Yeah, I am not even going to apologize for not updating. I absolutely hate writing the last chapters of my stories because I get this feeling of "I can't write" and really, I can't write. And I like the ideas coming to me, rather than forcing them out of my head 'cause then they seem boring to me, probably you to, but it's okay. There is about 7 chapters left to this story, so if you want anything to happen, tell me in the review or in a PM. Anyway, thanks for the reviews for the other chapters! Hope you like this update(:

I don't own VA…

Chapter 21: The Letters

Anathema

"Griselda, has anything new arrived for me?"

The honest-t0-God waitress smiled kindly at me with both her eyes and smile. As I saw her smile, I was disgraced by my mother's treatment with Griselda. My mother was as nice to Griselda…as the evil stepmother was nice to Cinderella.

"Sorry, Miss Ana; I am still on the lookout for that package you told me to watch. I recall you telling me it is your wedding dress, is that correct?"

"Wedding dress designs," I corrected with a rare, kind smile.

Griselda's smile remained. "I am so happy that you are finally getting married. I remember when you were younger, you used to play dress-up, and now you are actually walking down the aisle, with a great man, I must add. And, boy, let's not go to his looks!"

"I know, Elda, I know. He's a great man. I love him and pretty soon he's going to love me." My 'kind' smile shifted to slightly evil smile.

"Griselda! What did I tell you? You are here to work, not to mingle with the family? If you want to keep you job, then I suggest you get your cheap-self back to scrubbing the floors!"

"Yes, madam."

My mother stared down at Griselda.

"Goodbye, Miss Ana." She almost ran away as my mother continued to glare at her.

"I swear, one of these days, I am going to end up burying her in the backyard. Horrible." She looked over at me. "Why is it that Griselda and you always bring out the darkest feelings in me? I dislike you greatly both."

I stayed without saying a word. If I said something now, she wouldn't think twice about hurting me again as she always did when I interrupted her.

"Anathema, you and I need to talk in living room. Follow me, you little brat."

I did as she told me.

"Janice! Janice! Where are you? Janice—I will give you twenty seconds to get here or else I will fire you!" My mother, as she yelled, walked to the living room and once there, she settled herself on her "throne" as I liked to call it. "Janice!"

"I am right here, Mrs. What can I assist you with?"

"Bring me some whiskey and a pack of cigarettes. I had a long trip."

My mother waited until Janice brought her the cigarettes and the liquor before she started lecturing me.

"So, I heard you have this little affair with the Ivashkov boy."

"Correct."

She reached out and slapped me. "That is not what you were supposed to say, you stupid little bitch of a daughter."

"What else do you want me to say, mother?" I asked, looking up to Misavya, my 'mom.'

My "mother" was a monster. If there was anything I feared in life, it was my mother. She hated me. She hated the fact that I was born prettier than she was. She hated the fact that when we went out, all guys paid attention to me and not her. She hated me, everything about me.

"I don't know. That you are going to tear that boy's heart to pieces. I dislike you liking Adrian, Anathema. I told you not to get attached to him. Now, I am going to have to kill you too."

"Mom, I understand your hatred with me, but kill me? Are you sure about that?"

My mother reached over the table beside the couch. A cup of some exotic alcohol was sitting on the table. My mother grabbed the drink and tossed some of the liquid back. "Liquor…the substance that is relaxing. My daughter…very annoying. I've already told you this, Anathema, I dislike you. I want nothing more than to see you happily dead."

"I like Adrian," I repeated. "He's the nicest male I've ever known."

"You stupid little brat; he just wants you because of you what you have to offer between your thighs. He loves Rose and there won't be another woman for him. You are extra foolish for thinking such thoughts. I ought to send you to your death! Sadly, I have better use for you."

"Like what?"

"You are such a good darling girl, one I dislike, but still you are quite the average daughter." My mother smiled for a second, or two, before she went back to being evil bitch. "I want you to write a letter."

"A letter? For what?"

