Chapter 2 The Heart Flutters Still

• Ariana Sutton’s POV
• I felt him freeze up. Despite how dim the room was, I could still see the look of fury on his face.
• “That was unwise, Sutton.”
• I knew it was. Back when my mother and I came to the Jablonskies for help, I called him Stef, and he told me never to call him that again. He said to me, “You’re disgusting. Both you and your mother.”
• The flames of desire in his eyes were replaced by fury. He held my wrist, his grip tightening with every passing moment.
• I thought he was going to break my wrist, but he got up and left, though not before he slammed my door shut. And then silence reigned. I fell back down, not an ounce of strength left within me. My eyes were fixated on the ceiling, but my soul was elsewhere, though tethered by the pain coming from my wrist.
• But my physical pain was nothing compared to the agony I felt within. It was agonizing knowing that my life was destined to be kept in darkness, never to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I took every step with hesitation and fear, not knowing what would happen next.
• A long, long time later, I got back up and went for a shower to wash off my exhaustion. As the water trickled down my body, my mind was taken back to a particular moment in time years and years ago. My mother was terminal, but my father divorced her and took all the money with him. Left with no choice, my mother asked her childhood friend—who was Stefan’s father—for help. Little did we know, that was the catalyst for the Jablonskies’ divorce. Stefan was only eight back then. His mother left him and never came back since.
• My mother died of illness the following year, and the news of Stefan’s mother’s demise reached him as well. He didn’t even get to see her one last time. Stefan blamed this tragedy on me and my mother, yet he had to live with me. I was already an orphan. With no one to turn to, Stefan’s father took me in. Nineteen long years had gone by since then. Stefan’s father died three years ago, and Stefan went overseas, yet the tragic story of our lives had not come to an end.
• I came out of the bathroom and pulled out my ledger from under the bed. Then I lay on my bed and perused the ledger. Ever since Stefan went overseas three years ago, I had been reducing my expenditure and seized every chance I had to make money. I habitually recorded all the money I saved in this book. About fifteen thousand more and I can pay back every penny this family has spent on me.
• Money was the only thing I could pay them back in. I had other debts, but they were not monetary. Yet there was nothing I could do about those. So, I did what I could. Once I pay them back, I’ll leave this place and start my life anew. It’s better for both of us. At least Stefan will know peace once I’m gone.
• My alarm bell rang, waking me up early in the morning. I didn’t have a good sleep, but I freshened myself up and took a shower. Then I made breakfast. All the servants in this household were terminated ever since Stefan went overseas. I was the lone soul that guarded this residence for three years. Now that Stefan was back, someone had to make breakfast for him. Since I was the only resident here other than him, that job fell on my shoulders.
• I served breakfast and laid out the cutlery, but Stefan didn’t come down just yet. Oh, jetlag, probably. He just came back. The food was getting cold, and yet he still wasn’t appearing. So, I mustered my courage and went upstairs to knock on his door. “Breakfast is on the table.”
• No answer. I mustered my courage again to knock on the door. This time, he snapped, “Piss off.”
• I expected this attitude from him. Wasn’t surprising. So, I shrugged and returned to the dining room for my breakfast. It’s the weekend. No work at the hospital. Wonder if I can do any part-time work.
• Sounds of footsteps came from the stairs. I looked up only to be greeted by a grumpy Stefan. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
• He was in a crisp suit, probably because he needed to go out. His hair was combed back, and his face was as chiseled as a statue. I could never get tired of looking at him. Even that little sense of aloofness in his eyes was attractive to me.
• He was the epitome of good looks. Of manliness. Even though it had been three years since we saw each other, my heart still fluttered for him. But just in case we got into another fight, I put my cutlery down and stood up. “I’m gonna be late for work. Leave the dishes. I’ll do them when I come back.”
• It was then I noticed his tie still looking out of place. By habit, I approached Stefan and straightened it out for him, but then he held my hand and yanked me into his embrace. Uncontrollably, I fell. We were millimeters apart, and I could feel his breath raining down my face.