Ashes of love:betrayed by love, disowned by family

Alina's POV

The soft jingle of my mother's antique grandfather clock echoed through the marble halls of the Elston estate, marking 9:00 p.m., two hours past the time I was supposed to be home.

I knew this wouldn't be easy. Still, I hadn't expected the rage in my father's eyes, nor the utter silence that hung like a death sentence from my mother's lips as I stood in the center of the drawing room. The weight of their stares pressed down on me like a hundred-pound chain.

"You threw away everything," my father thundered, his voice like thunder before a storm, "for him." looking angrier than ever.

I could see the rage in his father's eyes, but didn't look away. I wouldn't cry.... not in front of them, not now.

I never wanted to speak but didn't know when it came out....

"I... love him, Father," I said with an already wet eye ready to burst if I spoke more to my father, who already backed me by this time.

"That hasn't changed." My mother, Mrs Easton's voice broke the silence between us, her fingers tightened around her pearl rosary.

"But mom.... I leaned towards her, but her next statement stopped me halfway on my track, "Then you're no daughter of mine."

There it was. The word from my mom.

My heart cracked. The final bond holding me to the life I had known broke instantly. I tried to remind myself that I had known this was coming. But nothing, no mental preparation could dull the pain of being disowned by your own family.

My brother, Marcus, stood off to the side, silent as always, his face expressionless. I waited for him to say something, anything. But he only looked down at the floor. "Coward".

I was still trying to digest what my mom had said earlier, and there it came....my father gestured toward the door. "Leave. And don't come back." still.

My breath shook, my limbs too hard for me to carry. My parents' words are still ringing in my head.

The security guard appeared like a summoned demon, standing by the door.

I didn't beg...I didn't scream. I turned, lifted my chin, and walked out of the only home I had ever known.

The front door slammed behind me with a bang that made my knees weak.

I didn't go to friends, I had one left, and she was the reason this whole mess had started. Instead, I caught a cab to Damon's apartment, the man I had sacrificed everything for.

When I opened the door, my world came crumbling down, and the tears that were built up in my eyes finally fell, sending a shiver of cold down my spine.

I thought this was going to be a place to heal from the rejection from my parents, but this....shirtless, with my best friend Brielle standing behind him in one of her old sweaters, everything inside me cracked.

He didn't even look surprised.

"Alina," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... didn't expect you tonight." staring at me with what seems like an apologetic gaze.

I stared at Brielle trying to convince myself that I was hallucinating.

"You knew." My own voice, unable to voice out the pain.

Brielle didn't even shake, she leaned closer to Damon, using her pinky finger... strolling down his face with a mischievous smile.

"You weren't right for each other." she finally spouted out, then turned back to the bed.

The betrayal hit her harder than my parents' rejection.

"I gave up everything for you," I said to Damon, my voice trembling, my heart broken. You have the nerve to look guilty. "Maybe you shouldn't have."

I turned and walked away, the echo of their betrayal burning into my memory.

Outside, the city air bit into my skin. I wandered without direction, soaked by the sudden drizzle that fell from the sky. My suitcase was dragged behind me, wheels making sounds on cracks in the sidewalk.

At some point, the rain became very heavy.

I slipped in the alley behind a closed bookstore, my ankle twisting under me. Pain rushed through my leg like a knife, and I fell to the cold floor, wet ground.

I screamed not from pain, but from the pain tearing inside my chest. Love had destroyed me; I had nothing.

That's when I saw him, black coat, umbrella, eyes like midnight steel. He didn't speak at first. Just looked down at me, assessing, calm. Rich, judging by the shoes, the watch, and the soft shine of tailored silk.

"Rough night huh?" he finally said, voice smooth as aged whiskey.

I blinked through tears. "You could say that." I managed to say.

He tilted his head, as if studying me like a puzzle he intended to solve. "You shouldn't be here." "No one wants me anywhere else," I said to myself.

He paused, then extended a gloved hand. "Come on." I hesitated, then asked. "Who are you?"

He gave me the faintest of smiles, "Someone who's made mistakes. And knows what it's like to lose everything." Hands still extended towards me.

Something in my gut warned me against trusting a stranger in the dark. But I couldn't stay in the rain, I couldn't go home, I couldn't call Damon.

So I took his hand. His grip was firm, warm.

He helped me to my feet.

"My car's this way," he said, guiding me toward a black vehicle parked just beyond the street. I limped beside him, wet hair clinging to my cheeks. I watched his gracious movement.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked as he opened the door for me.

He looked at me for a long second. "Because I see something in you. Something broken. Something dangerous." I didn't understand, but I got in.

The car door shut with a solid click, sealing me inside as he drove off.7