Escaped My Ex, Got Snatched by His Rival - Chapter 179

Chapter 179: Chaining the monsters
Mrs Harlow didn’t want to leave without hearing a firm response from Ariana, but she feared the sharp piece of porcelain that Ariana was holding.

It was sharp and rugged. One single mistake could cost Mrs Harlow her life. So even if she was greedy for smaller gains, Mrs Harlow knew when to retreat.

Mrs Harlow walked out of the door and let it close behind her. The concerned expression on Mrs Harlow’s face collapsed when she stepped out and started to walk along the corridor.

Inside the apartment, Ari let go of the piece of porcelain that she was holding in her hands. Her thoughts were consumed by what her mother said to her, and as she walked towards her bedroom, she couldn’t help but question, “Is something really wrong with me?”

As she spoke, Ariana raised her hand and looked at the wound that was now bleeding. Just now, when she was standing against her mother with that piece of porcelain, Ari felt a thrill in her heart.

A kind of thrill that made her scared and happy.

Ari turned to look in a mirror hanging on her right and stared at her wild appearance. Her hair was a mess and her rosy locks were sticking to her sweaty face, there was a childlike almost chilling glint in her eyes.

One that showed how excited she was to get the release that she wished for.

Her thoughts came to a stop when she heard the sound of whining.

When her gaze fell, she felt her heart warm up upon seeing Timmy.

Earlier he had stared at Mrs Harlow warily but had stayed at the side because Ari asked him to not come over.

However, now that the little fur boy looked at Ari and her hand, he couldn’t help but growl lightly.

He should have bitten that woman earlier.

“I am fine, Timmy,” said Ari as she opened the door in front of her. However, what surprised her was that she did not open the door to the bedroom but the room where she had locked away most of her monsters.

Ari’s eyes flickered as she looked at the many canvases in front of her and a small memory from the past, slithered through the small casket in which she had nailed it.

Most probably the cracks appeared because her mother had spoken about things she had no idea about.

Ari was taken back to the time when her little act of rebellion had led her inside the small trunk.

‘Mom, I didn’t do anything. It was Ariel who snatched my doll!’

Her cries were ignored by her mother who dragged her to the small store room. The haunting darkness of the room and the suffocation of the trunk made her heart filled with pain and agony.

‘Stay inside and reflect on what you have done, Ariana,’ she heard the muffled voice of her mother which sounded distant. ‘Your sister has sacrificed so much for you when you were born, if not for your birth she would be living as a princess and your father would still have his job.’

‘Your sister’s life turned upside down because of your mere existence, she never said a word and accepted you. Why can you not let her have a small doll? If not for you the finances of this family will still be strong and Your dad and I could have bought many dolls for your sister.’

‘Stay in the trunk and ponder on whether what you did was right or not.’

‘When you reach the answer, I will open it for you.’

Ari did not hear anything apart from the sound of footsteps fading away in the distance. She looked at the dark room through the small keyhole of the trunk and shuddered.

For an hour, she cried and said that she did not do anything wrong.

However, as time passed by she got more and more scared. A small girl locked in an even smaller chest…how could she not be scared?

‘Mom, I was wrong. I will not do it again,’ Ari begged for her release.

Surprisingly, those words were the key to her freedom.

Her mother opened the trunk and questioned her, ‘Do you know what you did wrong?’

‘Yes,’ Ari, as young as she was, understood at that small age that she couldn’t fight with her sister.

Even if her sister was wrong and unreasonable, she was loved by her mother and could act stubbornly. But as Ari was unloved, she could only lower her head and tread carefully.

She had to suppress her desires, feelings, and everything else that was hers.

If she wanted to live, she had to become Ariel’s shadow with no identity of her own.

The paintbrush in Ari’s hand dropped to the floor as she looked at the painting in front of her.

On the canvas was a woman submerged in water, but there were traces of blood mixed with water floating next to the face of the woman. Her face was serene, but the pain could still be read on her face.

Two hands were clutching her neck as if choking her.

Ari breathed in and out while looking at the painting. The more she looked at it, the more her head hurt.

“Ahhhh!!!” She screamed as she hurled a bucket of black paint on the canvas.

The impact of the throw caused Ari to stumble as she staggered back and fell on the floor.

Her hands reached for her hair, and she gripped the strands of her hair tightly while moving back and forth on the balls of her heels.

“It’s fine, it’s fine… Everything is alright,’ Ari muttered to herself, but she knew nothing was fine.

This had to end or else ——

Ari raised her head and looked at the canvas that was now dripping with black paint. The drops of paint trickled down, chasing one another.

Because if it didn’t, then she was worried the monsters that she had put a chain on would hunt those whom she couldn’t.