Laura and Caleb were best friends when they were little, even if they didn't belong to the same pack. Inseparable. Always together. That changed during their teenage years. The two grew apart: Caleb grew popular, and Laura became a loner. Her early adolescent years were spent hoping Caleb would return to her, but Caleb's family moved away from their hometown without a word. Seven years later, Laura escapes from her arranged marriage, and the person she calls when she is drunk and crying is Caleb. Big mistake. Instead of rekindling what they once had, Caleb decides to kidnap Laura and make her his luna—without her permission! But Caleb is wrong if he thinks Laura will be an easy conquest. She is too proud to fall for the charming face belonging to alpha Caleb! And if she marries him, it sure doesn't mean she loves him... Right?
Lihat lebih banyak「死んじゃえ」
ゆっくりと閉じられていくドアの隙間から見えた息子の顔には嫌悪が浮かび、その口から信じられないような言葉が出て、青褪めた那須川雪乃(なすかわゆきの)は伸ばした腕を静かに下ろした。
冬の時季、誰も使わない別荘に忘れてきた大事なものを取りに行きたいとねだられ、父親に怒られたくないからと誰にも告げずに母子2人だけで訪れてみれば、建物裏にある物置小屋に閉じ込められた。
「陽斗(はると)!お願いっ、開けて!」
叫んでも、聞こえてきたのは遠ざかる子供の足音だけだった。
10年間我が子当然に大切に育ててきた息子の仕打ちに、雪乃はただ呆然と涙を流した。
どうしてっ…。
ちょうど1年くらい前、なぜか急に子供たちの彼女への態度が変わった。
夏休みを利用して、夫であり父親の那須川悠一(なすかわゆういち)の海外出張について行ったあの頃から、目に見えて冷たくなった。
「うるさい」「あっち行って」「僕(私)の物に勝手に触るな」
数え上げたらきりが無いほど数々の暴言を吐かれ、時には強く叩かれたりもした。
雪乃はなんとなくその理由を察してはいたが、それでも10年という絆を信じていた。
はぁ…。ママ、ママって、あんなに可愛かったのになぁ…。
ドアを叩きすぎて手は腫れ、叫びすぎて声が枯れ、毛布一枚ない粗末な小屋の寒さに体力も奪われ、とうとう雪乃は床に倒れ込んだ。
悠一…。
雪乃は夫の姿を思い描き、その冷たい表情とまるで熱のない口調を思い出して微かに嘲笑った。
こんな結婚、しなきゃよかった…。
そう後悔しながら、彼女の意識は徐々に暗闇へと沈んでいった…。
そしてー
「ーき乃っ、雪乃!」
小声ではあるがそのきつい口調に、藤堂雪乃(とうどうゆきの)はハッ…と意識を覚醒させた。
なに…。何なの、これ…?
ザワザワとした喧騒と静かなBGMが彼女の耳に触り、それと同時に目の前に立つ男を見て、雪乃は反射的に一歩後退った。
周りを見回すと着飾った家族が心配そうに自分を見ていて、雪乃はここがどこで、今何をしているのか理解した。
ただ、理解したからといって到底信じられることではなく、彼女の唇は微かに震えた。
「藤堂雪乃っ、早くしろっ」
「……」
そう急かされて、彼女は向かい合って立つ2人の横に困ったような顔で微笑う神父さまを見た。
指輪交換、ね…。
あぁ~、なんで誓っちゃったかなぁ…。
できれば永遠の愛を誓う前、できればこの結婚式の前に覚醒めたかった……。
あからさまにガッカリと肩を落とす花嫁に、新郎の那須川悠一は苛立った。
「早く手を出せ!」
はぁ〜。仕方ない…。
ため息をついた雪乃は左手をだらんと前に出した。
悠一はそれを掴んで、そのほっそりとした薬指にぎゅっと無理矢理指輪をはめ込んだ。
それから「んっ」と自らの手も新婦に向かって差し出し、嫌そうな表情をする彼女に早くしろと言わんばかりに、また改めて「ん!」と突き出した。
雪乃は本当にしぶしぶ…という感じで悠一に指輪をはめたが、その時突然、彼女の胸に後悔の波が押し寄せて来た。
「ったく…指輪の交換くらいで、何をそんなにもったいぶってんだか…っ」
悠一の文句を聞きながら、雪乃は呟いた。
「やだ…」
「は?なんだって?」
「やだって言ったの!」
そう叫んで、雪乃は徐ろに薬指にはまった結婚指輪を外そうとしだした。
「おい!」
悠一は慌てて彼女の手を掴み、サッと神父の方を見た。
「おいっ、さっさと宣誓しろ!」
「やだやだやだやだ!神様お願いぃーっ。こんなの認めないで!」
「雪乃!!」
この急なドタバタで結婚式はめちゃくちゃだった。
でも雪乃の必死な抵抗も懇願も虚しく、2人の婚姻は一応成立したのだった。
控室にてー
「どういうことなんだ!?」
那須川悠一は目の前のテーブルをバンッ!と叩いた。
「お前は結婚をなんだと思ってんだ!?遊びじゃないんだぞ!」
そう怒鳴っても、ウェディングドレスを脱いだ藤堂雪乃は平気そうに、その唇を尖らせてぶつくさ文句を言った。
「だって、いやだったのよ」
「なに!?」
ふんっとそっぽを向く雪乃に、悠一は怒りで目眩がしそうだった。
自分との結婚が嫌だった?なにを言ってるんだ、この女は!
