~María José’s Point Of View~
The day Axel called Father out, he barely made it out the gate before the storm began.
My father stood frozen for a second, his chest rising and falling in quick succession with his nostrils flaring. That was sothing I liked to call; silence before the explosion.
And then it ca.
"¡Maldita sea!" He roared, grabbing the closest thing in his reach—which happened to be a heavy wooden ashtray... and hurling it across the room. It hit the far wall with a crack, scattering ashes all over the floor.
I winced, but I didn’t dare move.
"Summon the n," he barked at one of his guards. "We’re going to the butcher’s."
The words sent a cold shiver down my spine.
I already knew what this ant. My father was about to make a scene, to stomp through the butchery like an angry bull and salvage whatever respect he believed I had single-handedly destroyed.
It was not about getting revenge or justice for the attempted harassnt of . It was solely about him.
But he wasn’t done with yet. He turned to face , his glare burning straight through .
"And you..." He jabbed a finger at , fury burning on his face. "You will answer for this humiliation later."
My hands curled into fists. My throat tightened. It wasn’t like I had invited Axel here. It wasn’t like I had done anything except exist. But that was always enough to be a problem, wasn’t it?
Camila, of course, took this as her cue to add salt to the wound.
"Shaful," she spat, arms crossed over her chest. "I can’t believe I share blood with soone so useless. Such a disgrace."
"Un chiste," Rosa added, tossing her hair. "That’s what she is. A pathetic little joke."
I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry. Even if I would, it would definitely not be in front of them. Or in front of my father.
"Papá," Rosa continued as he raged away, "don’t be mad at Axel. It’s not his fault. It’s hers."
My father didn’t respond. He just kept pacing with his jaw clenched the way it did whenever he was in his enraged mode.
Rosa took this as encouragent. After all, Father hadn’t written her off.
"She loves playing the victim. Only God knows what she told Axel to make him act like that. You know how she is—always making people pity her, always twisting the story. This is not Axel’s fault, Father. It’s all María José!"
Why the fuck was she blaming it all on ?! Protecting a man while forsaking her own sister.
"I didn’t tell him anything," I shot back in a hoarse voice.
Rosa turned on in an instant, curling her lips in disdain.
"You don’t talk back to ," she hissed, stepping closer nacingly.
Normally, I would have succumbed to her authority, but Axel’s words wouldn’t stop ringing in my head; stand up for yourself, María José.
Hence, I held my ground.
"I’ll say what I want," I said, my tone was final even though my heart was pounding. "Why do you care so much about what I do, anyway? Why does it bother you so much that Axel talked to ?"
Her eyes flashed with rage. "You know why," she said darkly.
I crossed my arms. "No, I don’t. Please, tell why my presence is such a threat. I’m wolfless, I’m useless—your words, not mine... so what are you so scared of?"
It was a challenge, and I knew it.
Camila let out a delighted little gasp. "Ohh, she’s growing a spine after spending a few minutes with Axel." She mocked.
I was sure spending ti with Axel was deliberately ntioned to aggravate Rosa further.
Fury twisted our dear eldest sister’s face, and before one could blink, she shoved with both hands.
I stumbled back, my heel getting caught on the rug, and I went down hard. My palms scraped against the floor, stinging as they t the rough wood.
Camila laughed.
"Serves you right," she sneered.
I looked up just in ti to see Rosa raising her foot, ready to kick while I was still down.
"Rosa, don’t..."
"María José."
My father’s voice ca from behind, seizing my sister’s wicked motion and causing to heave in relief.
I twisted my head toward him. He was standing by the door now, his n gathered behind him with their usual ’no-nonsense’ expressions.
"Get in the car," he ordered.
This really wasn’t necessary. Axel had dealt with the man already as it was. I just wanted to go into my room and disappear.
However, the world where María José got her wish doesn’t exist. Not before I beca an Oga, not after. I pushed myself up quickly, my head ducked low and rushed past Rosa and Camila.
The mont I slid into the passenger seat, my father got in beside . The door slamd shut, and the car rumbled to life.
I barely had a second to catch my breath before he turned to , disgust all over his face.
"You humiliate ," he barked. "Again and again, you humiliate . Do you think I enjoy people laughing at because of you?"
I swallowed hard.
"I didn’t..."
"Silence."
The car bumped along the road, but I didn’t dare look away from him.
"If I could go back in ti, I would change many things," he let out, his voice low and full of contempt. "And the first would be you. I have given you a na. A place. A ho. And this is how you repay ?"
I stared at my hands, my nails digging into my palms. He regretted having .
The words echoed and re-echoed in my head.
A failure. A mistake. That was all I ever was.
I didn’t cry. I refused to, not because the words didn’t sting, but because they weren’t sothing I already hadn’t heard.
The ride to the butchery was suffocating. Every bump in the road felt like a punch to my stomach, but I sat there, silent, while my father seethed beside .
When we finally arrived, the sight of the place only made my stomach twist tighter.
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