Chapter 49/The Fucking Marathon

Chapter 49: 49/The Fucking Marathon

Chapter 49

Stephanie’s Point of View

I gasped sharply as I opened my eyes under the spray of cold water. My body was trembling not from the cold, but from the memories of that moment that changed the course of my life forever. I placed my hand on my chest, which was heaving rapidly, my tears blending with the shower water.

"How did we end up like this?" I whispered to myself in pain.

The man to whom I surrendered my entire being six years ago, the man whose "punishment" at his hands was the greatest pleasure I had ever known... he is the same man I will marry now to cover up his brother’s scandal. And he is the same man who was secretly dating my sister, Valentina.

I stepped out of the bathroom and wrapped a towel around my body, standing before the mirror to look at my pale reflection. Evening was approaching, and Alexander would be coming here. He would come to see me not as his old lover, but as a wife forced upon him by his grandfather’s decree. He told me he still loves me, but was he telling the truth?

I wiped the mirror with my hand and said to myself bitterly:

"Prepare yourself, Stephanie. This evening won’t just be an ordinary evening; it will be the first confrontation in a war that hasn’t even begun yet."

Kira burst into the room, panting. her features were distorted, and her breath was hitched as if she had run for miles. I turned toward her with an exhausted body and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I came as fast as I could... I was so worried, Steph! What happened?" she said, trying to catch her breath and placing her hand on her chest.

Tears fell against my will. "Kira, my life has turned upside down," I said in a choked voice.

She stepped closer and grabbed my shoulders firmly, shaking me gently. "Tell me!"

"Cedric is engaged," I said bitterly, my heart wrenched with pain.

Kira’s body stiffened, her eyes widening in shock. "What?"

I nodded, feeling shame overwhelm me. "Yes, for a moment, he made me believe I actually meant something to him."

Kira slapped her thigh in anger. "That miserable prick! Engaged and he fucked you? He’s absolute scum!"

"Yes, Kira," I said, broken.

We sat on the edge of the bed. My hands were shaking as I rubbed my fingers together. "Go on, finish! What happened?" she urged.

"His fiancée found me at the house and dragged me by my hair," I said, recalling the humiliating scene.

Kira pursed her lips in resentment. "That bitch!"

"But Alexander saved me and said I was his girlfriend," I continued, a cold shiver running through me. "I asked him to take me home, and when we got here, he stopped the car on a forest road. We were talking until..."

I trailed off. "Until what?" Kira asked warily.

I lowered my head and whispered, "He fucked me in the car."

Kira let out a gasp that echoed through the room. She stood up, looking at me in pure disbelief. "Girl, what is wrong with you? Are you on a fucking marathon or what?"

"Kira!" I said in embarrassment.

She sat back down beside me. "Fine, go on. Tell me the rest."

"When I got home, my father was furious," I said, the distress suffocating me. "He said I can’t stay without marriage, or I’ll be forced to abort my babies."

"What is wrong with your father? Has he lost his mind?" Kira screamed, her body shaking with rage.

I gripped the edge of the bed. "He went to Cedric’s grandfather to tell him to marry me, but Cedric refused to break off his engagement."

"Steph, what is this?" Kira said, putting her hand to her head.

"You haven’t heard the worst part yet," I added, the hardest part burning my throat. "His grandfather told my father that I would marry his second grandson he meant Alexander."

Kira jumped up as if struck by lightning. "Am I in a dream? Slap me, Steph, please!"

I took her cold hand and sat her back down. "Valentina came to threaten me. She said Alexander is her lover and that I can’t marry him."

Kira opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Her features expressed total bewilderment. "And Valentina knows that ’Alexander Thorne’ is actually Alexander Volkov," I continued in despair. "I’m going to lose it, Kira! I’m going crazy!"

"Me too, Steph," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "How could Valentina know this? And how could she be Alexander’s lover?"

"I don’t know," I said, clutching my hair with both hands from the pressure. "I feel like I’ve been deceived. I was played by both brothers. Can you believe this?"

Kira tried to calm me, holding my trembling hands. "Demand an explanation from him. Maybe she’s lying."

"I don’t think so, Kira," I said bitterly. "And I’m meeting him this evening because the wedding is in only two days."

Kira put her hand over her mouth. "You’ve shocked me ten times already, dear Steph. I don’t know what to say."

I looked at her with tearful eyes and a collapsed body. "What do I do now, Kira?"

"In the evening, you will demand an explanation regarding what Valentina said," she said, trying to regain her rationality.

"And if it’s true?" I asked fearfully.

Kira squeezed my hand and said firmly, "You’ll marry him. You don’t have a choice. But you will set boundaries with him and his brother. You will show them that you only care about the welfare of your children."

I took a deep breath, my back stiffening as if I were trying to gather my shattered pieces. "That is exactly what I will do," I said in a sharp voice.

Kira nodded, then glanced at her watch and stood up quickly. "I have to go now so your father doesn’t notice I’m here and take his anger out on me. Prepare yourself well, Steph... be strong, and don’t show him any weakness."

I bid her goodbye and closed the door behind her, feeling the chill of the room creep into my bones. I stood before my wardrobe, my hands trembling as I searched for something to wear.

I chose a simple, dark-colored dress; I had no energy for bright colors today.

As I began styling my hair, I heard the sound of a car stopping in front of the house. my heart rate accelerated until I felt it in my throat. I looked out the window and saw that luxurious black car the same one that, just a few hours ago, had been the stage for my ruin and my wandering between his hands.

He stepped out... Alexander. With his expensive suit and a presence that froze the blood in my veins.

"Stephanie, you will face him today with the facts," I whispered to myself.