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86-The Curse
Ashley Walters pov
What the hell! Birthday?
I spun my gaze to Sarah who was avoiding looking into my eyes. I could feel the man’s gaze on me who got rid of me two years
back, so conveniently like I was a piece of trash.
“She...” I pointed to Sarah, “She just put a ring on.” How to tell her. Sarah just put a ring on Justin’s fucking finger. Were they all
blind?
“Ms. Walters!” Electra Deluca called me and this time her voice was gentle, “please come down.”
“Oh, because your family name might get tarnished by this not–so–worthy girl?” I smirked pointing a finger at myself and went to
Justin whose eyes were still glued to my face.
“Mr. Deluca!” I looked into those amber eyes, “Won’t you say anything? How do you feel to stay married to a woman you don’t...
like!”
Justin didn’t answer me. It felt like he never ever bothered to hear what I was asking him. Very slowly he raised his hand, and his
finger came in contact with my forehead. It started slipping down at a very slow pace tracing my features and then ended up on
my lips.
“Kitten!” he whispered.
After the two longest years of my life, the word brought so many flashes of memories with it. The back of my eyelids started
stinging.
No, I needed to control it.
“Ashley!” Electra Deluca called me again. With great effort, I pulled back from Justin’s finger which still rested on my lips and
turned to face the woman.
She had climbed two steps with the help of her stick, “Come down.” She repeated gently, “here.” She extended her hand to be
taken..
I was taken aback by the gesture and looked up in disbelief. Was she offering me her hand?
She nodded at me to encourage me to hold it. I went forward and held her hand. She slowly pulled me to get off the stage.
I felt myself to be in a trance walking behind her. While walking I didn’t dare to look at the guests but once ... just for once I
looked over my shoulder to see him.
Just for once.
His eyes were still glued to me.
I turned back and realized the old goat was taking me out of the hall. Was she doing it to save her family name? Her family
honor?
Because I brought too much embarrassment to her in front of her rich guests?
“Alex! Ask the driver to bring my car.” She ordered Justin’s assistant.
“Yes, ma’am.” Within a few minutes, a car came crawling and stopped in front of us. Was she taking me somewhere?
That reminded me of the first day when she brought me home after signing the contract and asked me to sit in front.
“Please sit at the back, with me, Ashley.” She squeezed my hand when she sensed me going towards the passenger seat.
She didn’t try to engage in any talk on the way back. The car entered the Deluca mansion and after crossing the lawns, stopped
near the Deluca residence.
Instead of getting down, I kept sitting there. The head butler came out running to open her door.
“Shouldn’t you be there attending your birthday?” I asked her the question that was nagging at the back of my mind.
“I don’t know why Sarah was insisting me to celebrate this birthday. I think she can take care of the guests very well. I was
looking for signs, Ashley. I wanted to talk to you for so long but was not able to decide if I should do it or not.
Tonight, I got the sign.” She smiled and got off the car. Was she the same old cow who didn’t know how
Had she changed or was it all fake?
And why she was talking about signs?
“Did Rafael Wyatt meet you too?” I asked her point blank, but she kept walking as if she didn’t hear me at
all.
This was the first time I saw her bedroom. It was not a boring bedroom one would like to call. It had all the vibrant colors with a
gold–plated touch.
“Please have a seat.” She offered me the couch and seated herself on a plush layback chair, “You must be tired by now. Should I
ask someone to bring you food? Or a drink? Tea?”
I shook my head. No, ma’am. On my first day, nobody bothered to ask me about food. My one bag could never be recovered. I
used Justin’s toiletries.
The bitter past!
“Ashley. I am going to start talking. And would expect you to listen to me quietly. Can you do that?”
I didn’t respond to her.
“Look. I know we were never good to you. You can decide later if you want to divorce Justin or not. We will respect your decision.
Including, Justin. But I need to tell you a few things.” She laid back and placed
her stick beside her seat.
“Ready?” She asked me. Taking a deep breath, I also leaned my head on the headrest.
“The Deluca family is cursed, Ms. Ashley.” When I cocked up a brow, she just smiled at me, “You see? I am not Justin’s real
grandmother.”
Woah! That was a surprise to me.
“For many generations, the Deluca family is cursed. Their daughter in laws could never survive after marriage. They used to die
within one year.
Justin’s real granny died in an accident. His grandfather survived the accident and married me. Justin’s father was very dear to
me. I raised him and then when it was time for his marriage, I was against it. I wanted to break the curse badly.
So, I presented him with the perfect solution. To marry some poor girl and pay her. After one year he could marry any girl of his
choice. He didn’t listen to me. He was head over heels for some girl.
