Chapter Thirty-Two: I'm Going To Get You

I got out of his Jeep and watched him drive away, content with everything that happened. I greeted Timothy on my way in the yard, deciding to go through the house this time instead of going around. The front door was opened by Cedric, their butler, who gave me a warm smile. I never really interacted with him much, but he was always so kind and warm to me whenever I did. I returned the smile. I hadn't been in the house since that day. Walking through the hallway was making me uneasy. I kept throwing my head over my shoulder, just to make sure he wasn't creeping behind me. I closed my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. There's no one here, Azania.

But no, my subconscious was wrong. She's here, right in front of me. She looked just as surprised as I was, her porcelain skin the palest it has ever been. Her hair was loose, not the usual prim and proper manner she kept it in, although it had not lost its shine. She was dressed in grey yoga pants and a grey sports bra, her taut stomach wrapped in a waist trainer. She looked tired, yet still exuded radiance. We stood there for a moment, looking at each other in disbelief. The disbelief surely must have been on her part. I doubt she expected to see me in her house after all that has happened. A flurry of emotions ran through me as I looked at her; remembering who she is, what she did, what she said. She blames me.

"Nia," she breathed out as colour returned to her cheeks. "It's Azania." I reiterated for the thousandth time. I discreetly rubbed my palms against my jeans, feeling the anger bubble from my toes as it rose to my head.

"Yes, of course. Azania." She made a face as she said my name, and at that point, the anger had bubbled past my neck and had finally reached my head. Words are wind. My nose flared as my entire face burned from the heat of my anger, as I looked at the woman who dared blame me for my own assault.

"What are you doing here?" I didn't care for the tone in her voice. I had to fold my arms beneath my bust to keep myself under control. "Walking through." I dared raise an eyebrow at her as I said this and watched as her face grew dark. Game on.

"You can't just decide to walk through our house like it's a shortcut." Her voice had dropped an octave, the sweetness dried out. "Anthony said I could." The innocence I injected in those 4 words was as fake as her boobs. She didn't like that. Her pale face turned red almost immediately, the green vein on her forehead popping.

"It's Uncle Anthony to you." The tone in her voice reminded me of someone else. The same person she shared a womb with. A shiver ran down my spine, but I was not going to be afraid of Gia.

"He's not my uncle." I cocked my head to challenge her, watching her with low eyes. "He's not Anthony to you either, you little bitch!" oh, the claws are out. My heart rate picked up, and I was hoping it was the result of my body turning my anger into adrenaline.

"I'll call him whatever the fuck I want." I walked towards her, and she surprised me by taking a step back. For a second, she looked frightened. But just for a second. The fierceness was back on her face like it never left, and she stood her ground.

"You think life was created to spin around you, don't you?" this time, it was her who took a step forward, I was unmoved. "Your dad might have raised you like a princess Azania, but I can assure you that you are far from being one. You can have a royal name, wear a royal crown, fuck a royal man, but you will never be a royal. The sooner you come to terms with that, the better for all of us." I looked her straight in the eye as I closed the distance between us, my arms still folded.

"I'm sorry that you had to grow up with a monster. No one deserves to go through that. I'm sorry you didn't have anyone to protect you from him." The softness in my voice surprised the both of us. Those weren't the words I had intended to come out of my mouth. I intended to break her, to pull her from her high horse and wipe that stupid smirk of her face. But as I said this, I realized that Gia was as much a victim of that psycho as I was.

"It's nothing you did. None of it was your fault. All of it is on him." Her green eyes had started to gloss over, her face unchanged. I was standing right in front of her, my arms still folded.

"You don't know me, little girl. And you would do best to not assume you know anything about me. I'm a victim, sure. You, however, are not. I know you lured him in. I know you seduced him. Anthony had all his attention on me, and you needed someone else to make you feel important and special, so you turned to my brother. You lied on my brother when you were caught, not wanting your daddy to see what a nasty little whore you are. I know for certain that you were not at your little friend's house. You were at your boyfriend's. But your dad doesn't know that. He thinks you're an angel. And that's why you had to lie on my brother, to save your own skin." I stared at her in disbelief. She really believes I did all of that.

She took another step forward, putting her cheek against mine to whisper into my ear. "I am going to get you for this." It did not sound like a threat. It was a promise.