Chapter 13

Ava

Walking across the threshold of Hunter’s glorious mansion, I can’t help but gasp. Large windows let in as much light as possible, making the entrance look big, bright, and beautiful. I thought the outside was captivating, but I don’t have a word for how grand the inside is.

Under my feet is cream-colored marble flooring, and in front of me are two white marble staircases with black banisters. The staircases flank a balcony on the second floor and a simple table in the foyer. The table is set with a vase of flowers in pinks, oranges, purples, and yellows, and I notice how the darkness of the banisters and the vibrance of the flowers perfectly balance the lighter colors in the house.

Giggling to myself about how much Hunter’s parents must love marble, I slip off my black, heeled boots and leave them by the door. Hunter beckons, so I walk carefully in my socks, hoping that I don’t slip on the cool marble beneath my small feet.

After a few poor attempts, I manage to get into the swing of things, walking with a glide in my steps. By this time, however, Hunter has given up on waiting for me and has disappeared through a door.

When I make it there, I find myself in a dining room, where a long, polished oak table with twelve chairs demands attention. I marvel at the table; it is so different from the rest of the house, and yet it fits in so well. Someone clearly has good taste in this family.

Looking around, I notice there is cutlery set out, along with different types of glasses for different types of drinks. This set up is all new to me, and I’m nervous that I’ll mess up by picking up the wrong glass or saying the wrong thing in front of Hunter’s parents.

Hunter leads me to the living room and then leaves, saying he’ll be back. The room is immaculate, not a speck of dust in sight, and the feeling of anxiety is starting to eat at me again. We’re still not the best of friends—I barely knew anything about him—how am I going to pretend that we’re dating in front of his family?

I sit perched on the edge of a chair, afraid of ruining something expensive. Five minutes have passed, and Hunter’s still not here. I’m panicking.

Then—giggling and shrieking.

I turn just in time to see Hunter carrying a little girl on his back, who tells him to go faster. He is grinning, and that pure happiness is reflected in her face. He starts to jump gently, making sure she’s safe as they play, and I forget my anxiety for a moment.

This caring and loving side of Hunter surprises me. I only ever get to see him as a jerk, and most of the time he leaves me feeling confused. Seeing him like this, unconcerned about the people around him, makes me smile.

Without warning, the girl’s head snaps to me, and her eyes pierce my own. She whispers something in Hunter’s ear, and he nods, moving toward me. I carefully rise to my feet, wringing my hands together, as the girl slips from Hunter’s back with grace and walks over herself.

She has dark brown hair that flows down to her waist, so smooth and shiny that it’s clearly been taken care of well. Her big, round eyes are the same captivating emerald as Hunter’s, and she wears a white summer dress with a cropped denim jacket. I can’t help but admire her style; she dresses better than me.

The girl walks up wearing a serious expression that doesn’t help my nerves, but then she stops and gives me the biggest smile. “Hello, my name is Leah.”

I am taken aback by how formal she is but brush it aside so that I don’t seem rude. “Hello, Leah, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Ava.”

She smiles at me as if she thought I wouldn’t return her greeting. “I know who you are; Hunter talks about you a lot.”

I feel heat rise to my face. I’m not sure what else to say, but I don’t look at Hunter because I don’t want him to see the color of my cheeks.

Luckily, Leah saves me from a lot of embarrassment by carrying on. “Do you like my outfit? Hunter picked it out for me.”

Something clicks in my head. That’s why Hunter knew what type of clothes to pick out for me; he picks out his little sister’s outfits. The thought is so adorable that I feel something unfamiliar stir inside me, but I just smile and nod at Leah.

She turns to Hunter with big, pleading eyes before she speaking in the sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. “Hunter, can I please take Ava to look at my room?” Her big eyes widen even more, and Hunter smiles at her.

“Of course, just make sure you’re down for tea.”

Leah nods in understanding and then grabs my hand, dragging me toward one of the big staircases.

When we reach the second floor, I notice there are loads of closed doors along the long corridor, which only reminds me of how much money the Blacks have and how little I have.

I feel embarrassment run through my veins. I am not ashamed of my mum, but being in this expensive house feels wrong.

Leah pushes open a pink door and leads me into a room painted in shades of pink and white. Fairies, animals, and vines decorate the walls, along with several Disney princesses: Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Tina, and Merida. Fairy lights hang from the ceiling, casting twinkling shadows across the room.

The huge room could be garish, but I instead marvel at how gorgeous everything is. To my right, I see Leah’s bed, which has posts that nearly reach the ceiling and light pink curtains that are tied back neatly with white. A dollhouse stands alone in the corner, opposite the bed, and her built-in wardrobe takes up most of the wall on my left. Full-length mirrors and huge windows give the room much-needed light, revealing toys scattered across the floor.

Leah asks if I’d like to play.

***

I’m not sure how long Leah and I have been playing when I finally hear Hunter calling from somewhere in this huge mansion. Sighing, I get up, leaving a toy princess where she lies, and grab little Leah’s hand. We walk down the long corridor together.

