"I have a surprise for you."
"Yeah?" I asked with a wide grin, I tucked in closer to his side, we'd gone out to dinner in a wonderful restaurant in Muggle London. A place I had never been to before in my life. It had been delicious.
It was my first night out with Calvin since I finished school.
"Yeah, I think you're going to love it."
"As long as you're there I will." He stopped walking to kiss me. His kisses were always hungry, always excited, and passionate. Always a little pushy- but I knew it was just because he loved me. He told me he loved me in his letters… I mean he hadn't actually written out the words, but I could tell he did. I could read between the lines. He also hadn't said it out loud yet- but I knew he would.
Eventually.
We apparated- he had a habit of doing that, of apparating without warning me. I told him to stop doing that, but I was so excited for a surprise, I let it go. I wasn't stable when we landed and I learned on him to keep from falling over as my heels hit cobblestones.
"Tada!" He gestured.
"Is this it?" I asked, excited. "This is your house?"
"No." He admitted. "This is our place. A home for you and me to hide away in. No one can touch us here." I frowned, about to ask who we would be hiding from but- it felt obvious. He was quite a bit older than me. He was probably worried that my mother and Baz wouldn't approve. Well the joke was on him, I knew my mom would be thrilled. And Baz would be happy as long as I was happy.
"I want to see inside." He held out the key to me and I took it, running for the cottage, running for our safe place.
"I want to see inside." He held out the key to me and I took it, running for the cottage, running for our safe place.
I walked in and my heart soured. It was perfect, and I told him as much. There was a couch sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, though it was summer and daytime so the fire wasn't super necessary, it simply added to the cozy feel of the room.
There were bookcases begging to be filled. I could already see in my head how I would design the room to make it look perfect. The place was a bit... small but it would work for a starter house.
"When do we move in?" I asked. An odd look flashed over his features but it was gone in the blink of an eye.
"Soon, darling. I have another surprise, a surprise within the surprise." He took my hand and led me through the living room to the kitchen, sat in the middle of the kitchen island was a cake.
"For us?" I asked, walking over, there were two paper plates and a knife sitting next to it. "Forks."
He frowned.
"Dammit, I forgot." He realized,
"It's fine, we can eat it with our hands." I reasoned,
"We can feed each other." A slow grin spread over his lips.
"We can." I agreed, reaching out and running one finger through the icing, sucking it into my mouth. it was smooth and perfectly sweet. I closed my eyes and groaned.
"You can't do that, Cordelia." He warned. "Making noises like that, we won't end up eating cake." He shook his head. I smirked and swiped another fingerful, offering it to him. He walked over, taking my finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the digit as he sucked it clean.
"We could take the cake to the bedroom." I reasoned. He grinned, grabbing the cake and the knife. "Lead the way, baby."
It hadn't remained our safe space for long. We had used it for a couple of weeks before I found out who he really was and that the person we were hiding from was his wife. When I apparated here, with Kaitlyn clinging to my arm, I expected pain. I expected to feel something. I had stayed here with the man I'd loved, who had ripped my heart to pieces with his lies.
But I didn't. It was a part of my past and I had finally moved on. That was good at least. I led the way to the door and knelt down, grabbing the extra key from where it was hidden.
"Open the door." She snapped. Her spell was wearing away, I felt fairly confident that if I wanted to, I could tell her no and not do it. But her wand was still stuck in my back, and I wasn't ready for her to know I was free from her spell. I slid the key into the lock and turned it, pushing the door open.
"Kaitlyn-"
"Shut up. Go inside." I clenched my jaw and walked in.
It was a cute little place. There was the comfy couch, the bookshelves were still empty. There was no rug on the floor, but there was a chair, taken from the kitchen. Kaitlyn shoved me towards it and I tripped, stumbling a bit- giving her just enough time.
"Incarcerous!" The ropes hit me, wrapping around my wrists and ankles, I hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.
"Ow! Shit!" I snapped. "What the fuck?" She used her wand to pick me up and sit me in the chair.
"We were happy." She informed me, gently tucking loose bits of hair out of my face and behind my ears.
"Were we?"
"Shut. Up!" Kaitlyn bellowed. "Not you and I, you idiot. Calvin and I. We were happy, on cloud nine. He was going to leave his wife for me."
"He told you that?" I asked.
"He promised me." She snapped. She had that on me, he never technically told me he'd leave his wife for me. "He loved me, He hired me because he knew we had that connection. He told me I was the best assistant he ever had. He took me out to dinner, more than once. And it wasn't always business dinners. Sometimes he took me out just the two of us and we talked about our lives." The sun was quickly setting, and the room was getting dark, she waved her wand again and the candles around the room, as well as the fireplace all roared to life.
Well, at least we'd be warm.
"Two years. Two years! Everything was perfect. Then all of the sudden, he doesn't have time for me. He has stuff to do after work that never included me. Then I find out he got a new cottage, A new perfect little home."
My eyes slowly trailed over the room- taking in anything that I could use to help me. There wasn't much. The space was pretty bare bones. We had never really bothered to decorate because our minds were on other things, getting to the bedroom, every time we were here.