His father and I kept reasoning with him, but he didn’t budge an inch. After a few days, all our plans went
down the drain when he told us that the girl was pregnant. He wanted a quick marriage.
We all were scared like hell. But then we gave up. They both got married. Justin was born.
He was hardly two months old when his parents wanted to go away on a business trip. I made the baby stay. He seemed too
weak to travel. And I think this was the best decision I took in my life.
The day they left. We received the news that their plane crashed...”
I gasped in shock. Tears slowly started streaming down my face. She nodded giving me a teary smile.
“When the news of their death was confirmed, my husband got a heart attack. First, he lost his beloved wife and then his son. I...
I was left alone with this small baby.”
She wiped her face and chuckled, “We had no one, but each other. I gave my life and tried to raise him all by myself. I kept
getting suitors, but I never considered them. Because for me, only Justin mattered.
Then one day he told me that he has decided to marry Sarah.
I got so scared Ashley.” She started crying. I was horrified when I realized that I was crying too.
“I started convincing Sarah. I wanted a girl who could marry him and leave him after one year. Justin didn’t want to put anyone’s
life in danger. So, he put the conditions that were quite absurd.
The girl would not go outside the house. She will be provided with everything in the room except she was not allowed to pee in
Justin’s presence. Justin never liked the concept of sharing the bathroom with a
spouse.
such a basic need. That was the reason, Justin started staying out for maximum
time.
After that Electra Deluca got quiet.
“We... we never had anything personal against you. Justin was scared that once his fate would be intertwined with you, you
might experience accidents. The rumors he never believed started happening before his eyes.”
So that was the reason! They wanted a goat to sacrifice, and they got me. After one year they were planning to discard me and
then Sarah would have married Justin. Easy peasy!
I could not sit there anymore and stood up. Electra Deluca was looking at me through tears, “There is more to this story, Ashley.”
“And I don’t want to hear it, Mrs. Deluca,” I said stepping back.
“Justin cared for you, Ashley. That was the reason...” I could not take it anymore and left her room.
***
Justin Deluca pov
In my study, I was looking out of the window. I wish I could tell her that nothing was the same after she was gone. The study
room where I used to spend my maximum time felt so boring after she left.
“Justin! Sit down!” I heard Sarah’s gentle voice behind me and closed my eyes. The tears that I had been holding for two years
wanted to come out of my lids.
The door behind me opened softly and I knew who it was. I knew that smell. Her faint image appeared on the glass of the
window.
“Why?” I heard her, “Why, Justin? Why you never told me?” She was complaining to me and I ... I was speechless.
What to tell her? That I brought you to defeat my fate, but my fate decided to defeat me?
“You?” Now there was anger in her voice, “Sarah Garner! I will fu*cking kill you!” This time I needed to turn
around.
There was this murderous expression crossing her face. Poor Sarah stood up quickly in a panic and started stepping back to a
corner. Doctors had asked her not to make sudden movements. She was already stressing enough after me.
“Hey,” I said in a hoarse whisper, “she is pregnant. Be careful!” That seemed to bring more rage into Ashley’s voice.
“Careful? You want ME to be careful Ask your fiancée. Ask her! Why was she sending me those sick letters during these two
years?”
I frowned and turned to Sarah, “You sent her ... what?”
“Yeah,” Ashley threw her clutch on the floor in anger, “And every letter started with the word, bitch. Ask your bitch! Why she used
to send me letters.”
Sarah was standing in a corner hiding her face with a dossier. She was literally shivering.
“Ashley... love!”
“Love! Stop calling me that. Ask your fiancée... Now!”
“... I can explain,” Sarah removed the dossier from her face, and I was surprised when I realized that she was NOT shivering but
actually laughing.
“I am sorry,” Sarah again hid her face, “It just turned out a little dramatic. Ashley. Can you just sit down?”
“No. I am not damn sitting down, Sarah. You owe me an explanation.” Before Ashley could say any more, the door to the study
opened again and Keith peeked inside.
“The temperature seems to be rising here.” He then came inside and nodded at Ashley, “Hi Ashley.”
After that, he straight away walked to Sarah, “Honey. How are you?” He took her in his arms but could not kiss her because she
was continuously giggling.
“What? Are these the pregnancy hormones my love,” He asked her good–naturedly, “and how is our baby doing?‘ He placed his
hand on Sarah’s bump.
Just then my eyes fell on Ashley. She was frozen at her place.
“Wh...what the hell is going on?” She whispered. Instead of answering her Sarah leaned into Keith, “that you need to figure out
by yourself Ashley.” She said gently, “I think tonight my job is done.”
She stretched her arms towards Keith, who didn’t wait even for a split second and scooped her up. Without uttering any word,
they both were out of the study leaving the two of us alone.