While we played, I learned quite a bit about Leah. She’s six years old, and she adores her big brother. She loves playing dolls and dress up, and she loves it even more when Hunter joins in.

When she said that, I laughed at the thought of Hunter sitting with his sister, wearing a dress and a scowl.

We finally reach the bottom of the stairs, where Hunter is waiting, and Leah lets go of my hand. She rushes to Hunter, who stretches his arms out wide, and she jumps. He lifts her into the air and swings her around as she laughs.

Watching them fills my heart and makes me wish that I had a younger sibling.

When Hunter puts Leah down, he leads us back into the dining room, which has been transformed into something magical. Candles are lit, and food is laid out on silver platters across the table, both making the room smell like peacefulness—and home.

Hunter seats Leah on the right of the head chair and takes the second to the left. I sit opposite him, next to Leah.

A few minutes pass before a man who must be Hunter’s father comes into the dining room. He has the same color hair as Hunter but blue eyes that look dull and tired. He’s also tall like his son but not as built, and his suit lays slightly crumpled on his body, as if to say “We’ve done too much.”

Finally, Hunter’s mother walks in with bowls of dip and places them on the table. She sits between Hunter and his father, giving Mr. Black a gorgeous smile that he returns.

I study her for a minute. She has Hunter’s shining emerald eyes and Leah’s dark hair, though hers is shorter. Her skin is tanned to perfection, and her jewelry shines in the candlelight. Overall, she’s stunning, but more than that, there’s a glow about her that radiates kindness.

Mrs. Black smiles at me with her perfectly straight, white teeth before engaging me in conversation. “Hello, you must be Ava. Please help yourself to some food.”

I glance around and realize that everyone else has already started eating. I feel heat rise to my face and look out at the sea of food.

There is lasagna, different types of potatoes, as well as seasoned fries and wedges. I feel my stomach rumble and start to greedily pile food onto my plate.

I’m halfway through eating when Mr. Black starts questioning me in a gruff voice. “So, Ava, you’re the girl who has finally won our son’s heart? Tell me, what are your grades like at school?”

I am taken aback and glance at Hunter, who is glaring at his food.

“Well, I am an A student. The lowest I have ever gotten on a test is a B, and that was when I was doing my GCSEs. I’m currently doing my A-levels, same as Hunter.”

Mr. Black nods and analyzes me for a minute while chewing his food. “And what is it you study?”

“I study English Language, psychology, and maths.”

He looks surprised at this but nods again, letting me carry on eating the delicious food.

When we have finally eaten as much food as we can, I help Mrs. Black clear the table and bring everything into the kitchen to be washed up. She shoos me away, though, saying I am a guest and that I shouldn’t be doing any of the chores.

I walk out of the kitchen only to have Hunter grab my arm tightly, forcefully dragging me up the stairs and throwing me into one of the rooms. I shriek as I fall on my butt, wincing slightly at the pain. The room is dark, and I can’t really see what is around me.

I hear a lock ~click~, and my heart rate goes through the roof. ~What if he’s so mad that he actually kills me?~

A light flickers to life above my head, and I see Hunter staring down at me coldly. His voice is hard when he says, “My parents can’t know that we aren’t together, okay? You don’t get to be their friend; I own you now. Now keep your mouth shut, and do as I tell you, got it?”

Shock, anger, and hurt swirl in me. I get to my feet, feeling braver as I come to my full height.

My voice is just as hard as his, I say, “You don’t own me; I am my own person. What are you going to do if I tell them this is fake? Bully me? Yeah, get in line because I’m used to it.”

I poke Hunter hard in the chest and push him back. “Now you listen to me: you don’t get to boss me around. There is no way I will ever become your puppet.”

I have no idea where the strength to stand up to him came from—maybe because I’ve finally had enough of people walking all over me. No one should be treated like that. In any case, I like this newfound strength.

But then I see Hunter’s face.

~Is he looking at me with shock or sadness? No, it can’t be sadness, right? ~

The words he speaks next take my breath away. “What do you mean, you’re used to it? You shouldn’t be used to being bullied.” His voice isn’t hard anymore but soft.

I stare at Hunter and shrug, but that only seems to anger him. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me a little. “What do you mean, you’re used to it?” His voice is louder this time, demanding that I answer him.

I look at the fire that burns in his eyes and answer without breaking eye contact. “You know what I’m talking about. I used to be invisible most of the time, but I still got bullied. They’d bully me, then forget about me. Forget about the hurt they caused me. And it’s only gotten worse since we started fake dating.

“That’s why I tried to blend in, but Jessica has always seen me, and she is ruthless. She…she just likes playing games with me.” My voice breaks at the end, and a sob pushes its way up my throat.

All those years of bottling my emotions, and now the bottle has broken. A tidal wave of sadness surges through me, and silent tears stream down my face. I feel Hunter pull me into his arms and stroke my hair, trying to calm me down.

All I want in life at this moment is to never leave Hunter’s embrace.