Mend My Heart

Chapter 31

Maya’s P.O.V

As I sat at the breakfast table with the Dukes, minus the father a.k.a bastard who stomped on my heart like it was a piece of cardboard, I felt like I was dying from the inside out. I kept on running my fork over the no doubt delectable food but I just couldn’t bring myself about to enjoying it, even though it was technically my last breakfast here at the ice castle. 

Ms. Duke and the twins were very much engaged in a seemingly interesting conversation about an outing they were planning to take and even tried to bring me on board but all I could do was smile weakly and nod half-heartedly. They had no idea about my departure later today, and I wanted to keep it up as long as possible. I don’t know how, but I’d grown attached to them and I was under the influence that they had to. 

“Is there something bothering you, dear?” Ms Duke inquired sagely, quirking her eyebrow at me as though daring me to lie to her.

I gulped down the lump that had formed in my throat at hummed in response. “Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess,” I lied pristinely but she only narrowed her eyes. I felt nervousness invade my senses. Please believe my lie. Please believe my lie!

She nodded. “If you say so child. It’s just that you’ve been awfully quiet and that is so unlike you. Ordinarily we can’t get you to shut up and during the past couple of days you’d become a little bit reserved. Was it because of Yolanda? As a matter of fact, where is she? I thought she’d be down for breakfast by now,” she trailed of with a frown and my heart tweaked.

I looked everywhere but at her. “She…umm, left the house last night,” I muttered, and those fine words elicited a high five from Brianna and Aiden.

“Yes! Witchlanda is gone!” they shrieked simultaneously in delight, earning a look of disapproval from their grandmother.

She returned her penetrative gaze towards me. “She left? What do you mean she left? What could have possibly caused that?” she exclaimed in undiluted concern and I mentally rolled my eyes.

It was the fact that she verbally and physically assaulted me last night, for starters. Plus, her presence in this house was very much unwelcome to begin with. Be happy that she didn’t leave the mansion in a coffin. However, instead of expressing my true sentiments, I just shrugged my shoulders innocently.

I diverted my attention to the twins. “Hey guys, do you want to go to the park? And maybe we can go for a swim in the pool?” I asked them and they both cheered gleefully. “Great, let’s go and get you guys ready.”

If these were my last few moments here, I would at least spend them in style and not pining or crying over something that should have never happened. And so, we left for the neighbourhood park on foot and we had a blast up until midday. We played tag, a bit of soccer and even incorporated other children to join us. By the time we got back, when were basically sore from all the falls and kicks we’d all taken. I had no idea tiny people could be both cute and deadly at the same time.

After lunch, we changed into swim gear and raced to the Olympic sized pool in the backyard. I was immensely grateful that it had been a hot summer day and no precipitation in London. We splashed about, competed in swimming laps across the pool in various strokes and had a breath holding contest. Much to my surprise, Brianna won. She is a rather gifted swimmer, for a four-year-old.

And so, by sunset we had long since returned indoors and I had begun to pack my belongings one by one after taking a shower. It was something that was very hard for me and I couldn’t help but cry as I did so. My heart was bleeding; completely wounded as I reflected on my earlier conversation with Theodore. Why had he done this to me…make me fall in love with him and then toss me aside like a used tissue. It wasn’t right. I’d never let anyone into my heart. In fact, I’d dated men who had much better characters than him and yet I’d still allowed him to get under my skin.