In that case, there's just one thing left to do.”