Faith’s Pov
The world blurred as Astor pulled me away from the living room. His grip on my arm was like iron, hard and unyielding. Not a gentle touch, not a loving pull, but a raw, forceful yank that left a burning trail on my skin.
He didn’t say a word, just dragged me, practically running, through the quiet hallway. My feet stumbled to keep up, my heart a frantic drum against my ribs. This wasn’t the Astor I was getting used to, not the one who had finally started to look at me with something soft in his eyes. This was someone else, someone cold and hard. The man stayed with for 3 years.
When we reached his room, he didn’t even bother to open the door properly. He just shoved it open with his free hand and then, with a sharp, sudden movement, let go of my arm. I stumbled forward, almost falling, the sudden release leaving my arm aching and tingling. My head snapped up, my eyes finding his.
And that’s when my world truly shattered.
The new ‘trying to be sincere” Astor, the one I had started to hope for, was gone. In his place was the one I’ve always known. His eyes, usually so warm, so full of a fierce light, were now like chips of ice. Cold, yes, a cutting coldness that seeped into my very bones. But it wasn’t just coldness. Beneath that, I saw anger, a simmering rage that twisted his handsome face. And then, like a punch to the gut, I saw it: hate.
Hate. For me.
The word echoed in my mind, a desolate, heartbreaking sound. We were finally, finally, getting somewhere. I thought we were past the hard parts, that we were building something real, inch by painful inch. And now, this. This look in his eyes had just torn everything down, ruined it all in a single,
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devastating moment.
My voice came out as a whisper, thin and fragile. “I didn’t mean to lie to you, Astor But… it was never my secret to tell. It wasn’t mine to disclose.” The words felt hollow, even to me, against the storm in his gaze.
He took a step closer, his presence suddenly huge and threatening. “You didn’t think it was important?” His voice was low, dangerous. “You didn’t think it was important to tell me I was going to be a father?”
The injustice of it flared, hot and sharp, pushing past the pain. My own eyes, I knew, must have hardened, “Oh, really?” I snapped, the words coming out more forcefully than I intended. “How would you feel? How would you feel if it was you who had to tell your mate that he was having a child with someone else? Someone who isn’t her?”
A bitter, broken laugh escaped me. It wasn’t funny. Nothing about this was funny. “You cheated on me,” I murmured, the truth a heavy stone in my mouth. “And yet, I’m the one who has to apologize. Because you’re angry.” My gaze met his again, defiant now. “I don’t owe you any explanation, Asta. Not after all this. I’m not the one who slept with my mate’s sister dammit.
I’m f****** drowning, my whole world has been turned upside down and you think It’s All About you.
why can’t you see what you did, why can’t you see the pain in my eyes Astor.”
I asked.
The words hung in the air, thick and poisoned. His face tightened, a flicker of something, maybe guilt, maybe just more anger, crossing his features. He opened his mouth, a desperate attempt to justify himself, to make excuses. But I was done.
I should have known better than to think that he was changing, it’s not his fault though because he already showed me what kind of person he was a long time ago but I keep breaking my own heart with this false hope and
love.
“No,” I cut him off, shaking my head slowly. “Don’t. Don’t even try. You’ll never change, will you?” My voice was trembling, but I wouldn’t let it break. “I see it, Astor. I see the disappointment in your eyes. The hate. That coldness you always used to hold only for your enemies, now you hold it for me.” A tear finally escaped, tracing a lonely path down my cheek. “It means that every time something happens between us, it will always be my fault. Always. And I can’t. I can’t stay in a relationship like that.”
His eyes widened, his anger suddenly replaced by something close to panic. He reached for me, his hand outstretched. “Faith, no! Please, don’t say that.
Wait, I-”
I pulled back, recoiling as if I’d been burned. The thought of his touch, after seeing that hate, was too much. “I need space, Astor,” I said, my voice flat, empty. “I need to breathe.”
I lied to myself and tried to convince myself that maybe she was lying to me but she was telling the truth and I’m sure the reason why she didn’t tell him that day was to f*** with me and she was very successful.
I turned, heading for the door, my legs feeling like lead. Just as my hand touched the cold metal of the doorknob, his voice stopped me. “Where are you going?” he demanded, a strange mix of fear and possessiveness in his
tone.
He has the nerve.
I looked back at him, my gaze unwavering. “Don’t worry,” I told him, a strange calm settling over me despite the storm inside. “I won’t run away.” A cold, hard truth, a promise I knew I had to keep. “You’re keeping my father, God knows where. I would never leave you in that kind of trouble.” I forced a little half–smile, a bitter twist of my lips. “So relax, Astor. I’m not going anywhere,
yet.”
3/4
And then, I opened the door and walked out, leaving him alone in the room,
leaving my shattered hopes behind me.
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