Quote of the day: Find what you love doing and watch yourself grow with it.
Ashley stared at her father with nothing but profound hatred. She always knew her father had a mean streak in him, the hell she could testify he was wicked but she would never had suspected that he would kill her mother. Her hatred for him knew no bounds, he was the cause of everything that ever happened. He was the reason why she couldn't have a normal life, the reason why what happened two years ago happened. Now he wanted some sick revenge, and he was going to expose her to Greg to get his revenge, she could tell from the things he had been saying.
She couldn't help but think of several scenarios of how Greg would react, she still couldn't stare up at him to see his reaction after he found out that she was Hunt Wells daughter. She knew he would be highly disappointed in her that she didn't tell him, and he would be even more disappointed if her father was able to achieve his aim.
She looked towards Mr Marshall, he was also tied with chains, the man was staring at her father with hatred, and he deserved it. She wondered how the man would feel when he found out that everything he thought he knew was a lie, or worse when he found out that her father was the one who plotted everything. Tears stung her eyes as these thoughts ran though her mind.
She was broken, hurt and felt very guilty, and even more she was afraid. Afraid of what Greg would think of her, Afraid of what he would do to her, she couldn't bear to have him look at her with disgust or hatred again, no she couldn't. She just couldn't bear to have the man she loved look at her that way, yes, she loved him, a great deal at that.
Her heart swelled with the realization, she looked over at him to see him staring at her with compassion, sadness, and pity. Ashley was mortified, she couldn't believe he would still feel compassionate towards her even after finding out about her father, she felt her heart do a dance of joy. He smiled at her, a reassuring and comforting smile, at that moment she wanted to believe that everything would be okay, but she knew otherwise. This was the end for her.
"How about we travel down memory lane," her father said. He dropped the coffee in his hand on the tray that was still lying on the dead body of the priest. She wanted to choke him on the holy robe he was wearing but there was no way she could. Although her hands were untied, but she only had her right hand for use, and there was nothing she could do with her right hand when her legs were immobile. The chains her father used wasn't something she could get out of, it had a lock, and the keys were in his pocket.
"How about you let us know what you want, haven't you done enough harm?" Greg asked with anger.
"No son, that question should be thrown at this two," her father said pointing to her and Mr Marshall. He walked up closer to them, looking down at Mr Marshall he started talking. "It was all your fault, yes your fault."
"My fault?" Mr Marshall asked. His voice sounded a little bit like that of his son at the moment. "If I remember clearly you are the one who couldn't let go of a married woman."
"You are the one who stole my woman and child!" Her father screamed, and she was getting highly pissed, Greg wasn't his child, he needed to understand that fact.
"I'm not your child, and I will never be!" Greg said in a very deadly voice. Her father stood up with a hurt look in his eyes, it almost looked like he couldn't believe what Greg had said.
"But you are, Kane you are..."
"Stop calling me Kane!" Greg yelled making her and her father flinch. It was a surprise her father could be affected.
"But you used to let me call you Kane," he walked up to Greg as he said this, "don't you remember how I always took you to school, to the playgrounds, don't you remember how I used to wipe your snorts," at this point it was beginning to sound like he was crying, but she couldn't tell. "You and I were so close Kane, whenever Cassie was away we would always..."
"I have no memory of that time," Greg cut him off brutally. Ashley knew he had no memory of her father, and she didn't blame him either, he was three for fuck sake.
"But you and I were so..."
"Its simple, he has no memory of you, will you just let it go!" It was Mr Marshall who talked now. Her father instantly walked up to him and gripped his neck tight, she gasped with fear.
"It was all your fault, he was beginning to call me Dad, I and Cassie were going to get married and then you showed up, why?" Her father yelled still strangling Mr Marshall.
She watched this with fear, she could see Greg eyes shinning with anger, she knew then that no matter how much he claimed to hate his father, he still cared. When it got too much she raised her hand and pulled her father's hand away from Mr Marshall's neck. He turned towards her and hit her against the wall.
She let out a sound of pain as her wrist hit the floor with an abrupt impact, it was too much to take, her wrist had been killing her before and she had been enduring it, but it hurt so much.
"How dare you try to stop me!" he yelled at her gripping her broken wrist. She let out a more painful sound and felt fresh tears roll down her eyes.
"Just let her go!" Greg yelled. She wanted to tell him he was just aggravating her father but she couldn't talk, "please let her go." His voice was pleading as he said this. Her father surprisingly let go of her, she clutched her hand to her chest immediately, trying to lick her wounds like a wounded tiger.
