Desperate

Chapter 34

Elizabeth's POV:

Was it true? Did her father intentionally adopt her for the sole purpose of luring Maddie to come to Wisconsin and fall in love with him?

A single tear slid down Elizabeth's cheek as the note rested on her lap, its written words echoing in her mind. As much as she didn't want to, she couldn't help but believe whoever wrote it. After all, it all made sense. Maddie was all her father wanted, and she was the only person that didn't love him in a way that he wanted her to. With him, it wasn't surprising that he would come up with this scheme and get a loving mother to assist him in taking care of an infant.

The teen girl glanced up from her bed and spotted herself in the vanity mirror a few feet from her. Her eyes glowed a dangerous shade of dark blue, and the tears that were already falling vividly lit up in a neon blue color. They left a light blue trail behind them. She was nothing to him, wasn't she? All she was was someone he could use until he reached his endgame.

Her eyes softly closed, and she crumpled the note in her hand. It was no wonder they became distant. His plan failed, and he blamed her for it. He never won Maddie over, and he believed it was her fault.

But it wasn't.

Standing up from her bed, she allowed her hands to let go of the pernicious note and watched as it fell to the floor. It bounced and rolled once before stopping beside her. Her lip quivered, and she looked back at herself in the mirror. The gloves could no longer hide her mysterious marks as they shone right through them. Not only that but the marks spread to the rest of her figure. They ended as soon as they reached her eyes. Her hand shakily lifted to her face as she touched the dancing marks on her cheek but pulled away as soon as the cold touch made her shiver.

Her lips parted partially as if she needed to say something, but no words came out. Out of anyone that could hurt her, she never expected her father. All of his supposed 'efforts' to get her to trust him again were all a ruse. He found another use for her, and it was because of Maddie.

The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Maddie," she whispered, the name falling from her lips. The woman he loved was downstairs and celebrating at the party Vlad put together for her. He always did everything for Maddie but never for his adopted daughter.

All of the resentment she felt in the past surfaced immediately. Strong winds shattered her windows, forcing shards of glass to fly past her. Her gaze watched as the pieces shot right into the wall then stuck out of it. Once she looked forward again, she flinched and screamed in pain then instinctively brought a hand up to where one of the pieces sliced her cheek. Pain erupted from it, and she lowered her hand as soon as she felt a warm liquid slide down her fingertips. Green blood oozed down her fingers and slowly moved to her palms. Her eyes narrowed further, and she clenched her fist as she focused on one thought and desire.

Maddie would feel her pain.

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Vlad's POV:

The party was so far a success, aside from the fact that Jack attended. Maddie looked as happy as Vlad hoped she would be, Daniel liked him, and Jazz - well, he still had to work on her trust. All that was left to do was to give the birthday speech he prepared years ago.

He glanced over at Maddie sitting at her table and smiled lovingly at her. She was the only one who could make him feel like a timid schoolboy again. The only one who could complete him. The only perfect person in his life.

Besides Elizabeth, of course. His daughter was and always would be perfect in his eyes. He couldn't imagine what his life would have been like if he hadn't adopted her. If Maddie would never accept him, at least he had a beautiful daughter to give his heart to instead.