"Don't question my actions, girl! You will write a letter to Rose Hathaway, explaining in clear detail what the hell you have done with her lover, and what you plan and doing. I want to the letter to be good. I want to see the little rat fall. I want to see her dead."

"Why would I do that?" I asked.

"Because I told you. I am in charge here. Do you want me to send you back to Lord Ivashkov? He'd show you what it is like to be with a real man."

I gulped. I hated Lord Ivashkov, Adrian's father. He had practically raped me in front of my mother just for to see my mother smile. He was cruel, horrible, a poor excuse of a man. I hated him, I hated him so much. I wanted to see him dead for all the cruel things he had done to me.

As I was caught up in my own horrific memories, my mother threw her glass of now-empty liquor at my leg. I flinched. "Get working, Anathema. And be prepared to pleasure Lord Ivashkov once more as he will drop by this afternoon."

"Never…never again will I let him touch me."

"Fine," Misavya said, smiling. "He'll just have to tie you again and have his way with you."

I shivered, hating my mother, Lord Ivashkov, and my life once more.

Rose

"So, are you and Colton a couple now?" Sydney asked, while I coated her toe nails with a light blue nail polish because her extended stomach didn't allow her to see her toes properly.

"No," I said. "I don't think I want to date men, right now. I still love Adrian, and if I am ever going to start dating again, I have to start by keeping it 'casual' with guys till I can finally handle a deeper relationship with men. Actually, fuck all men."

Around a bite of a sandwich made of peanut butter and jelly (her most craved food), Sydney said, "Good girl. Guys just break your heart and make you fat." Another bite of the sandwich. "Well, that's what he did to me. He poked me, I swelled, and he left me."

"But now he is following you around like a newborn puppy, begging you to take him back."

Sydney remained silent as I continued to paint her toe nails and she continued to munch on another peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

My thoughts had me barely-there in the plans of the Earth, when she decided to speak again. "Rose, do you think I should forgive him? What do you think? From what I see, he's changed."

"I don't know, Syd. I don't know. I have my own 'boyfriend issues' to deal with. But if I had an answer for you, you know I would give it to you."

"Yes, you would." Sydney took a drink out of the glass of lemonade she had sweet-talked me into making for her (I just added water and those powder packets). "So, I haven't asked this question in, like, ten years, but what's up with your boyfriend issues?"

As I coated the last toe nail on her left foot, I gazed up to her face. "Syd, don't even ask me about that, don't expect an answer, 'cause I don't have one myself."

"Sorry, girl. You should just send him to hell, like you said you were."

"I wish it were that easy, but when you share all these wonderful memories with someone, it is so hard to forget when the memories are there, constantly filling up the walls of your mind, making you remember the good times you had, and therefore making it hard for you to forget."

"Whoa…um, it might take me some time to decipher the answer you just gave me, filled with so many 'big girl' words."

I tossed my head back slightly and chuckled. "Fucking Sydney…I love you, girl."

Syd ruffled my hair as if I were a dog. "Love you, too, girl."

I finished painting her nails when she spoke again.

"Rose, you so have to help me pick out baby names."

I thought about it for a second. "I love the name Danesa."

"It's a pretty name, Rose, but I once used to know a girl that was dating my 'crush' with that name."

"That is sure a reason—"

"Go answer the door, Rose," Syd said, when somebody knocked on the door.

"Who could be bothering us right now? We got rid of the guys."

I stood up and went to the door.

Mia Rinaldi stood there.

"Mia!" It had been, what, about a year since I had last talked to Mia.

"Rose! Hey, girl." We hugged, chatted some, and caught up on news before she pulled out a white, elegant envelope from her pocket. "The grand invitation, for you."

"What the hell is this for?"

"Lissa decided to throw a royal event this month."

"Shit…and she didn't tell me." Non-surprising. Ever since Syd had told her off at the shopping court, Lissa and I had not spoken.

But oh shit.

At royal events, a king and his queen, a prince and his princess, were required to go with each other. And shit…Adrian and I had to go together.

"I am so refusing that invitation."

"What?" Mia asked, looking at me weirdly.

