Chapter Two: Kendra

I knew that I was going to pay for what I had done downstairs, but I didn’t give a damn. I had made the decision a long time ago that I wasn’t going to give in, and no matter what John Hazelwood did, I wasn’t going to let him break me.

          Five minutes after I made it to my room, my door flew open while I was sitting on the bed, and I let out a gasp as I jumped in my place.

          His face was red with fury, and I gulped as I braced for impact. I was about to receive a few new bruises that I knew I had to cover.

          The two of us had never been close, but everything got worse after Mom’s death. My asshole of a father was cheating on my mom while she was fighting cancer. He brought Abigail to our home two months after Mom’s death.

It wasn’t just that. I had to deal with the fact that my father had a child with her. Amanda was only three years younger than me, and Mom died when I was eight, so imagine my surprise when I put two and two together.

          “Did you enjoy acting almighty downstairs in front of him?” His voice had an edge in it, causing my heart to hammer behind my chest.

          “I wasn’t going to let you sell me.” Even if I was shaking from the inside, I wasn’t going to let him see me weak. “Did you think I was going to do what you wanted without trying to make the most out of it?”

          In less than a second, he covered the distance between us in two long strides, and his hand connected with my face. That wasn’t his first time slapping me. I had become used to the pain.

          He would never lay a hand on Amanda, though. She was the daughter he loved. I was collateral damage.

          “Couldn’t do it in front of him, huh?” I smirked, not letting him get the satisfaction of seeing me in pain.

          He wrapped his fingers tightly around my arm. I was certain that they were going to leave nasty marks. “Ruin this, and I will make sure to make your life a living hell.” He spat his words out.

          Why was he acting like my life wasn’t a living hell already?

          “I won’t because I can’t wait to get the hell out of here,” I said, attempting to yank my arm out of his grasp, but I hated to admit that he was way stronger than I was.

          He shoved me against the bed, and I fell on the mattress.

          Only when he slammed the door behind him did I allow the tears to brim in the corner of my eyes, yet I never let them fall.

***

I texted my boyfriend a while ago, telling him I needed to see him. I certainly didn’t tell him that I was going to break up with him over a text. I was not that cruel.

          I reached the restaurant, and the host guided me to an outdoor table. I smoothed my royal blue pants with my hands and took a deep breath. I was dreading every single moment in this mess, but I had to get it over with.

          A cool breeze made my hair fly, and I let myself enjoy how refreshing it was. Most of the time, I was in a better mood when I wasn’t at home. It was a rarity for me to be in a good mood while being at home because the people who lived there liked to make my life hard.

          I wished I could pack my things and leave, but in order to do that, I had to be powerful enough to survive against my father. If I left at the time being, he would make it his mission to make my life a living hell. He wouldn’t let me get a good job anywhere because one call from him would make anybody fire me on the spot, even if I was the best employee. Nobody wanted to be on his bad side.

          I was working on building something for myself, but the journey wasn’t easy. However, I was not a quitter.

          “Hey, bae.” Ross kissed my cheek once he arrived, then sat on the seat opposite mine. “You look beautiful today.”

          I thanked him for his compliment and inhaled. How was I supposed to break up with him? I didn’t want to break his heart or hurt him, and the worst thing, I couldn’t expect his reaction. I didn’t like the unknown. I always liked to plan ahead and have a clear picture of how things might turn out.

          “What’s on your mind?” Ross wondered after ordering something for himself to drink.

          “There’s something serious I want to talk to you about,” I started, wrapping my hands around the hot cup of coffee in front of me. I nervously tapped my leg under the table and looked down at the round wooden table before lifting my gaze to meet his. “We need to break up.” I dropped the bomb.

          I waited for him to say something, but silence took over the conversation for a few seconds. He started laughing, causing a crease to appear between my eyebrows.

          “Good joke, babe.” He chuckled.

          This was going to be harder than I thought. I didn’t know why he thought I was joking, but I needed him to understand that I was serious.

          “I’m not joking. Ross. I’m going to get married.” I dropped the second bomb.

          He took one look at my face and stopped laughing when he realized that I was serious. I knew this wasn’t an ideal situation, but I was not going to have a boyfriend when I was about to get married. Even if that was nothing but an arranged marriage, I wasn’t going to be a cheater.

          “Have you been cheating on your fiancé with me?” he snapped. I didn’t like his tone, and it reminded me of how my dad usually spoke to me, but he had the right to be angry.

          “No, it’s an arranged marriage, Ross, that I have just found out about today. I can’t run away from this even if I want to,” I explained. Discomfort filled the air. Even the cool breeze that made the atmosphere bearable a while ago was no longer there.

          “I can’t believe how pathetic you are.” I pushed myself back as these harsh words left his mouth. He didn’t understand anything. He thought that because I came from money, everything was easy for me, but my life had never been easy.

          “Listen, Ross. I know this isn’t ideal, but it is what it is. I’m so sorry, but it’s a family obligation.” I reached for my white Gucci bag and stood up.

          He was quick to stand up too, and harshly grabbed my wrist, making everybody look at us.

          “Let go of me, Ross!” I hissed, looking around us. If somebody filmed that and the video ended up viral, I was never going to hear the end of it. My father might even kill me. I wouldn’t put it past him.

          “You don’t get to toss me aside once you’re bored.” I tried to free my hand, but he only tightened his grip on me, causing me to wince in pain.

          “Are you fucking out of your mind?” I snapped. My heart was beating fast behind my ribs, and I could feel sweat forming on my back. My uneven breaths made my chest ache with a burning sensation.

          “Let go of her right now.” I turned around only to find the one and only Declan Davenport behind me. The moment Ross loosened his grip, I quickly snatched my hand away from him. I looked at my wrist and found marks around it. “Do you understand what I can do to you for bruising my fiancée?”

          I looked at Ross and Declan. Worry was written all over Ross’s face, which was normal because Declan Davenport was intimidating as hell. He didn’t need to raise his voice to make Ross cower. His stern tone was enough to make grown men wet their pants.

          “Who the hell are you?” Ross tried to act all tough, but he didn’t stand a chance against Declan, who was taller, broader, and stronger.

          “Her fiancé, and you’re going to get the hell out of her life for good.” Everybody was looking at us, and I just wanted to hide under a rock.

          “Do you know that your fiancée has a boyfriend?” Ross challenged him. My face heated up as people started paying more attention to what was happening. My eyes widened when somebody got out their phone to film.

“Put your phone down or you’re going to face a lawsuit that will make your entire family go broke,” Declan threatened the girl who had her phone out, and she quickly looked away, leaving her phone on the table. I waited for him to ask about what Ross had just said, but he didn’t.

“I’m literally trying to break up with you,” I exclaimed in a quiet voice as my hands flew in the air out of frustration.

“It’s fine. Why don’t you go to my car? It’s right there.” He pointed to the black Range Rover and handed me the keys.

          “I haven’t paid for my order yet,” I said. I wasn’t going to walk away without paying.

          “Go to my car, Kendra, and lock it. I’ll handle everything.”

          I stared at him for a second before eventually nodding. I didn’t let anyone fight my battles. I was always willing to fight for what I wanted and solved my problems on my own. However, for a reason I didn’t know, I let myself be taken care of for once.