Free Web NovelChapter 80: Her Sins
"I seem to be the only one who remembers that!" Alaina was breathing hard at the end of her words. She wiped her eyes as if to clean away tears.
Maya’s head fell forward, and everything she had managed to push past came rushing back. She had been right there—she had participated in it.
"Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?" Alaina asked, her face dry of tears. "Of course you don’t, because you know I am speaking the truth."
Maya couldn’t, even if she wanted to. What was she going to say? She had done what Alaina said. She couldn’t even look at Keenan or anyone else at the table. She wasn’t sure she would like what she saw in their eyes.
The silence was more than enough. They all accepted what she had said. Not that she wanted anyone to come to her rescue but... she bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from crying.
The rest of breakfast went on in awkward silence, and when it ended, Maya made her way to her room. It wasn’t until she got to her bedroom that she managed to pull herself out of the daze.
She lay on the bed as tears streamed down her face. She was never going to escape her sins, was she? freēwēbnovel.com
She didn’t move an inch as the day went by. She didn’t even notice when the sun hid behind the clouds as rain drizzled down from the sky. freewebnovёl.ƈom
It wasn’t until it was time for dinner that she forced herself to move. She had thought about not going but doubted that it would do any good. It would likely make things worse.
Her legs felt heavy as she made her way through the corridor, like a chain was tightly wrapped around her ankles. She knew that no matter how hard or fast she walked, she would never get out of the mire.
She was pulled out of her thoughts as Alaina appeared on the other side of the passageway that led to the dining room. Fear flickered in her vision, and she thought of running away.
But wouldn’t that go against why she was here? How was she going to get past it if she didn’t face it? But Maya knew she wasn’t as brave as she would like to believe.
She didn’t know how she made her legs move forward, didn’t know how she pushed the dining room doors open, and made her way to her seat.
The dining room wasn’t empty. Winnie sat at the table, but it still felt as unsafe as if she were alone. She was almost at her seat when Alaina’s voice reached her.
"Your plans aren’t going to work, piggy! You creepy little freak. You think you’re going to worm your way into this household like you did nothing wrong? Think again! Alpha Keenan will never forgive you!"
Piggy! Freak!
Alpha Keenan would never forgive you!
These words echoed in her head, and Maya felt faint. She had heard "piggy" before, but not "freak." However, it was the last part of Alaina’s sentence that bothered her the most. She always said her acts were a ploy. There was no reason Alaina would think she was seeking forgiveness unless...?
Maya felt a knife stab into her heart. "Forgive? You know." Her eyes widened in horror, and the feeling of bile crawled up her throat. "Did you know all this time?"
"Know?" Winnie mumbled as she turned to look at both of them.
"Know?" Alaina chuckled. "What are you talking about?"
But there was a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips as she sat down at the table. Maya’s legs gave out from under her, and she fell to the ground.
It was no coincidence—the names she had called her. All this while, it was her way of telling Maya she knew. Was she going to tell Keenan? She would have done so already.
Was she going to keep sabotaging her? Maya buried her face in her palms. She always wondered why Alaina’s hatred felt personal. She had the worst luck. Of all the people to find out.
"Are you okay?" Winnie’s voice reached her ears.
"You have some nerve, Winnie!" Alaina yelled distastefully. "After everything I have done for you. Not only do you want my mate, but you’ll also help the person who put them through the worst times of their lives."
"I don’t want to take your m-mate," Winnie replied. "I-I never want—"
"Really? Then why won’t you tell Theo you’re his brother’s mate? And why won’t you accept Asher, even after spreading your legs for him? You don’t want me to tell Theo that, right?" Alaina stared at her contemptuously.
The blood drained from Winnie’s face and she looked at her sister with a mix of guilt, shame, and horror.
"You don’t want him, yet you’ll paint your face for no reason? You don’t want him but find every reason to talk to him. If you don’t want him, then surely you’ll be fine with me telling him the reason Asher can’t stay in the main house is because of you."
"Don’t. That’s not it. I—that’s not it." Winnie’s voice cracked, and tears pooled in her eyes.
"Then what is it?" Alaina asked condescendingly.
Winnie opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She tried again but was interrupted by the sound of the dining doors opening as maids walked into the space with dinner.
Maya forced herself off the ground. Her legs shook with each step, and she couldn’t form thoughts or process anything.
Right after the maids walked in, Theo entered the dining room, and a bright smile appeared on his face as he saw Alaina. He walked to his seat, and Alaina planted a loud kiss on his lips.
He blushed, and she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. With her face hidden from his view but in clear view of Maya and Winnie, she smirked right at Winnie, who immediately locked her gaze with the table.
Winnie sent a pitiful glance her way, and Maya almost instinctively reached out a hand toward her, but she stopped. She was equally drowning. There was no way she could save anyone.
