DARK SEDUCTION (BOOK 1) (Slowly Editing)

Chapter 1: The Cottage by the Lake

In a quaint little cottage nestled by the shimmering lake, memories danced like ripples on water. It was a place of solace, where time seemed to stand still, and where ancient love and the magic of romance had once bloomed, amidst the fragrant flowers that adorned the garden. This was the haven where my grandmother, a young bride of just four and twenty, had embarked on the journey of marriage with her beloved husband, my grandfather.

The polaroid photograph, faded with time yet brimming with warmth, captured a moment frozen in eternity. In it, my grandmother's auburn locks cascaded like waves, framing her delicate features as she gazed adoringly at the man beside her. His brown hair, reminiscent of a bear's fur, was tousled in the gentle breeze, and his eyes twinkled with the promise of a future filled with love and adventure.

But fate, with its capricious hand, had dealt a cruel blow. The war, like a relentless storm, had swept away the happiness that once flourished in their hearts. My grandfather, a soldier called to duty, never returned from the battlefield. He perished in a distant land, leaving behind a grieving widow and the unborn child she carried within her womb - my mother. The only thing she had left of him was his sword and a letter he had wrote to her, which she had read and reread until it had become faded and torn, she had memorized the words by heart.

The loss for her was a wound that never truly healed, a scar etched into the fabric of our family's history. Grandma seldom spoke of those days, the memories too painful to bear. Yet, amidst the veil of sorrow, there lingered a flicker of resilience, a determination to carry on despite the gaping void left by her beloved.

As I listened to Grandma's stories, tracing the lines of her face etched with wisdom and sorrow, I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing for the father I had never known and the mother whose absence loomed like a shadow over our lives. Their absence, like an unanswered question, cast a pall over our otherwise idyllic existence in the cottage by the lake.

But amidst the whispers of the past, Grandma wove tales of hope and redemption. She painted a world where fairy tales came to life, where princesses found their prince charming and lived happily ever after in enchanted castles. It was a vision she held dear for me, her beloved granddaughter, promising that one day, I too would find my own happily ever after.

However, reality had a way of intruding upon our dreams, shattering the fragile illusion of perfection. As I grew older, the absence of my parents became a source of curiosity and frustration. While Grandma showered me with love and affection, filling the void left by their absence, the whispers of my peers echoed like taunting echoes in the corridors of my mind.

Billy, a boy whose words were as sharp as his wit, took pleasure in tormenting me with cruel jibes about my parentage. He reveled in the pain his words inflicted, taunting me with the notion that I was abandoned because I was ugly and unwanted. His words cut deeper than any physical blow, igniting a firestorm of anger and resentment within me.

In a moment of blind fury, I lashed out, my fists striking with a force fueled by years of pent-up frustration and hurt. The sting of punishment paled in comparison to the searing ache in my heart, a gnawing sense of inadequacy that festered like a wound left unattended.

But amidst the turmoil, Grandma remained a steadfast beacon of love and understanding, her gentle presence a balm to soothe the wounds of my wounded soul. She never wavered in her devotion, even as the strain of my tumultuous emotions threatened to unravel the delicate threads that bound us together.

Yet, beneath the surface, a silent battle raged within Grandma, her once vibrant spirit dimmed by the weight of illness and age. The signs were subtle at first, imperceptible to my youthful eyes blinded by selfish desires and petty grievances. But as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, the truth could no longer be ignored.