"Talking to myself, Mia." I grinned a little crazily.

"Oh, Rose." Mia laughed. "Well, I have to go; my boyfriend is waiting for me."

"Damnn…we have to catch on! We'll set up lunch sometime, you know, catch up one some old business."

"Bye, Rose." We hugged again and she left.

"To hell you go," I said, tossing the invitation to the garbage. "No way in hell am I going to any event with Adrian."

"Yay!"

Before I could go sit back down, there was another knock on the door.

"What the hell do you they want now?"

A little mad now, I opened the door. The kind looking woman that stood in the doorway made my anger vanish.

"For you, Miss Rose." Once she handed me the envelope, she was gone.

Impatient, I tore open the envelope.

It was a letter.

I unfolded it and began to read.

Rose,

There is a little saying that is going around nowadays. The saying is: Give your toys to the less fortunate. Basically, that is what you did to me. You "gave" your "toy" to me. Translation: You let me have Adrian. Rose, you may not think that I am less fortunate than you are, but you do not understand the misfortunates I had, have to go through as my life progresses. My mother hates me; I am like a scapegoat to all her bad actions. And my father, he lost hope in me when he realized I loved my mother more than I did him and I would always pick her side before his in all situations.

I hate my life, Rose; again, I repeat, you do not understand how much I hate my life. It is a cliché when I say this, but Adrian is the best damn thing that has ever happened to me, that has come into my life. At first, when I knew about the "fake" proposal I was bored and wanted nothing more than to be with other men. Now, my mind has been changed; I cannot wait till the day I walk down the aisle to meet him at the altar. The reasons my feelings shifted was the night, the first time, we ever made love. Every time we are engrossed in our lovemaking, I cannot restrain the feelings I feel for him. I know he does not love me, that he still loves you, but I know one day I can win his heart like you have won his heart.

My mother hates you, wishes for you death, plans your death, but I just want to let you know, when that day comes, your death, I swear Adrian will be left in good hands. I promise I will "take care" of him as you did. I will give him that life, that family, he always tells me you promised him. I will give him a happy life, the life you will be unable to give him.

-Anathema

I didn't know how the hell to react so I passed on the letter to Sydney for her "inspection."

It took Syd a couple of minutes to read the letter, as it had taken me, but her reaction, to me, was priceless. She stared, shocked, at the letter, while managing to wear a disgusted look on her face. Horrified, she glanced at me.

"The bitch knows how to write her annoying kvetches into words, that's all I'm telling you."

I had to crack a grin. That was my Sydney.

I was about to go sit back down next to Sydney again, another knock on the door, yet again, sounded.

With mixed emotions, because of the letter, because of everything happening in my life right now, I tossed the door open.

"What the hell do you want now?"

"Princess," the messenger grinned, "I have special delivery for you."

"I am sorry." Since I was a "princess" I had to smile at him, kindly. "Whoever could it be from?"

"Sorry, he wouldn't reveal his identity."

The messenger handed me a large, white box with a envelope taped to the top. I tipped the messenger change from my pockets (just because I was a princess didn't mean I was rich) and laid the box on the coffee table. Curious, I opened the box. A black dress was placed inside the box. Even without touching the dress, I knew it would be a dress that hugged each and every one of my curves.

Even with more curiosity, I opened the letter. Who would be sending me gifts now? How exciting!

Rose

Wear this tonight. I know you'll look gorgeous and beautiful. You always do.

The letter wasn't signed.

But I knew his hand writing anywhere.

Adrian.

OHH…do you think anything interesting should happen at the royal event?

I am proud to say that I reached 57, 000 words in my story. I am so proud of myself. *pats my back* It sounds so easy, but it is not easy writing a story where you have to create your own world, characters, and create your own everything. Thankfully, I have the support of two wonderful friends who have been reading my story and encouraging me. (Nicia and YourDemonicAssasin) Love you guys!

Actually, I love all my readers!

Thanks so much!

And review!

And who wants to name Sydney's baby? And pick out the gender?

Take care

-M