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Love Leaves Scars: Wounds Re-opened

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Warning: none

Pairinh: Oc!Reader × Grayson Hawthorne

W.C: 1.7k

Note: IM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! It was exams, and I couldn't find the right time to post😭 BUT HERE IT ISSS!!!

I felt as if all the blood had been completely drained from my body. My chest tightened, and my heart started pounding loudly within my chest. I could hear its thumping in my ears. I felt myself stop breathing, and I knew it wasn't because my head was buried against the couch's mattress.

"Vers, are you alright?" Asnid asked, gently pushing my head up from the couch. Her eyes brimmed with concern and worry. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she chewed on her lips, a habitual gesture when she was anxious. Placing a tender hand on my head, she softly stroked my hair, attempting to soothe my nerves.

I never understood Asnid's ability to calm me down with a simple touch of her fingertips. It was as though she possessed some kind of superpower. Gradually, my breathing began to steady, and a sense of calm washed over me. We sat in silence, and she continued to stroke my head in a soothing manner.

Once I regained my composure, Asnid's question resurfaced in my mind. Tobias Hawthorne. A name I hadn't heard in the past three years. I had stopped following the news, fearing the mention of his name or my family's. It was fortunate that Asnid and I rarely watched the news.

"Are you okay now?" Asnid inquired, her comforting gestures never ceasing. I nodded faintly, and her hand gently rested on mine. "You should read it; it might be important," she suggested, taking my hand and placing the envelope in my palm. Planting a tender kiss on my forehead, she gave me a soft smile and left to change into her room.

As soon as I heard her door close, my gaze fell upon the envelope in my hand. Should I read it? Should I leave it unopened? Why had he suddenly reached out after three years? I sat there in silence, uncertain of my next move. In chess, every move must be calculated strategically. One wrong move could lead to losing the game, losing everything you have.

The only sound that filled the room was the ticking of the clock. I had been staring at the envelope for five minutes now. I felt frozen, unsure of what to do. Memories from my younger years flooded my mind. The days Tobias Hawthorne would open his home to me on Saturdays. We would solve riddles and play games with his grandsons. Some days I would win, and some days I would lose. Every Saturday followed the same routine: playing a game, either winning or losing, and receiving a lesson from Tobias on our mistakes.

I mustered the strength to rise from the couch and succeeded. My feet guided me to the kitchen and the trash bin. I had moved on from everything that happened in the past. I had no need for a reminder of that life, the life that had shattered me in ways I never thought possible.

I crumpled the envelope in my hand and tossed them into the trash bin. I stared at it and felt curiosity bubbling up in my chest. Determined, I closed the bin, turned away, and suppressed any hints of regret or curiosity that threatened to consume me. I tossed my backpack into my room, then collapsed onto my bed, drowning out the nagging questions and thoughts in my head with blaring music through my headphones.

Every Saturday, I received an invitation to Hawthorne House from Tobias Hawthorne himself. Like clockwork, his four grandchildren and I would gather there in the morning to solve the riddles he had prepared for us. Today was no exception. It was a scene of utter chaos.

Nash, Xander, and I watched as Jameson and Grayson tumbled and grappled on the floor. Jameson had suggested a wrestling match, with the key to a locked book we had discovered on the shelf as the prize. "Shouldn't we intervene?" nine-year-old Xander asked. Nash and I shook our heads in response. I uncrossed my arms, removed a hairpin from my hair, and used it to retrieve the book with the help of a stool.

With the hairpin, I skillfully picked the lock, and the book clicked open. Inside, we found nothing but a solitary rook chess piece nestled in a hidden compartment. Grayson and Jameson, having abandoned their feeble wrestling attempt, approached to see the revealed item. "You could have spared us the wrestling match," Grayson remarked, slightly irritated. "I wanted to see a little show," I shrugged, seizing the rook.

"That piece could be from one of the chess sets," Xander observed, examining the chess piece. Before his words had even left his lips, his three older siblings had dashed off. I heard him sigh in annoyance, and his hurried footsteps followed theirs until I could no longer hear it. Clutching the chess piece tightly, I glanced behind me to ensure none of the four Hawthorne children had remained. Then, I darted out the door and made my way to Tobias's study.