イライラと歯軋りし、悠一はドカッと椅子に座った。
ふふっ
そんな時、場違いに響いた微笑い声にギロリと視線を向けた。
「なにが可笑しいんですか、母さん?」
「だって…」
答えながらも、彼女は笑いが止まらないようで、ふふふっと目を細めていた。
「母さんっ」
「ごめんなさい?だって、昔の雪乃さんを思い出しちゃって…っ」
「……」
悠一は黙って一つ息をついた。
「おばさま…」
雪乃は恥ずかしそうに頬を染め、ちらりと悠一の方を見た。
確かに、今『完璧な令嬢』と世間で言われている藤堂雪乃は、かつて子供の頃それとは程遠いお転婆な女の子だった。
両家の祖母同士が姉妹ということもあって昔から付き合いがあり、雪乃と悠一も幼い頃から顔見知りだった。
再従兄弟という間柄、割と頻繁に顔を合わせてはいたが男女だったからか、単に性格上か、そこまで親しくしてはいなかった。
悠一は那須川家唯一の後継者として小さい頃から厳しく育てられていたし、友人として付き合う相手も好きに選べる状況ではなかった。
それに比べて藤堂家は比較的自由な家風で、令嬢としての教育も最低限恥をかかない程度、という感じだった。
初めて会った時、悠一は大人たちが食事を楽しんでいるその横で静かに本を読んでいて、その姿は子供とは思えない落ち着き払ったものだった。
一方、雪乃は3歳下の春奈(はるな)と手を繋ぎ、那須川家の広大な庭を散歩中迷子になっていた。
不安で泣き出した妹を慰めながら歩く姿を窓から見た悠一が、執事に声をかけ、迎えに行かせたのだった。
あちこち歩き廻ったのだろう…うっすらと汗をかき、乱れた髪の毛に葉っぱを付けて「ありがとう」とはにかんだ笑顔にドキンと胸が鳴ったことを憶えていた。
悠一は目の前で柔らかそうな頬を膨らませ、拗ねているようにそっぽを向く雪乃を見て、確かに子供の頃を思い出すな…と微かに微笑った。
それを横目で見た雪乃が「なによ?」と言うのに、「いや…」と目元を緩めた。
Laura"Happy Birthday to you!" Caleb and I sing to our daughter, Mandy, who has just turned two. It's her birthday, and I have organized this colossal birthday bash for her, but she does not look thrilled."I wanna ride the bunny..." Mandy mumbles and points at Gary, who shakes his head no."Come on, Gary, be a good sport and let her ride your back!" Caleb looks at him with pleading eyes."Hell no! She pulls my ears a lot, and it hurts." Gary frowns.I look at Mandy. "Sweetheart, if uncle Gary let you ride on his back, do you promise not to pull his ears?"Mandy's lips curls into a mischievous smile. "I promise.""I don't trust her." Gary shakes his head again."Go ahead, Gary. Take Mandy for a ride on your shoulders. If you do that, I will let take you out on a date. You know, that amazing place you've always wanted to go to?" Marcus smirks. Gary's eyes light up. "The bugs bunny world? You know he is my idol!"I roll my eyes. Their relationship is a doozy. I don't know how and when
LauraI'm over the moon.I finally have everything I've ever wanted. Jenna is gone forever after being digested by Gary, I have Caleb as my mate, and now I am going to have his baby. What more could I want in life?Except, I have one small problem.Well, err... It's a problem."How much longer do you think he will stay with us?" Caleb whispers to me as we watch Gary chomping on his carrots.It is day two, and Gary is still here. "I don't know. I tried to ask Gary to find another place, but he said he likes this house a lot," I whisper back, shrugging at the situation. "I don't know how to get rid of him.""Erm...I can hear you two..." Gary says between munching. He puts down the carrot and points at his ears. "You see these things? They are not just ears. They act as antennas. I can hear things from miles away."Well, that's just lovely."By the way! These orange sticks are delicious! Can't believe my world doesn't have them. More reason to stay here!" Gary chirps and eats another c
CalebI miss Laura.She hasn't been gone that long, but it feels like my heart has been torn out of my chest. I haven't been able to sleep since she disappeared.I feel so helpless because I don't know how to reach her. Is she okay? Is she in trouble? Is she even alive?I hear a soft knock on my door, but I ignore it. I don't feel like having a visitor at the moment. Maybe if I don't answer the door, whoever it is outside will walk away slowly. Most people are afraid of me nowadays anyway."Caleb! Open the door, goddamnit."I am even more annoyed when I hear Jenna's voice. Ever since I found out about what she did to Laura, I've done my best not to lash out and do something drastic to her. I want Jenna to suffer for the shrinking Laura thing, but I want it to happen slowly. And I want Laura to be present when I punish Jenna for what she did. Because what's the point of avenging Laura if Laura is not here to enjoy it?"You can come in, Jenna," I announce.The door bursts open, and Jen