The layout was simple, Kaitlyn and I were currently in the main living space, behind me there was a kitchen that had never been used. To my right, there were stairs that led up to the second floor and that bedroom which had seen plenty of use.
The kitchen to my knowledge didn't even have silverware or knives. I could see my wand, the handle sticking out of her pocket.
"So I go there, There was no way he and his wife would be downsizing like that- and it wasn't in a vacation spot so it was obviously going to be for us! For him and I to start our lives together just like he promised. I didn't mean to ruin the surprise but I was so excited, I found out where it was, and- He wasn't alone in the house."
The look she gave me was murderous. I've never seen hate like that before in my life, and I was really good at making people dislike me.
"No, he was here with some little slut." She snarled the last word, crossing the room, jamming the point of her wand under my chin. I swallowed hard but I wasn't going to flinch.
"Kaitlyn-"
"He never wrote me letters."
"You were next to him." I pointed out. That actually gave her pause, the wand drooping. I licked my lips and continued. "He never promised me any of that, he never planned to leave anyone for me." I offered.
"He didn't?" The hate in her eyes turned to hope and I quickly shook my head.
"Never." of course, I hadn't known there was anyone else that he'd have to leave but, details.
She took a few steps back, but that seemed to bring into focus where we were.
"He bought you a house." She shouted. "He bought you a house and when you finished school and you came back he all but abandoned me!" I tested the rope holding my arms behind my back. They were tight, but not perfectly so, that was the downside of that spell- if not done perfectly, they would end up just a bit loose.
"And the hurt- the pain- when you rejected him. I've never seen My Calvin so upset." She gripped the wand tighter, her hand shaking.
"I didn't-"
"Stop talking." She snapped, pointing the wand at me again. I pointedly pressed my lips together. "You hurt him! You gutted him! But he still loved you. He wanted to take you to lunch! Then he had the audacity to ask me to bring you your statement. To have me meet you face to face. I knew what he wanted, what he really wanted. He wanted me to see you- to exact revenge."
There was not a doubt in my mind that she was out of her mind. Calvin had no interest in revenge. That wasn't who he was as a person. It definitely seemed to be who she was though.
"I left you that little note, and you came running, you just had to show it off, try and get his sympathy back but he knows better. He knows what kind of witch you are."
"Does he?" I asked, Kaitlyn was pacing, she was distracted. I was slowly moving my hands, trying to loosen the rope even further. The real problem was going to be my ankles.
"He does. You think you're so smart, you think you're so perfect but you're not, We've been one step ahead of you this whole time." She whirled and crossed the room, getting into my face. Finally, finally, my wrists were loose enough that I knew I could get out.
"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at her. "You think so?"
"I know so."
"So he told you everything?"
"Well- Yes." She straightened. "Everything."
"He told you that I knew about you?" I asked. That made her falter. "I mean I didn't know your name, but I knew he had a former lover- one that he dropped so could have me." Kaitlyn's eyes widened.
"He didn't drop me."
"Because I rejected him." I shrugged. "He told me so much about you, about how desperate you were, how you fawned over him. He knew he could do whatever he wanted and you'd come running back to him like a dog with a bone."
"Shut up!" She shouted, her arm swinging out and catching the side of my head, knocking me off of the chair and to the floor. I landed hard on my shoulder, feeling a small pop, but I managed to avoid calling out in pain. "That's not true! He loves me!"
"Did he tell you that?" I snapped.
"I-" She paused as if thinking about it. Looking back to any moment when he said the words. I knew he hadn't. He didn't like to say them. He could make it sound like love, sure, but he didn't say it. "Bitch!" she screamed, her foot connecting with my popped shoulder. I gasped, pressing my face to the floor, but she stomped away, heading for the kitchen. I could hear crashing and glass breaking but I didn't waste any time.
I let the ropes drop from my wrists and quickly went about loosening my ankles. Those were tighter than my wrists had been. I glanced over my shoulder- she was still tearing apart the kitchen. Great. I pulled harder, maneuvering until finally, I managed to get them free, I tossed the rope aside, jumping up, ignoring the pain in my shoulder and my feet waking up after behind tied so tightly. The next step was kicking off my shoes, I loved my heels, but running in them was a bitch.
I ran for the door and tried to open it- it was locked
And when I tried to twist the lock to free myself- it was stuck. She had spelled it.
"Fuck." I muttered, I looked back over my shoulder and tucked into the closet next to the door. Closing it behind me.
She had her wand and mine. I patted myself down for weapons and found none, but when searching the closet I managed to find a screwdriver of all things.
It hit me that this had been a muggle's house- this was a muggle area- that's how badly he wanted to hide me away. I rolled my eyes and adjusted my grip on the tool. My hope was that when she saw I was gone- she'd think I got out the front door and she's open it, running out to chase me.
"Where Are you!" Kaitlyn screamed, I heard her run up the stairs, slamming open doors, letting out screams of frustration. She came back down and I knew this door would be one of the first she tried- it was next to said stairs. So- I beat her to it. I threw the door open, flying out and tackling Kaitlyn.
