Chapter 203- For Me!

Chapter 203: 203- For Me!

Present day— Arabella’s pov:

By the time Vikki finished speaking, tears were streaming down her face.

I hadn’t realized I was crying too until I reached up to wipe my cheeks. For a while, neither of us said anything. I was still trying to make sense of everything she’d told me, especially the things I had learned about my mother.

Eventually, I turned toward her.

"There’s one thing I find rather interesting about your story, Vikki. Somehow, you’ve managed to make yourself sound almost innocent." I watched her reaction before adding, "Apart from that incident at the gala when you tried to hit me for spilling juice on Victor’s clothes, of course."

Vikki lowered her head, looking ashamed. "Arabella, I swear I wasn’t completely heartless. There were times when I genuinely felt sorry for your mother."

"Did you?"

"Yes. Although I suppose my reasons weren’t exactly... noble." She wiped her face with a tissue. "You see, I spent years believing Rick loved me more than anyone else. Whenever he humiliated Angela or treated her badly, I took it as proof that I was the woman he really wanted. And I’m ashamed to admit that it made me happy."

At least she wasn’t trying to pretend she’d been fond of my mother.

"I knew he was cheating on Angela with me, but somehow, I convinced myself he would never do the same to me," she continued. "I thought his feelings for me were genuine. That whatever kind of man he was to everyone else, he would always be loyal to me."

She gave a bitter laugh.

"What a fool I was. Even after he brought me into his home, he continued seeing other women. There was always another excuse, another lie. Sometimes I caught him, and other times I knew something was going on but couldn’t prove it. Whenever I confronted him, he’d turn the whole thing around until I was the one apologizing."

Vikki shook her head, looking exhausted. "It took me years to accept that I was never different from Angela. Rick didn’t betray her because he loved me. He betrayed her because that’s the kind of man he was. And eventually, he did exactly the same thing to me."

I listened to her without interrupting, but there was one thing I still couldn’t understand.

"If you knew what kind of man Rick was, why did you treat me so badly? I was just a child, Vikki. What had I ever done to you?"

Vikki lowered her eyes. "You were Angela’s daughter. Every time I looked at you, I was reminded of her. I know that’s no excuse, Arabella, but—"

"No, it isn’t." I wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks. "And you knew about the wolfsbane, didn’t you? You knew Rick was poisoning me."

She took a moment before answering. "Yes. Rick said your wolf was dangerous. He told me it was necessary to keep everyone safe."

"And you believed him?"

"I didn’t know what else to do!"

"You could have refused. Instead, you watched him destroy my wolf while I grew up believing there was something wrong with me."

Vikki began crying again. "Arabella, please. Punish me if you want, but let Vanessa go. She had nothing to do with any of this. She’s innocent."

I looked at her for a long moment. "So was my mother," I said in a whisper.

Vikki stopped speaking. "And so was I, Vikki," I added. "But that never stopped either of you, did it?"

I still couldn’t bring myself to believe Vikki. How could I, when I remembered so clearly how much she had enjoyed making me miserable?

Once, when I was fourteen, she had promised me a large, fudgy brownie if I washed all the laundry from the packhouse. I’d agreed immediately, already imagining the rich chocolate and gooey center. I spent nearly the entire day washing piles of clothes, ignoring my aching hands because I couldn’t stop thinking about that brownie.

But when I was finally finished, Vikki had fed it to the dog right in front of me. She had looked at my disappointed face and burst out laughing.

"Oh, Arabella! Don’t tell me you actually believed I’d give you that brownie." She shook her head, still laughing. "I was only joking, silly girl! Look at your face!"

I still remembered standing there, too embarrassed to cry, watching the dog finish the treat I’d worked so hard for.

It was such a small incident compared to everything else she’d done to me, yet I had never forgotten it. Not because of the brownie itself, but because she’d known how badly I’d wanted it and had taken pleasure in disappointing me.

And now she was sitting in front of me, crying and begging for mercy for her daughter, expecting me to believe she had a heart after all.

"I was only joking, silly girl! Look at your face!"

Those words stayed with me for a long time.

***

The moment I let Vikki go, she ran from there as though her life depended on it.

I stayed where I was for a little longer, crying and trying to make sense of everything I’d just learned.

"Mom, you suffered so much at their hands. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me?" I wept, burying my face in my arms.

Oh, Goddess. They had all hurt my mother, and now they were living their lives without a care in the world. Without any fear of being held accountable.

Because they knew. They knew Angela Westwood’s daughter would never be able to do anything about it.

I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and pulled out my phone. I needed someone to talk to, someone who could be with me. So, I dialed Maya’s number, but she didn’t answer.

After waiting a moment, I sent her a message. "Hey. I really need you right now."

Her reply came almost instantly. "I’m here, Chipmunk. Come to YaRa Café, or I can meet you at the palace. Whatever works for you. We’ll talk, okay? But not Blackthorn pack. I hope you understand."

For some reason, Maya’s reply left me feeling a little disappointed. But maybe I was expecting too much. She had her own life, after all, and being my best friend didn’t mean she had to drop everything whenever I called.

I stared at my phone for a moment before opening Lucien’s chat. "Are you busy? What are you doing?"

His reply came a minute later. "I’m in the middle of a meeting. Is everything okay?"

I hesitated, wondering whether I should bother him. He probably had a hundred more important things to deal with than my sudden need for company.

Still, I let out a small, tearful laugh as I typed another message. "Nothing serious. I just thought maybe you could come see me someday if you have time."

I had no idea why I’d sent that. I was already considering telling him to forget it when his reply appeared. "I’m on my way, Princess. Wait for me."

I read it twice, hardly believing he’d agreed so quickly. He was in the middle of a meeting, and he was coming anyway.

For me!