The Inauthentic Billionaire Princess

Chapter 15

Yeah, it was a terrible ankle sprain. And I walked after that to look for Ethan just made the sprain ten times worse.

I groaned while staring at the beautiful chandelier hanging right above me in the room. It was late and I had dinner before everyone else. A doctor was called to treat me. My mother had visited me twice to ask me about my situation and I replied that I was fine. Thank goodness he didn't ask me how I could have an ankle sprain.

I've had dinner. It's nice that Samara brings me my favorite food for dinner and ice packs every two hours. The pain is incredible but I can walk on my own if I don't overload my sprained ankle. The doctor had told me not to move much and my mother actually ordered me to never get out of bed during the week and if there was anything urgent, like I want to pee or something, I have to call Samara to help me.

I was in bed when Samara treated my sprained ankle with an ice pack. It alleviated her pain for a while, but the pain returned again after the ice pack was pulled. My ankle is lightly bruised in purple. My ankle hit the bathroom ceramic wall very hard. A small, barely noticeable lump formed and I hissed in pain as Samara pressed the ice cubes too hard on the soft lump. He apologized profusely for that. She is very sweet and very helpful. I became a good friend, I can say.

***

Mrs. Jenson is a great woman. She loves those closest to her and cares deeply about her family more than herself. He has decided to spend the whole day with me today, to take care of me and to talk a lot with me.

After I took a shower, which was a very uncomfortable thing when Samara was there to help me get in and out of the tub when I was naked, and breakfast, Ms. Jenson walked into my room with a gentle smile adorning her blushing red lips. I wonder how she looks so young all the time. She looks more like an older sister to me than an actual mother to someone nineteen.

I put the book I was reading on my lap while smiling at him. "Good morning, mother," greeted me as I shifted slightly on my bed, pulling the blanket up so that my ankles would not get stuck in it.

"Good morning, baby. How are you doing? How's your ankle?" He asked, leaning himself on the edge of my bed while staring at my bandaged ankle.

"I'm fine and so are my ankles" I replied, watching him as he nodded, his eyes still fixed on my swollen ankles.

"I hope you get well soon" he said, shifting closer to me so he sat right in front of me. "So...how have you been so far?" He asked, raising his hand upwards while brushing a few strands of hair on my face.

"Uh. okay. It still felt new and unfamiliar," I spoke slowly, choosing my words carefully and looking at her to see if I said anything unusual to Juliet.

"Hmm. don't worry. You'll get used to it soon," she smiled at me.

I nodded.

"Why don't you work today?" I slipped, not realizing that I sounded rude. Ny's Eyebrow. Jenson was wrinkled and I almost wet the bed. "I mean, it's great that you didn't work today. I just want to know."

He let out a soft laugh as he approached towards me and sat down beside me, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. "I've never seen you like this before. Nervous? Really, Juliet? What the hell happened to you? You've never been like this before."

I felt calm at the thought that I did not offend him. "Is that bad?"

"No, of course not. You are a much better person now. I love how you've changed yourself. You've changed for the better, trust me."

"Oh. I'm happy."

"Now I really want to know what happened to you all this time. And I deserve to know! I've missed two important years of your life. I didn't see you grow for two years now" said mother slowly, her voice breaking at the end as she tried to hold back her tears. "I really want to know what happened to my son. You still look very similar. It's just that in a strange way, you look a little different. I've really got to see you for five minutes at that party to make sure that it's really you. And it's true," she looked at me with her sparkling brown eyes while taking a deep breath. It's just that I don't.

My words of comfort got stuck in my throat when I really didn't know what to say. There's a fear. Afraid of the lie being exposed because of a very stupid mistake. The fear that I would suddenly become the center of attention. What's gonna happen?

"You have to tell me everything, Juliet," said Ms. Jenson distracts me from my thoughts as she holds my hand, drawing my attention into her eyes where I see vulnerability and worse, where, I saw how devastated she was after her daughter left. I could never understand the pain of a mother whose child ran away. I never knew how she could survive the uncertainty of her daughter's safety, spending two years in dire tensions, not knowing if her daughter was still alive. Is he still in this world?

I feel my head is embarrassed. How could I do this to him? I was so selfish, so inattentive and so insensitive to her feelings. I'm worse than Olivia. I'm worse than Ashley. Ashley, he didn't even do that big and bad. She was just an ordinary student like me who was just living her life. For the first time, I felt guilty for slapping her and tearing up her purple dress. He doesn't deserve it. I deserve the worst. Of course, Olivia kind of forced me to do it, but in the end I was the one who followed her ridiculous plan. He's a real bitch. But more than him, I'm a bitch too. I have no right to hurt someone like that, toying with someone like that. I am free to refuse. But I chose to lie.

