Eaves Dropping
Kieran’s POV
I pressed my back against the door, the moment I shut it behind me. I’d slammed the door so loud it rattled in its hinges. I was sure the loud noise it had made could be heard throughout the halls and probably down at the dining room, but I wasn’t sure I cared. My heart thundered in my chest and every effort at trying to calm it down failed.
The more I tried not to think about it, the more the thoughts swarmed in my mind. Beads of sweat lined the top of my forehead, and I could feel its slimy residue snaking down my face. As it cascaded down, it mixed with the salty tears that slipped from my eyes.
I was crying and I didn’t even know. It must have been somewhere in between my escape from the dining room to my bedroom. My hand flew to my chest as if I could touch the pain I felt as I slid down the door. My heart raced almost as much as it hurt.
I pressed my eyes shut as her words rang in my head again. I thought I had grown past the threshold of being affected by mere words, but apparently, I was yet to meet Xander’s mother.
“What if she has any criminal records? She could be a thief for all we know. A murderer…” Her words swarmed around my head, each one causing a constant ache in my chest.
She had called me trash, and even though she wasn’t the first person to use derogatory remarks on me, it still hurt as hell, and I had an idea why. It was because it came from Xander’s mother. My mate’s mother.
Deep down, I wanted her approval. I mean, only naturally, right?. I was mated to her son.
But she already hated me even without knowing I was Xander’s mate. I could only imagine how disgusted she would feel when she does find out. What was I supposed to do then?
She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she didn’t like me. She was plain with it and it hurt that she wasn’t even giving me a chance to prove myself. But it didn’t matter. There was no use dragging it, especially when I was finally leaving.
Yes, I had already decided. I was going to leave the mansion as soon as possible. That had been my plan all along, but with Sabrina being nice to me and finding out Xander was my mate, I guess I had gotten a little carried away. But not anymore. Xander’s mother’s arrival was the wake-up call I didn’t know I needed. It absolutely tore me apart to leave my mate when I finally thought I had a chance at happiness and it also hurt to leave Sabrina. The woman who saved me. And perhaps it was unfair too. But I was so tired and done with pleasing others. I needed to leave. For my own good.
My mind flashed back to the last time I tried to run away. Xander had intercepted it. What if he did it again this time?
No. I shook my head slowly. There was no way I was going to let that happen. The last time, Xander had only caught me because I didn’t exactly have anywhere to go. I hadn’t mapped out my next move. I just wanted to leave and that was my biggest mistake. But now, I wasn’t going to do that. If I wanted to get out of here successfully and without any hiccups, I needed a plan. And a very solid one at that too.
I shook my head a little bit to get some bearing, before slowly getting off the floor. I’d been in that position for a while and my back was beginning to hurt but it was easily masked by the ache I felt in my chest.
To pull off anything, I needed money. I hadn’t made enough to be considered a huge amount that would be able to cover the cost of getting a new apartment and all that, so what was I going to do?
Asking Xander or Sabrina for money was not an option. I wasn’t about to burden anyone with my problems. Plus, if Xander’s mother were to somehow find out about it, I would be proving her right. That I’m cheap trash.
That, and Xander definitely wouldn’t give me any money if he realized it was part of my escape plan. So what the hell was I going to do? Where am I supposed to get money?
An idea came to mind immediately. Mrs Eliza. I hadn’t been working under her for a long time, but what if I asked her for an advance payment of some sort? Mrs Eliza was nice, and I was sure I could convince her to give me a huge chunk of my salary. Once she agrees to it, I would make an agreement with her to pay her back. She could even deduct the money she had given me from my salary moving forward. If I could get her to agree to giving me part of it, just enough to survive, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Right? I hoped to the goddess that it worked.
It felt like everything would work just fine but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. You couldn’t blame me though.
When I really thought about it, I realized Xander’s mother was actually right. No matter how painful her words were or how hurt I was, it didn’t change the truth. I had no spot at the dining table. Hell, I wasn’t even supposed to be in the mansion in the first place.
Sabrina had helped me out in my time of need, and even I knew that I had overstayed my welcome. I let myself get distracted. I slumped onto my bed in one swift motion. Well, the bed.
My back came in contact with one of the fluffy pillows, and I gently pulled it from underneath me, before hugging it tightly. The tears in my eyes had dried up, and my cheeks were no longer wet, but it didn’t guarantee that my eyes weren’t going to get busy again.
The memory of the incident at the dining room was more than enough to have me tearing up again. Deep down, I didn’t want to leave.
Thanks to all the love and support, a tiny part of me had actually adapted to the mansion. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, the mansion had been my home since I escaped Lucas’ wrath, and running away from somewhere that finally made me feel good felt like a big deal.
Was I making the right choice? Was I going to regret it later on? Would it be that bad if I stayed back and endured all of Xander’s mother’s tantrums? I’d survived worse right, so why not a little more?
No. I didn’t know a lot about Xander’s mother, but I had a gut feeling she would be nothing but trouble. If all of the evidence I’d been seeing wasn’t convincing enough, all I needed to do was remember her words at the table.
The rest of my thoughts swirled around in my mind and I slowly found myself drifting into a long and dark sleep.
*************
A small groan slid past my lips as I slowly peeled my eyes open. My head felt heavy as I tried to find my bearings. My vision was hazy, and I blinked back a couple of times before my eyes cleared up. My throat felt parched and a small pain nestled at the side of my neck.
I winced as I kneaded my fingers around the spot as I realized I had cried myself to sleep in an awkward position last night. A quick glance at the clock showed the time to be almost eleven am in the morning and I winced again. It was easy past breakfast and it made me wonder if Sabrina has actually come up here before I woke up.
Sabrina.
The mere thought of her was enough to stir up the memories of last night. Yes, I had planned and decided on leaving, but a tiny part of me couldn’t help but feel like leaving without telling Sabrina about it first would be rude and definitely unfair.
As quickly as I could, I dashed into the bathroom to freshen up. Unlike most times, I didn’t waste too much time in the bathroom. The moment I was dressed, I dashed down the stairs in search of Sabrina. I was halfway down the stairs when something caught my ear.
“Sabrina.” It was Xander and he sounded frustrated to say the least. It almost felt like he’d been arguing with her for a while now.
“How can you even be serious right now?” he asked, sounding like he was in disbelief.
I slowed down my steps. I knew I shouldn’t be eavesdropping but I couldn’t help it.
“I said what I said, Xander.” It was without a doubt Sabrina, and she didn’t sound too pleased either. I wondered what they were arguing about.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
I had barely asked myself that question, when Sabrina’s voice broke through my thoughts.
“Kieran shouldn’t even be here in the first place.” I paled as her words reached my ears. “She needs to leave. Now”
Wait, what?