LauraI am falling.I don't know for how long, but it feels like an eternity.Not this shit again.Why do I keep being thrown from one place to another?Was following the humanoid rabbit thing into this dark hole the biggest mistake I had ever made?I hope not, but I'm not confident. Alice did the same thing in Wonderland and had a good ole time, didn't she?"Are you having fun yet?"I hear a tiny voice, and it takes me a while to realize the rabbit thing is speaking to me. "No! I am going to be sick. Where are you taking me?""I am not taking you anywhere. The tunnel is doing all the work. I am just the guide." The Rabbit giggles and I feel chills down my bone. Something about this doesn't feel right.I suddenly crashland into something soft. It feels cool and pleasant. I am glad because I was scared that I would break my neck at the speed I was falling.I stand up, fix my clothes, and then look down at what I just crashed into.Oh. You've got to be kidding me!It is piles of nasty b
Laura I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. Flying through a dark sky with ominous thunderclouds and claws digging into the skin of my legs. Blood is trickling down my wounds. I'm in tremendous pain. Yet the only thing I can focus on right now is that this is definitely not my world! Where the hell am I?! "Release me, you psycho!" I scream and try to swing myself to hit her. I fail, which makes me more frustrated. "Let me go!" "No, darling, I can't do that... I'm hungry, so very staaaarving, and I want what is inside you!" "You're sick!" The monster woman hisses at me and flies with me through this realm that looks straight out of a nightmare. The skies are purple, and all the trees are black with arm-like branches without any leaves. No green grass. Only mud and half-dried up lakes. "Where the fuck are we?!" I demand. "Where have you brought me?!" The monster woman laughs. "To my home." "Home?" "The nightmare realm." "What is that?" "The place where monster exists."
Laura Dating Caleb, huh? I would have never thought the day would come. When Caleb moved away from our hometown, and I lost him, I thought it was going to be for good. I never expected us to meet each other again. Then he kidnapped me after my drunk dial, and things were difficult... and now? No one will take him away from me, not even Jenna. I won't let her. It has been a week since we had that conversation, and Caleb finally has the time to take me out on an official date."This ought to be good." I stay in my bedroom all day, trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow. It's almost embarrassing how excited I am. My heart thumps against my chest...what if all this is a mistake? No...I shouldn't think like that. Caleb is my mate, and everything will be wonderful. We will have a beautiful child, and he or she will make us very happy. "Would you stop daydreaming so much and pick an outfit already?" Celina says irritably. "I'm waiting over here."I look at her and gasp as I prett
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