The Unwanted Bride Of Atticus Fawn

~CLARA~

Something wasn't right. Why would Ace run out of the room as soon as he found out that Nicole was pregnant with Alaric's baby?

I heard Nicole's voice earlier, and it was evident that the two of them knew each other. He also said that they were sleeping around.

Was it possible that the baby was his and not Alaric's? That wouldn't change the fact that Alaric still broke my heart and slept with her recently, but it would make the pain less for sure.

I stood up from the ground the second the door opened, and he walked inside.

"Why did you run off?" I demand. "What was it that I said that made you react that way?"

His jaw clenched, "tell me everything you know about Alaric's family."

My eyes widened, "Why would I ever tell you about his family?"

He paces up and down the room before he turns and glares at me, "I need to know the truth about the curse Clara. Is there a curse in his family? Or did Nicole just fucking lie to me again?"

My eyes widen. Nicole told him about the family curse. Why would she do such a thing? That was supposed to remain a secret. How could she betray Alaric like that?

"I don't know what you are speaking about." I lie. "Nicole is someone who loves to lie. It's just another one of her lies."

A muscle ticks in his jaw, "you're the one lying."

I glare at him, "You can't tell that for sure."

"I can," he growls. "I can tell when you're fucking lying to me, just like I can tell when you're hurt."

I bit my lip and looked away from his penetrating gaze, "I don't want to speak about this. Not to you or your family. You cannot be trusted."

"My father may not be trusted, but believe me, I'm the best hope you have to get out of my home alive, and I can't help you unless you're completely honest with me." He warns me.

Could I truly trust Ace? Or was this all a trap so that he could learn Alaric's weakness?

I wasn't sure what the right thing to do was here.

"Even if you don't tell me, I still have ways of finding out the truth." He informs me. "I could ask around, I'm sure there are people who know the truth. I heard there are basements in their home; I can have my people break into it and find out the truth for myself also. There are multiple ways for me to find out. This is the easiest way.”

He was serious about his threats. I knew he was. Even if I didn't tell him, he could easily find out. I saw the kind of structures and gadgets that they made. I knew that the Blackners was not an ordinary family. I knew that they were dangerous. Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

I look away and say, "They are cursed. I don't know everything about the curse since they are secretive about it. What I do know for sure is that they lock themselves in the basement with multiple chains just so that they do not harm another woman. They torture themselves so that they aren't considered monsters. They've had it very hard and are still dealing with the pain each day. This is why Carter broke up with me; it wasn't only because he was falling for my sister; he wanted to protect me from himself."

His jaw clenched, and I could tell that this wasn't the news he had been hoping for.

Why was that?

“Why do you look so unhappy with this information?” I ask him. “You were the one that wanted the confirmation from me. What else did Nicole tell you?”

He doesn't look like he wants to tell me.

“It has something to do with her pregnancy, doesn't it?” I demand. “Please, tell me what she told you. Is the baby yours?”

He runs a hand down his face and turns to leave. I won't let him; I grab him by his arm. “Please,” I beg. “I need to know the truth. I love him. I love Alaric. I've never loved anyone the way that I love him.”

His jaw clenched, and he pulled his hand away from my grasp. “Everything she said was a lie.”

My lips parted slightly as he turned to look at me directly in my eyes; it looked like he was dying inside as he said, “She trapped Alaric. She told him a lie. He never slept with her. On the last full moon, she made him believe that they slept together. He woke up and saw her in the bed with him. She made him believe that she was pregnant with his baby. Since he couldn't remember anything from that night, he had no choice but to believe her. Nicole has been sleeping around with me even throughout her marriage, I only found out later into the affair. Then she divorced him because she wanted to be with me. However, I didn't want her that way. She was never someone important to me. But then she told me that she was pregnant with my baby. I'm trapped with her until that baby is born.”

I'm shocked to my core.

I couldn't believe this.

How could she? How could Nicole play such a dirty trick on Alaric?

How?