My Hired Boyfriend (Completed)

34. Finality

                                                                                       Chapter 34

            “I knew you were fake,” She snarls venomously the second the elevator doors dings open.

            Aunt Georgina is heaving angrily, her eyes narrowed on me.

            I blink, my mouth going dry.

            Evelyn looked so much like her, the second the door opened, I thought it was Evelyn herself, not her mother.

            I stand frozen, staring at her in shock from the amount of hatred she is directing towards me.

            I am half tempted to turn around and see if she is addressing me. Surely she couldn’t hate me that much—

            “You lying, sleazy like brat,” she rages, taking a step towards me.

            Coda turns until he is half in front of me, his shoulders tense. “I don’t know who are addressing but I can assure you, Hazel isn’t the brat you are talking about. You should check your daughter and yourself before calling others a sleazy brat.”

            Coda’s voice is cold and suddenly, it dawns on me that this is entire situation is ridiculous. There she is, standing like a heaving baboon after she interrupted my moment with Coda, and she has the right to be angry with me?

            “Don’t even get me started on you, boy. Where is your dignity? Your pride? Why on earth would you agree to a deal like that with someone like this?” She sniffs, most likely referring to me. Who was I kidding? She was addressing me.

            I place my hand on the crook of Coda’s elbow, stepping away slightly so I can my aunt fully and-

            I smile.

            My face is marred and bruised, my lip cut open slightly and the bruise near my left eye turning a ghastly yellow. Every breath hurts from my lungs and my ribs but as I stand there, I want to laugh.

            Aunt Georgina was an angry kitten compared to what I’ve gone through.

            “How dare you ruin Evelyn’s chances with Stephan, you are the reason he left—“ Aunt Georgina begins to rant.

            I ignore her, nudging Coda to follow me out of the elevator and past my crazy aunt.

            She falters slightly when I pass her but before I can fully leave, her hand grabs my shoulder.

            My body jerks slightly and pain rips through my upper body like wildfire and my breath catches in my throat.

            I feel Coda’s arm on my back, steadying me from her abrupt grab and suddenly, I am angry.

            I am so fed up.

            Years of my pent up rage come bubbling up. I spent years with my head ducked low as she and the rest of my family called me fat and ugly and useless. I wasted so many tears believing them, believing that I shouldn’t say anything back because they were my family, the people I had to respect.

            I had spent so many years letting them define my sense of self and now, after everything, I’ve had enough.

             Her hand is on my shoulder, squeezing me painfully and my throat is constricting but isn’t from tears anymore, it’s from anger.