"Come on, I'm your mother. Tell me what happened," urged Madame Jenson as she rubbed my back. I fumbled for words while turning my brain to find something good enough. Look, I'm a bitch to keep doing this. I could have exposed his secret and tried to prove that I was not who he thought I was. But I can't make myself say it. I was like a coward. I was afraid of his reaction. I don't care if he makes my life hell, but I just don't want to see his face filled with pain and heartbreak. I don't want to see if he'll give up on finding his daughter. I know I made him happy today. But for how long? It will end badly in the end. Imminent. It's only temporary.

In the midst of these conflicting thoughts, I did not pay much attention to how I looked on the outside. It was only after my mother spoke that I realized that I might look like a constipated pig.

"Are you okay?" Mrs Jenson's voice once again broke my daydream and I looked at her.

"Y-yes," I made a hoarse voice.

Madam Jenson continued to rub my back gently. "Are you ready to tell me?"

I can't. I can't do this. What am I supposed to say?

"Uh .. I've been fine for two years now" I said slowly. "I feel so guilty for running away from you and dad. But it was a quick decision. I don't really think about the possibilities that will happen. Um. I guess I got too late in my perfect world that I didn't see any possible imperfections in my plan," I paused for a moment, analyzing his reaction. So far, he looks as if he believes. Goody. "But life is hard. I ran to a small town in the south and luckily no one recognized me. I got a job at a cafe and could save up and take care of myself."

"Oh baby, don't you think about us at all? Don't you think how sad we are to see our daughter gone?" He asked and I thought I heard a slight tinge of anger in his voice that made me step back and stare at my lap.

"Yes. Every day. I miss you and Dad and everyone. I'll try to convince myself to come back to you. But then I will think about my life here and inevitably I want to learn something new. Living a life different from the one I've lived all this time."

"But how can you blend in? I can say that we are looking all over the country, but that is a little bit overwhelming. You've never been found."

"Well, I changed my appearance. I have different haircuts, coloring my hair and other things. I just blend in well that way."

"And where do you live?"

"I rented a small apartment near the cafe. And um... Olivia also worked with me at the cafe and we became good friends, "So I didn't lie openly. Half of what I told Ms. Jenson is the truth.

"So.. nobody realizes who you are? No one recognizes you?" He asked in disbelief.

"No, no one realized that it was me. And why would they want to? They wouldn't have expected me to live around here, or work in a cafe or live in a small apartment."

"Even after the news of your disappearance spread?"

"Yes, I don't meet anyone who knows me. Most of the people there didn't really follow his progress."

"You're pretty good at disguising yourself then." Oh, I'm pretty good at lying on your face. And I'm so sorry for that, ma'am. Jensen. I'm not trying to hurt you or rob you. I don't know why I'm doing this. But I can't back down now. So I hope you forgive me when you finally find out that I'm not your daughter.

"Well, that's fast. I guess the story will be long, which will take all day."

"really no. That's all that's happened to me over the last two years. You don't miss a lot of things."

"I'm glad you're back. And don't even think of running away again, young lady. Because somehow we'll be able to find you again."

I chuckle. "I wouldn't think of trying." Except, I lied again because I hoped Olivia would soon find a brilliant plan and we'd be out of here for good.

"Good," he said and got up to leave. "I should probably leave you to rest" she said, wiping my hair and stroking my cheek. "Hopefully get well soon."

And just like that she got out of bed and turned to leave after kissing my forehead. As she was about to walk out of the room, she turned to look at me. "How can you have an ankle sprain?"

I opened my mouth to answer. Because Ethan thinks it's funny that I fall down, but it turns out that not only makes me fall down, but it also makes me sprain my ankle.

"I slipped in the bathroom" I replied without knowing why I wasn't telling the truth.

"Oh, next time be careful huh," he said before he finally left my room.

"All right, I'll do it."

Olivia came to my next room, right after Mrs Jenson left. I told him about what happened and the story I told the woman. He just nodded and agreed that it was a good story. Oh, the guilt I feel is unbearable. It felt like a heavy weight was being dropped on my shoulders. And I don't know what to do to relieve it.

Lying in bed all day was annoying. Especially when you can just get up to pee or defecate. I'm sure my ankle won't heal anytime soon. At least not for three more days. Three terrifying days. What am I going to do all this time? Just lying in bed? I think not. All day long all I did was watch a movie on a huge flat screen in my room. Olivia came to visit me twice but not for long because she told me that she was playing tennis with Dennis, the young maid in the kitchen. And it just makes me jealous of him. I also want to have fun and go out. But I lay in bed, taking care of my sprained ankle.

All because of Ethan. The trash didn't even visit me once to ask if I was okay. I was pretty sure he was lying when he said that he didn't mean to hurt me to the point that I had to rest for almost five days.