2~ Scapegoat

“Wife?”

I must not be hearing correctly, because did I just hear this creepy man, who looks more than twice my age, call me his wife?

This isn’t real; this must be some kind of joke. Yes, a prank! Because I will never believe this; I will not accept it.

My head instantly snaps in my parents’ direction, searching their faces for any sign of protest, some kind of denial, but all I see is guilt and resignation etched deep in their expressions. My mother avoids eye contact, her hands clutched tightly in her lap, while my father stares blankly ahead.

“Mom, Dad, this must be a joke, right?” I ask, hoping they tell me, yes, and this is just some extreme welcome-back party.

“It is not, Hazel,” my dad answers curtly, making my eyes widen more than they already are.

“Wha… what do you mean?” I ask, my lips trembling, my voice breaking. “What do you mean it’s not, Dad? Who is this man, and why is he calling me his virgin—” I yell.

“He is Lennox Zephyr, and you will be getting married to him, Hazel,” my father cuts me off, with a voice void of guilt.

“Lennox Zephyr…” I mumble. “Who the hell is Lennox Zephyr?!!”

“Hahaha!” 

A dark, rumbling laugh escapes the man’s throat, drawing my attention back to him, his dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I am, darling,” the man says, drawing my glare to him.  “And oh, it’s no joke, darling. Your parents and I have a deal. You’re mine now.”

“Honey, please, come sit down,” my mother pleads, her voice too soft, too careful. “We’ll explain everything.”

“Explain?” Lennox Zephyr repeats incredulously.

 “Oh, I see. Another situation where the parents keep their bad decisions a secret.” he mocks then locks his gaze on me “I’ll explain everything for you, Hazel, darling.”

He stands. “Your parents see you as nothing but an exchange for money. You are only worth money to them and nothing else. They don’t love you; they don’t even see you as their child, or a human being.” He says "All they see is a woman with a vagina that can be used to please men,” 

“No, no,” I mumble, backing away.

“That’s not true, honey,” my mom argues, standing up as if to approach me, but two of the men in black step forward, stopping her in her tracks.

Lennox takes a frightening step forward closing the distance between us. “They came begging for money with nothing as collateral. Nothing but you.” He continues.  “They warned them that their daughter might be sold off to another country to be used as a slave. But your parents did not care; they still signed the document!”

“They had six years,” Lennox says, his voice hardening. “One, two, three, four, five, six! Years!” he yells counting with his fingers.  “Yet instead of working their asses off, they relaxed, waiting for the term to end. Not even able to return half of what they borrowed.”

My heart hammers in my chest, my breath quickening. “No. No….”

“All this happened when you were fifteen, behind your back. And now you will suffer the decisions of your parents.” He continues causing more damage to my heart.

I shake my head frantically, the room spinning. “No, no please…”

My life has been pretty horrible so far, and my family does nothing to help; in fact, they are the cause of everything.

I never really feel loved, nor do I feel like giving love to anyone except my younger brother.

My parents? No.

They train me to be the perfect little “housewife,” turning me into a maid in the house, teaching me to be humble and submissive, allowing my older brothers to boss me around like they’re some kings. 

They didn’t even want me to further my education, claiming that we’re poor and the little money they have is for my older brothers, who literally have no interest in school, saying things like, “Men have it harder in life. You’ll probably marry a rich man because you’re beautiful.”

Though I hate the idea of marriage because of the way my dad treats my mom.

Now… I understand everything; Why they’ve been obsessing over my virginity since I was fifteen. At first, I thought it was because of our religion, but it’s clear now.

It’s because of the deal!

“You’re worthless to them,” Lennox says, bringing me out of my thoughts. He steps even closer than before, his body barely inches away from mine, his presence suffocating, “but not to me.”

His voice lowers, almost a whisper. “I’ve decided to keep you for myself. To save you from the misery your parents have left you in. I’ll cherish you, protect you… as long as you obey me.”

My legs feel weak, my throat tightening as his words settle in. “What?”

“Mom?” I rush past him, stumbling toward Mom, who stands beside my dad. 

“Mom? Dad?” I cry, desperation clawing at my chest. “Please… please tell me he’s lying.”

My mother’s eyes fill with tears, “We’re sorry, Hazel,” mom whispers.

“Mom—”

“We had to do this for our family!” Dad cuts me off, his voice loud and piercing “We needed the money.”

“For what? How much did you take?” I yell back at him.

“For everything! Have you forgotten? I had no work; your brother Andrew was very sick. We were about to be thrown out into the streets with no roof over our heads! No food, no money to keep funding your education. If we didn’t make this hard choice… who knows, we might all be dead.” He shouts in defense.

“I thought I’d be able to pay it back in five years, but we couldn’t. We’ve been begging for time, but they have been merciful for too long, and even now, they are still merciful. You are very lucky, Hazel.”

“Lucky?” I choke out, “You think this is lucky?”

“Yes, you’re getting married to someone rich and powerful,” my dad says, his voice disturbingly calm. “We have nothing to worry about now, knowing you won’t face the fate we feared. We’re very thankful to Mr. Zephyr.”

I blink, my mind struggling to comprehend his words. “Are you hearing yourself? Are you fucking hearing yourself right now?!”

“Dad please stop these games and tell these men to leave our house!”

“Our house?” Lennox Zephyr laughs, a sound that chills me to the bone. “This house belongs to us, Not your father. Practically everything your family has belongs to us. Even your lives. And you hazel, are their sacrifice. Their scapegoat.”

His cruel snicker echoes through the room, “Haha, this is truly fascinating. The best part of all this? Watching a family as close as yours crumble. A daughter with so much hope in her parents now sees them as what they truly are… monsters.”

Leaving me stunned he walks past me. “Okay, I think I’ve had enough fun,” I hear his trailing voice as he walks out of the house. Instantly, several men in black have their eyes fixed on me. They immediately start to march toward me, and in a matter of seconds, they grab me and start to drag me out of the house.

Just one more year. That’s all I literally need to be out of this house only for this to happen.

“No! Mom! Dad! Please!” I scream, thrashing in their hold, my heels scraping against the floor as they drag me toward the door. “You can’t do this to me! You can’t just sell me off like this!”

Mom collapses onto the floor, sniveling quietly. She doesn’t fight for me, she doesn’t even move.

My gaze darts between my brothers and Dad. They knew…. They all fucking knew!!!

But then there’s Andrew. He’s the only one who looks as shocked and pained as I am. He bolts toward me, only to be held back by more of Lennox’s men.

“Hazel!” he shouts, his voice breaking as he struggles against them. “Hang in there, Hazel! I’ll get you back! I swear, I’ll get the money and bring you home!”

His last words barely reach me before the door to my home slams shut in front of me.

Home?

Will I call this a home? A family?

No.

The intimidating brute-looking man is right.

I’m worth nothing to them.

Just a scapegoat chosen for their sacrifice.