Falling For My Accidental CEO Husband
Chapter 108: The Past

Chapter 108: The Past

As Serena left the estate, she made a choice not to return to the Hawks’ residence. Instead, she quietly checked herself into a small, inconspicuous hotel. Se needed to disappear again at least for some time.

It wasn’t until she was lying in the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling, that her thoughts drifted back to Aiden Hawk. Her phone, still in her hand, had buzzed with countless notifications—showing over ten missed calls from him. She sighed, feeling the weight of another problem waiting for her. Yes. Aiden was a problem for the time being. She could not trust him, especially because she now knew his connection to Sidney.

With a tired shake of her head, she opened her messages and typed out a simple reply: I am alright. Busy now. Will contact you later.

Without hesitation, she hit send. Then, with a sense of finality, she blocked his number and disabled the GPS on her phone. She didn’t want to be tracked, not by him or anyone else. Her phone felt heavy in her hand for a moment longer before she tossed it aside, watching as it landed with a soft thud on the edge of the bed.

She smiled at its precarious landing, it was much like hers, wasn’t it? On the edge where she might fall over any moment.

As Serena watched the phone’s lights off, a surprising sense of finality washed over her. She hadn’t expected it to feel this way—so definite, so completely cut off. Yet, there it was, a clean break. For a brief moment, she lingered in that feeling, letting herself feel the slight heartbreak , but soon her thoughts drifted, pulling her back into the tangled mess of her past. She closed her eyes, letting out a long, weary sigh, and let herself fall backward onto the bed. So much had changed in her life in the last few years that she no longer knew what to hold on to and what to let go of.

Memories tugged at her, and she let them return- all the good and the bad. And even as tears escaped from the corenr of her her eyes, she continued to re- live them, if only to remind herself of how precious all of them were.

A young Serena, at a little more than thirteen, stood on the stone steps of a grand mansion. Her small figure looked out of place against the towering estate, her wide eyes darting around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. She felt lost, unsure of what to do or where to go.

The social worker had simply dropped her off here, letting her know that this was her grandmother’s home. But how could her grandma’s home be so big. Her family’s entire home would probably fit into a single window here. How could her father have been a part of the family here? Maybe the social worker had been mistaken and soon she would be summoned to take her back to the foster home.

Just then, a woman appeared at the door and she shivered. The cold wind whipped at her thin coat, but it was nothing compared to the icy glare of the woman standing in front of her. That was what was making her tremble all over.

The woman reminded her of Cruella from her childhood favourite dalmatians movie and it kind of scared her, making her want to shrink her shoulders. Did daddy like to watch that movie with her because it reminded him of his mother?

"From today onwards, you will be known as Serena Dawn and not Rena," the woman said, her tone devoid of warmth. "You are my acknowledged granddaughter-for now."

Serena gulped and stared at the woman before timidly questioning," Are you really my father’s mother?" At first, she’d hoped that the family inside would be her father’s family and she would not be sent back with the social worker. But now, she was pretty sure that the reason why her case worker had not stayed was because she was scared of Cruela.. ugh... her grandmother.

The woman’s expression didn’t change as she responded to her question with a condescending nod. "Yes. Your father was indeed my biological son. But don’t expect much from me. You are here because it was my son’s dying wish that you be taken care of," the woman continued, her voice cool and detached. "But make no mistake. You carry your mother’s tainted blood and she was the one who snatched my son from me. I would have abandoned you if not for him. So, you will grow up in this house, but you will keep your head down. You will not make a fuss. And when you are old enough, you will leave. You will not receive anything from this family. I think by taikng you in we have shown enough charity. Am I clear?"

The words of course had stung.. After all, she was only a young girl who had recently lost her only family- her father. And now, her new family was only taking her in because of charity.And yet, she could only bow her head and accept her fate. Because, like the old woman said, it was her father’s dying wish.

And so, she slowly became Serena Dawn, granddaughter of Edwina Dawn, instead of her father’s little princess-Rena.

But as she watched the woman walk away that day, Serena knew that this castle was a temporary stop, a place where she would have to survive until she was no longer needed.

That is how she wandered into the life of Serena Dawn from Rena...

Serena sighed as she stared at the ceiling in the hotel room.. It had been so long since she had thought of the first meeting with her grandmother... Who would have thought that the woman who had scared her the most on her first meeting, would someday, turn out to be her biggest safety and solace. With this mix of jumbled thoughts, Serena closed her eyes and let herself fall into exhaustion.