Page 211 of The Devil's Fire

“What? It’s a normal question.” Ava argued, innocently shrugging her shoulders.

“It’s okay.” I smiled at Samantha before addressing Ava. “And no, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

I didn’t want to give out too much information about myself, and I certainly didn't want to risk them asking why I was alone without my boyfriend. I didn’t want to go down that road.

“Good for you. Men suck anyway, and they cheat on you while saying they love you.” Ava said bitterly, almost chugging down her wine.

Ava was a very open person and had talked about her ex-boyfriend cheating on her when one day I found her crying on my walk on the beach. I couldn’t simply walk past her without asking if she was okay. That was when she opened up to me, and I just listened as she poured her heart out.

“Did I tell you that I found his dick deep into some girl’s ass in our bed?!” She said angrily while Samantha rubbed her arm comfortingly.

“Should have cut his dick off and flushed it down the toilet.” I shrugged my shoulders. They both looked at me, a bit shocked at my answer before bursting out in laughter.

“I knew I liked you the moment I saw you.” Ava said, and I let out a grin.

After indulging in too many cookies and some wine, I thanked Samantha for the invite and made my way back home as it was getting late. Ever since that day, I found it uncomfortable to be outside in the dark and would immediately retreat inside the house to feel safe.

I turned on the security alarm, which I had been doing religiously every single day. I went to the bedroom and plopped down on the bed, feeling tired from all the sugar I had consumed in one sitting.

It has already been two weeks since I got here, and while I was feeling myself getting physically better, mentally I was still struggling. Sometimes I felt lonely, and I strongly longed for him, but I wasn’t courageous enough to face him just yet.

By day, I functioned relatively normally, but the nights were the worst. Each time I rubbed my stomach, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would have looked like now. That was why I had taken down every mirror in the house; I couldn’t bear to look at myself.

My body was still experiencing slight cramps from the miscarriage, often driving me to tears as I mourned the painful loss. I had to find a way to let it go, but how was I ever going to?

I opened the drawer on the nightstand and grabbed my phone. From the moment I arrived, I deliberately switched off my phone to prioritize my healing process.

My phone started buzzing constantly, as soon as it turned on, from the many text messages and missed phone calls I had received. All were from Michael.

I had a knot of anxiety in my stomach as I debated whether to dive into my notifications or keep ignoring them.

The buzzing continued for a while, and I couldn’t do anything except wait for it to pass before I could use my phone. Just as it had stopped, my phone buzzed in my hand and showed me an incoming call.

I answered.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck, Althaia! I thought you were fucking dead!” Michael yelled at me, and I bit down on my lip as guilt filled my body. I had completely forgotten all about Michael and my father.

“I’m sorry…” I muttered to him.

“Why haven’t you been answering my texts or calls?!”

“My phone has been off. I just needed to clear my mind.” I explained to him. He went quiet before letting out a sigh.

“How are you doing?” Michael asked softly, and I took a deep breath before answering him.

“I’m doing… better.”

“That’s good.” He sounded relieved, and I got comfortable under the covers.

“How are you? And dad?” I asked.

“We’re all right. Don’t worry about us. You’re definitely missed around here. If you’d like, I can come and get you tomorrow?” He sounded hopeful. I hesitated, not knowing what to tell him about my situation.

“I, uh, I’m not staying at the manor right now…” I trailed off, and he went quiet for a while.

“What do you mean you’re not staying at the manor? Where are you?” Michael asked firmly, and I hesitated again, as I didn’t know if it was okay to tell him where I was. But it was Michael, not a stranger.

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