Betrothed to The Devil (Devil in Disguise Duet #2)

Chapter 10

《Selena Arabella Calos》

I have been avoiding him for days now. I don't know why he has let me, but I try not to question it. I need to stay as far from him as possible for my sanity. I have made my schedule tougher to avoid him. I get back home late at night and leave early in the morning. I absolutely hate that I am not spending time in my new home. So when I returned home today, I decided to take myself out of my monotonous routine and explore the house. This way, not only will I get to spend time at home, but I will also be able to avoid Daniel.

I feel a sense of ease as I walk through the house- as if I belong here. I do not know what it is about the house that makes me feel that way, but I love the feeling- it's refreshing. I trace the dark wooden handrail as I walk up the narrow stairs, stopping when I reach an oak door on the top. 

Should I go in? What if I am not supposed to go in there? Daniel did say I could go anywhere in the house without permission, but something about this room is making me hesitate- everyone has things they like to hide, and attics are the best place to hide those things. What if Daniel does not want me to see what is inside?

I chew on my lip, and after a few minutes of deliberation, I push open the door, revealing a room that looks like it has been untouched for years. The room is a mess with boxes littered all over it, dust coating all surfaces and cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. I walk inside, feeling a sense of fascination fill me. 

As I look around the room, one particular box catches my eye- not because it seems less worn than the others but because it has my name on it... in Daniel's handwriting. I cross the room, tripping three times, before I reach the box. My heart beat rockets as I take off the lid of the box. I always thought he would have thrown away anything associated with me after what happened between us, but he did not- he kept them safe. 

The box is filled with all the belongings I left at his apartment- some jewellery, clothes, and pictures of us. I feel tears pool in my eyes as I dig through the box. I cannot believe he kept everything. He kept all our memories safe like I had. I hate him for it because all I want to do is run to him and kiss him now. 

I frown when I reach the bottom of the box. There is a picture of me on my ninth birthday with a boy standing in the background, smiling. How did Daniel get this picture? 

I wipe the dust off the picture and inspect it more closely. Why does the boy look so familiar? He looks just like- no, it can't be.

-

Flashback- Selena's Ninth Birthday

I wanted to have a party for my birthday, but Mother said that I could not because I was a disappointment, and disappointments do not have birthday parties. Instead, I got to spend my birthday at a charity event. When I arrived at the event with my father, Mother looked at me angrily, so I escaped the room before she decided to act on her anger. I ran around the house until I found the only place with open doors- the library.

The library was small, but almost all the books were collectables. I browsed through the collection until I found my favourite book- Grimms' Fairy Tales. I grabbed the book and scanned the library to find a place to sit that would hide me. Finally, I spotted a place on the floor next to the bar where no one would spot me. It was a bit dark, but I was used to reading in the dark. I settled on the uncomfortable spot, opened the book and started reading.

I do not know how long I read, but when I finally looked up, I saw someone sitting on the chair on the other side of the room staring at me. I jumped up in surprise, covering my mouth so I do not make a noise. I blinked to refocus my eyes, then looked back at the person. The boy in the chair looked a little older than me and seemed very amused at my reaction to him.