She roared, hitting the ground, hard. I didn't give her a chance to recover, throwing myself on top of her. My first goal was to get her wand out of her hand. I tried to wrench it out but she held tight to the bit of wood.
She was stronger than she looked, trying to flip us over. I quickly grabbed my discarded screwdriver and slammed it down into her hand.
Kaitlyn screamed, finally letting go of the wand, her other hand coming up and grabbing me by the hair, yanking me back. My head hit the arm of the couch as Kaitlyn scrambled to stand- trying to grab the wand.
I kicked out, managing to hit it with my foot sending it skittering into the fire.
"No!" She screeched, jumping to grab it but before she could- the entire thing exploded.
If the cottage was in a normal neighborhood with people close, then that would have been my salvation but no, because he was so desperate to keep anyone from knowing- even in a muggle area, the cottage was isolated.
I scrambled up and went running for the kitchen. It had never actually been stocked but part of me hoped beyond hope that I would find something- anything. Because my screwdriver- the last time I had seen it, was in Kaitlyn's wrist. Turned out the glass I'd heard shattering was the cabinets, all of them had been glass front but now they lay in shards on the floor, too small to make a proper weapon, though I kept an eye out for something usable. That failed, I spared a look at the backdoor
Maybe
I ran to the door and tried to twist the knob- but she'd gotten to that one too.
"Fuck!" I slammed my hand on the door and turned, Kaitlyn was coming my way.
My only saving grace was that she seemed to have forgotten that she had my wand. I rushed past her to the countertops, opening and closing drawers while she slowly walked my way.
She was a mess, there was blood pouring down her hand- her hair was slightly singe'd from the explosion.
"Only seems fitting- since you tried to blow up my husband," I muttered, A bit of an exaggeration but considering the circumstances, I was going to let it slide. Finally- the last drawer, was empty too. No that wasn't right, a memory flashed through my mind
He'd brought a celebration cake the night he showed me the house. There was a knife to cut it- the house should have at least had a knife.
We ate it in bed.
The knife was upstairs. I cried out as Kaitlyn grabbed my hair again, yanking me down, but l went with it, hitting the ground and throwing her off balance. The moment she let go, I was up and running towards the fire.
"Get back here!" Kaitlyn screamed, running after me. The fire was spreading, taking out the ropes and eating away at the chair, the smoke was intense and we needed to get out but I could see that wasn't going to be happening, not while Kaitlyn was alive and she was hot on my heels. She grabbed my ankle a I scrambled up the stairs yanking me down. I was momentarily dazed as I hit the ground.
One, two, three kicks and her hand let go and I was crawling my way back up.
The bedroom was at the end of the short way, and to the left was a bathroom. I went straight for the bedroom, slamming the door behind me and quickly turning the lock on the knob. Kaitlyn slammed into it with a screech.
I ripped open the drawers to the nightstands only to find them both empty.
"Fuck." I could hear the steady slam of Kaitlyn against the door- it was only going to last so long. There wasn't anywhere else it could be, I threw myself to the floor, hoping to find it under the bed- nothing.
Maybe he did come back and clear out the few items that had been left behind. The door finally crashed open and Kaitlyn stood there with a wild grin, holding up the knife.
"Looking for this?" She asked. My eyes widened and I rolled under the bed. "You can't escape, You might as well just give in." She taunted.
"Not happening." I snapped back. She reached under the bed- apparently at some point she had pulled the screwdriver out. Blood covered her hand but that didn't stop her from grabbing my ankle and yanking me towards the end of the bed. I desperately tried to grab onto something, anything to stop her from pulling me all the way out- but there was nothing.
"When you're dead, he won't have any more distractions. He will divorce his bitch of a wife and be all mine."
"Delilah is a fucking delight and if you think he's ever going to leave her for you, you're- somehow, crazier than you look."
"He loves me."
"He loves pussy and pussy alone," I shouted, kicking her away, scrambling to stand, my shoulder throbbed, and my body ached but I wasn't going to die here
There was a crash from downstairs and I became painfully aware of the smoke that filled the house, the heat coming up from downstairs.
"He will love me." Kaitlyn snarled.
"Coco!" someone shouted. It was enough of a distraction- I turned my body towards the sound, Kaitlyn turned her head, but the knife still came down, the blade cutting into my side like butter. I let out a cry of pain but didn't stop, I scrambled for the door, but Kaitlyn jumpeed at me again, this time when I hit the ground, I heard a louder pop, and pain exploded from my shoulder, light dancing in my vision
I cried out again, the sound muffled by another crash from downstairs. I went to grab for her wrists with my working hand, and she moved to pin me to the floor.
I smashed my head into her nose and she screamed out.
"Coco!" Came the call again. I managed to use the blood as enough lubrication to slip my wrists out of her grasp, pushing her off of me.
She gave me a wild grin, blood staining her teeth.
"I'm going to kill you- and I am going to kill your nosy fucking husband." She snarled, standing up and heading for the door, opening it up, letting it crash into the wall
The smoke was so much worse out there.
"Cordelia!" Came the call. She was right- it was Theodore.
He'd found me.
A/N - Thanks so much for reading! It's my birthday today so a review if you liked it would be awesome.