"I and Cassie were going to get married, I loved her so much, I knew she didn't feel the same way about me, but I felt that along the line she would grow to love me too." His voice was hoarse with tears. Ashley could see the tears rolling down his face, this was the reason she always felt bad for him, he loved her too much, but that wasn't love, no it wasn't. At least he knew Cassandra didn't love him also. "And then you appeared again, she told me she still loved you and would like to have her child grow with his real father..."
"Turns out she didn't love me as much if she still went back to you in the end," Mr Marshall said. Ashley actually thought this man would have understood by now that Cassandra never cheated on him, but he still chose to believe the worse. She looked at Greg who was spotting nothing short of hatred for his father.
"Turns out you're still thinking out of your ass," Greg said coolly glaring at his father.
"Oh the banter," her father said with a happy smile. "Manner of things I had to do to get this happy family of yours to scatter."
"What do you mean?" Mr Marshall asked.
"I'm not a man to accept defeat, I wanted Cassandra and I was determined to get her, even when a stupid slut thought she could withhold me from my love with an unwanted child. We all know what happened to her." He looked pointedly at Ashley as he said this.
"So I hatched a plan, to let you enjoy the first few years of your marriage then I struck." He was smiling profusely as he was talking, he always enjoyed talking about his misdeeds, such a foolish man. "I met with Cassandra again which was definitely not a coincidence as I had her think, we became friends again. So I got a man who would always follow us about, I got him to take pictures of us and make it seem like we were having an affair."
"So it was all your doings!"
"So it was all a lie."
Both Greg and his father said at the same time, the former sounding angry, while the latter sounded hurt. She watched with pain as Greg's and his father's face fell into that of pain and regret.
"Yes it was my doing, and it was all a lie. You Alfred were so insecure, you believed Cassandra could never love you like before after what you did, so you grasp every lie you were told like the truth, and I used that to my advantage." He gave Mr Marshall a coy smile and continued talking, the man was enjoying this so much. "Cassandra loved you too much, I was determined to remove your love from her heart. When the misunderstandings between you two started, I expected her to come to me with open arms, but she kept me at arms length, I was so hurt. I became subjected to having to watch her from afar, her and my son."
"How could you do that to a woman you claim to love!" Greg yelled.
"Its simple Greg," Ashley said, using her voice after a long while. "He never loved her like he claimed to."
"How dare you make such remarks about my love!" Her father yelled. Tears were brimming more at his eyes now, she has known her father for long and he still hasn't changed, the only person who could make him emotional was Cassandra or his son. "You know nothing about love, you are nothing but a liar and a wicked person."
Ashley was kinda surprised and glad he didn't try to hurt her again, she wasn't sure she could bare anymore pain for today.
"I loved her and waited for her to come to her senses, but it became too late when she died two years ago, I couldn't bear it. My son couldn't also, he left for Spain, I followed him there, I would always watch him from afar, never able to go to him, I wanted to console him so much." She had always wondered where her father was all this while, but she would never have guessed that he was in Spain all along, so he had followed his son to Spain, while he left his true daughter to die.
"You stalked me?" Greg asked with bewilderment.
"I wasn't stalking you, I was just looking out for you from afar," he said in a pleading voice. He looked and sounded so pathetic.
"Then why are you here now? What do you want? Why can't you continue to look out for me from afar?" Greg asked with anger.
"It is because of her," he said pointing an accusing finger at her. Ashley cowered into her skin trying to avoid what was coming next. "When I saw her lurking around you, I was so angry. So I knew that I needed to get our revenge, you see this two," he pointed to Mr Marshall and her respectively. "They have both cost us a lot."
"So what are you going to do?" Greg asked. She could hear a careless chuckle in the background but she wasn't sure she heard right.
"I'm going to kill both of them, and the both of us can start a new life as a father and son," he said with a genuine smile.
"And you expect to get away with killing us, you must be very stupid," Mr Marshall said with a cold voice.
"Actually I will get away with it, no one can find us here, you see this door can only be opened from within once its locked, I was lucky to overhear some of the nuns talking, that was when I hatched my plan."
"So like the fool I am, I'm going to start a new life with you right?" Greg said this slightly laughing.
"Yes son, because then we would have only each other to live for, and there is a bigger truth I am yet to unfold, which you will be grateful for son," he said. Before she could say Jack Robinson her father picked up one of the mugs and hit it along with the content on Mr Marshall's head. She let out an awful scream, she watched as Mr Marshall slumped against the wall.
"What do you think you are doing?" Greg yelled pulling at his cuffed hand, she could see how helpless, hurt, and angry he looked.
"Getting our revenge of course, don't worry son he is not dead, he still has a long torturous way to death." He picked up another cup of tea and raised it to his lips, "cheers."
Chapter forty three.
Mary Aden.