Espera | R. Grayson ✔

[43]

Lavina returned to her mansion and locked herself up in her room, unable to keep standing any longer. During the confrontation at Richard's place, she had gotten a lot hurt than she let it show.

It was the first time she had seen Richard be completely vicious towards her, without any regard for how much she had mattered to him in the past. And she knew she deserved every bit of his hate since she had gone out of her way to keep him under her control.

She peeled off her gown that had acted as a shield for her back then but even with all the protective layers, some blows had struck her deep.

Blood was dripping through the cuts in her skin as she fetched her medical kit, intending to patch herself up on her own. After all, it wasn't the first time she had gotten injured.

However, it was the first time she had felt the pain from those wounds.

Each cut stung with twice more pain than it should have but the worst pain of all was in her heart.

She knew exactly what she was doing and she had braced herself for the outcomes but watching it all unfold according to what she had planned wasn't a very satisfactory feeling that once. She had to see the person who she valued most slowly but steadily turn against her and start to despise her.

Despite everything, that hatred hurt the most. Yet she was fully aware that she deserved it.

The antiseptic stung as she applied it over her wounds after cleaning up the blood then wrapped the cuts up in fresh bandage. Her body had too many scars already but those that had just been inflicted penetrated deeper than just her skin.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door and she looked up, mild irritation crossing her features. She wanted to be left alone at the moment but that knock clearly indicated that she couldn't have that wish.

Sighing wearily, she slipped on her nightgown and tied a robe over it, ignoring the pain in the cuts as she slowly made her way to the door, "what is it?"

"Miss Vanaver is here to see you," her butler's voice sounded from the other side.

Her brow knitted together in frustration but she took in deep breaths to compose herself, "alright... Send her up here."

"Right away, Ma'am."

The sound of retreating footsteps were enough for her to assume that a few minutes later, Samantha would be outside that door and she would have to let her in.

Though she couldn't help but think about the words Richard had spoken to her right before Barbara and Jason had broken in: "Why are you still not letting me go? Don't you have another person now to keep controlling as a puppet? Why don't you just go and pay attention to your new prodigy instead of making my life hell..."

It made her think whether she was really treating Samantha just like she had treated Richard or not. And the answer was just as Richard had accused her of; she was indeed controlling the young woman in the same way that she had controlled and manipulated Richard.

All that control and manipulation had gone to waste as it had made Richard only want to break away from her and seek his freedom. She wondered if that would happen to Samantha too and the thought sent a shudder down her spine.

"Miss Vikander, may I step in?" 

That gentle voice roused her from her thoughts and reluctantly she unlocked the door, pulling it open, "of course, sweetheart."

"I hope I didn't disturb you," a faint red dusted over the woman's cheeks to see that Lavina seemed as if she was about to go to bed.

"Oh not at all," she smiled and brushed her concerns away as she brought her inside, locking the door again, "tell me, dear, what made you want to visit me?"