Family

The night was long and I couldn't seem to catch any sleep, I kept tossing and turning to no avail. I spent half of the night trying to find out who might be the person I was to get married to, with my research I found out that the man who came was the acting CEO of Valois Group, and the woman that was with him was his mother just as I thought.

If he wasn’t the one I was to marry, who was it then? Part of me wanted to go ask Kayla. She knew exactly who the person was but she didn’t want to let me in on it.

I decided to get out of the house, it was suffocating. I needed air, and being in that house made me feel trapped, I tiptoed down the stairs to sneak out of the house without being seen by anyone just to avoid unnecessary questions.

Or should I run away? A question popped into my head as I went down but the issue with that was that I still needed them no matter how I hated it, it was the wicked truth. Nyla needed to get that surgery 

“And where would you be heading to by this time?” I heard Dad ask startling me. I turned around clutching my chest and there he was sitting in the darkness in the living room with his reading glasses hanging on his nose and his tablet in his hand

“I-I-I-” I stuttered unsure of what to say

“You what?” He asked

“I need to get air” I managed to say

“To get air by midnight?” He asked although it was dark I could see the disgusted expression on his face he always had when he spoke to me. One thing with him and Mom they don’t hide how they felt about my sister and I.

“Whatever thought that popped into your mind you better bind it and think about your sister” he spat at my face not hiding his disdain, anger filled me up instantly 

“Thoughts like what?” I asked through my gritted teeth

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, you run away and your beloved sister doesn’t get her surgery money,” he said with a smug smile

“I’m sure you are relieved to finally be able to get a refund of everything you've spent on us?” I asked not holding my anger in and his smile immediately fell and turned to a scorn 

“Was selling me off like a commodity always your plan or did you just come up with that?” I proceeded to ask, I have always been a quiet obedient child never have I spoken back to either of them but now I had no reason to be quiet I wasn’t their property anymore ironically I was someone else’s 

“Have you lost your mind Naya how dare you speak back to me” he shouted at me at the top of his voice

“All I asked was a question, is that too difficult for you to answer?” I asked and he was quiet maybe too stunned to speak

“Why did you ever take us from the orphanage if you never wanted us?” I asked and the shock on his face was like I splashed hot oil on him he couldn’t believe I said that 

“Ungrateful bitch, after everything we did for you-” I didn’t wait to hear him curse at me, I just walked out on him and banged the door loudly behind me 

I headed straight for the hospital Nyla my sister was staying in. That was the only place I wanted to be close to my only family. Guilt washed over me as I walked into the hospital 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken to him like that,” I said to myself, they were the only ones who could pay for Nyla’s surgery, and what if they decided not to pay for it anymore because I spoke to him rudely?

Would he be able to do that? 

We had a deal if he didn’t pay for Nyla’s surgery I wouldn’t get married, I only agreed to be sold off for one reason and that is my sister nothing else.

“Hey sis,” I said sitting quietly by her bedside, no matter the number of times I saw her I could never get used to seeing her in such a frail state, with a different tube connected to her body and an oxygen mask over her nose to help her breathe. Her whole body was partially paralyzed and she couldn’t even speak or move her body parts well, she needed that surgery and she needed it urgently.

“I’m sorry I came late today” I whispered moving hair strands that covered her face as I struggled to hold in my tears, she was sound asleep and that was a good thing at least she wouldn’t feel my despair

“Guess what I’m getting married,” I said with a little laugh, I knew she couldn’t hear me but that was just my way of conversing with her

“I know it isn’t the fairytale marriage we fantasized about but look at the bright side of it, I won’t have to feel indebted to them anymore,” I said sniffling my tears back in

There was one thing for sure, if Nyla had her means and could stop me she would rather die than have me marry a stranger just to pay off her bills but she couldn’t and I would do everything and anything possible to make sure that she get the treatment she needs because she would do even worse for me.

I felt her weak hands wrap around mine with all her strength. I didn’t know she was awake, that meant that she heard everything I said, my heart couldn’t hold it in anymore and I busted out in tears letting go of the tears that I had been fighting to hold back. She wanted to stop me from going on with it but it was our only way out and I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing when there was a way out in front of me.