Upon entering, I found Tobias seated at his desk, a chessboard spread out before him. "I expected you would be the one to solve it," he said, flashing a faint smile that revealed the wrinkles of age. I took a seat in front of his desk and carefully placed the rook in its designated spot. "White moves first, my dear," he reminded me.

Minutes later, in the midst of our game in Tobias's study, the door burst open, and the four boys stumbled into the room, panting and disheveled. "You're all late. I was beginning to wonder when you would join us," Tobias remarked. "Checkmate," I declared. Tobias glanced down at the chessboard, and once he confirmed my victory, he beamed with pride. "It was a pleasure playing with you, Verity," Tobias said, shaking my hand in congratulations.

I turned to the boys, who still stood there gazing at us. "Well done, kid," Nash congratulated me.

"Verity? Verity!" I was jolted awake from my slumber by Asnid's voice and her rough shake. "You fell asleep and missed dinner," she informed me. I rubbed my eyes and nodded sleepily, propping my head up with my hand. "Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. "Yes, just had a dream," I replied, my voice hoarse. "Well, there's an elderly man in the living room who insists on seeing you," Asnid said, helping me tidy up my disheveled hair.

The drowsiness dissipated from my body the moment those words escaped Asnid's lips. I stared at her, my eyes widening. I felt rooted to the spot, unable to move or speak, stunned by the possibility that it could be him. But it couldn't be, could it? Why would he be here?

"I don't think I'm in the right state to entertain guests right now, Asnid," I told her, feeling the initial shock subside in my body. Countless possible answers to my question raced through my mind. I refused to believe that Tobias Hawthorne would be sitting in the living room of my apartment at this very moment.

"I already told him that, but he's quite stubborn," Asnid replied. That old man is still the same. I sighed and rubbed my temple before giving Asnid a brief nod. "I'll remain here. It seems like you have something important to discuss," she said and sat down on one of the bean chairs in the room. "Don't touch anything while I'm gone," I reminded her before heading towards the living room.

And there he was, resplendent in his presence. I positioned myself a few meters away, deliberately avoiding proximity. I straightened my posture and held my head high, attempting to intimidate him and convey the sense that he was intruding. Yet, I knew Tobias Hawthorne wouldn't be swayed by my actions.

"It's quite impolite to keep your visitors waiting, my dear Verity," his tone remained unchanged from the last time I saw him—still arrogant and self-assured. "You haven't been responding to my letters," he informed me, taking a sip from the drink Asnid had brought him. "I consider them of no importance," I tried to maintain a firm and strong voice. I heard him chuckle, aware of my feeble attempt to appear strong, knowing that he could see through my facade.

"You've grown into a beautiful young woman, my dear. But you've forgotten everything you learned from me," he remarked, placing the cup on the coffee table before him. "Sit," he commanded me. I scoffed at his audacity. How dare he order me around in my own home? "Sit," he repeated, this time with a firm tone, realizing I hadn't complied the first time.

"Why are you here?" I asked him. "I would be delighted to tell you if you choose to sit down instead of standing there like a child on the verge of a tantrum," he responded. Reluctantly, I took a seat in one of the chairs situated at a comfortable distance from him. "Come back home," he said, folding his hands over his knee. I laughed at his feeble attempt to coax me into returning. "Do you think those two simple words would be enough to make me come back home? Am I that easily manipulated in your eyes?" I retorted, feeling offended.

"You are not, but I don't care for begging, Verity. So I am merely asking you to return home," he tried once more. I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Leave," I glared at him with anger in my eyes. "Now," I added, pointing towards the door of my apartment. "You'll change your mind soon enough, my dear," he remarked, and I couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh. "You're not a very skilled seer, Tobias," I told him. "Goodbye, Verity," he bid me. "For now," he added before closing the door behind him. I heard his footsteps recede as he walked away from my apartment, and I felt my knees give way as I collapsed to the floor.

Clutching my chest with both hands, tears streamed down my face. I hadn't realized how much I had wanted to cry until now. I sobbed and gasped for air, my cries echoing through the room. A door creaked open, and Asnid quickly rushed to my side as soon as she spotted me on the carpeted floor. "Take a deep breath, Vers," she enveloped my shaking body in her arms, whispering soothing words in my ear, attempting to calm me. I clung to her clothes, continuing to sob and gasp for air as if it would never be enough to fill my lungs.

What I hadn't noticed at that moment was the envelope lying on the floor in front of the door. T.T.H.