Call Me Ella (ft. Niall Horan)

Chapter 35 - Hero

As I walk towards her office I gather all the courage I need. Hatred is what has moved me all these years but this time is different. I’m not doing this out of hatred, although I feel rage, but that’s not the thing that drives me. I’m doing this because it’s what I have to do, because this is the real battle I had to fight many years ago. This is me fighting the dragon to get the princess and no, I’m not the princess. My freedom is my princess, I’m the knight in the shiny armour. Or that’s what I want to be.

I was seeing the cliché fairy tale from the wrong perspective.

I knock at the door and I hear the soft come in. I walk in slowly, with a grin on my face and I enjoy the surprise in her face when she sees me there. “Arabella!” She exclaims, her eyes wide open before she collects herself. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to finish a business,” I say as I close the door and walk up to her desk, taking a seat across from her. “I’ve been thinking lately and you know what happened yesterday?” I say with a voice so controlled that I almost sound like her.

“What happened, dear?” She asks and I almost cringe at her words.

“I realised you are a bitch. I mean, I knew it before, but I just realised what a massive bitch you are. You have controlled me all these years and I didn’t even notice. But I guess I have to give you some credit or something, I mean, you’re a clever bitch.”

“I won’t allow you to speak to me like that!” She exclaims and I raise my hand.

“You’re not my boss anymore,” I remind her and I see her clenching her fists. She knows that. “And I’m just saying the truth. You manipulated me so I would break up with Niall. You used my hatred for you to make me stay, didn’t you? You knew I wanted to win, I wanted to defeat you.”

Rhonda doesn’t say anything and for a moment I think she’ll play dumb, but then she grins.

“It took you a while, dear Arabella. Since your father died you only fought me, so I had to use that in my favour. It’s the only way to succeed in this life. You were very cooperative, dear,” she confesses and it makes my blood boil that I've let her use me that way.

I never acknowledged how cunning she is.

“I always thought I was my own owner, that I made my decisions but it wasn’t like that, was it? You were always controlling me somehow,” I defy and she doesn’t even bother to fake ignorance. She just waves dismissively. “You were aware of everything.”

“That’s your fault, dear. You are too naïve for your own good. I was making you stronger,” she says but I can hear her sarcasm. She’s not hiding it this time.

“Bullshit. Let’s stop with this game, shall we?” I say and she looks at me with curiosity in her eyes. “I’m out.”

“You walked out of this centre long ago. You said it, Arabella, I’m not your boss anymore.”

“But you’re still my nightmares,” I confess because it’s true.

Sometimes I still dream she’s around, that I’ll wake up and I’ll still be trapped in this place, under her control. Even at some subconscious level she still controls me, but I’m done with her.

“Why isn’t that hurtful? Ella, you shouldn’t be that harsh with your stepmother, after all I just want your wellbeing.”

I know she is not trying to make me believe that like she did once. I see the mock in her eyes and I hear it in her voice. She’s is mocking me, just that. She’s laughing at me because once she played that card and I bought it.