Chapter 4: Unwilling Decision

My mom's alarming voice awakened me that morning, so I immediately got out of bed and went outside my room. The moment I did, I noticed the open door of my twin sister's room, which is next to mine, and found my mom sitting on my sister's bed, holding a piece of paper while crying. Seeing my mom's condition, I immediately went to her to find out what was wrong.

"Mom? What is it? What happened?" I asked worriedly.

"Your sister left, Andra!" My mother said, her voice trembling with barely contained heartbreak. 

"What do you mean she left? Are you sure, Ma?" Panic clawed at my throat, making it difficult to breathe.

"I tried to check on her this morning and I found this letter on her bed." My mom started to sob again, which alarmed me.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I cautiously scanned my sister's room. Today was Alexa's wedding day, and her strange, anxious behavior last night only confirmed my suspicion. She had run away, overwhelmed by the pressure of the wedding.

It wasn't long before Dad came running, breathing hard, and quickly entered the room to check on my mom. When Mom saw Dad, she started to cry and wail even more.

"What's wrong Gimelia?" My father's upset voice confronted. 

"Gerardo! Maria Alexandra left! She ran away!" 

"What do you mean she left? It's her wedding day today, Gimelia!" my father's thunderous voice filled the room.

"Your daughter ran away with Kyle! I can't believe your daughter will do this to us, Gerardo!" I gasped when I heard that revelation as I felt my knees weaken.

A bitter feeling crept into my chest, and I felt my eyes begin to water. When did they get back together? All this time, I had foolishly believed that Kyle would finally notice me since my sister was about to get married. Turns out, I was completely wrong.

  

"That bastard!" Dad roared, his face contorted with rage. "He's probably kidnapped her! We need to call the police!" I can't believe how ridiculous my father was. My sister left a letter, so it's obvious she ran away with her ex-boyfriend.

"Dad, no!" I cried, my voice rising in protest. "Alexa left a letter. She went with him willingly.”  I stated bitterly.

"Maria Alexandra would never do this to us!" Dad thundered, his eyes blazing. "She was a good daughter! Unlike you, she wouldn't turn her back on her family!"

That hurt me deeply. All along, my Dad's favorite has been my twin sister, Alexa, simply because she was considered a good daughter. Even after the trouble my sister caused our parents, he still refused to admit that Alexa had failed him this time. 

"Do you really think she's incapable of failing you? She left a letter, Dad!" I pointed out the obvious, in case it hadn't registered with him yet.

  

He drastically grabbed the letter from Mom, his hands shaking as he read it. His face turned dark, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. Then, he made a guttural sound and tore the letter into pieces, which fell to the floor.

"Oh God, this can't be happening! What are we gonna do now, Gerard? Should we call the Saldivar's? Shall we call the wedding off? Oh my god, this is a disgrace to our family!"

"No! You will not do that Gimelia. We  will not call off the wedding!"

"But your daughter is nowhere to be found! We're lacking time! What are we gonna do now?" Mom cried, her voice cracking.

Just then, my father slowly turned to me, a strange idea seemingly forming in his mind. I couldn't decipher it, but that kind of look always made me nervous.

"You have to take your sister’s place, Maria Alejandra. You will be the one to marry Zeke." Shock and fear washed over me the moment I heard my dad’s words. I blinked twice, trying to make sure I heard him right, but his face was stone-cold serious. Knowing him, he didn’t joke about things like this.

"D-Dad?" 

"You want Alexa to take Andra's place and marry Zeke Saldivar? Are you out of your mind Gerardo!" Fright and different emotions radiated my face after hearing my Mom's elaboration of my father's idea. 

"Do you have a better idea, Gimelia?" Dad snarled, his patience wearing thin. "Tell me, what other choice do we have?” my father replied angrily, leaving my mom silent and deep in thought. 

"What? No, Dad!" I exclaimed immediately, filled with disgust and resentment.

I can't believe my Dad can make decisions so easily, as if he doesn't care about my future or the impact of this craziness on my life. Then, my mom suddenly came near me and held my hand, as if trying to plead with me.

"Listen to me, Andra,” she pleaded, her eyes filled with desperation. “I was against your father's decision, alright, but we don't have any other choice if your sister did not come back. We need your help, child. Your sister's wedding is a promise marriage that we made to the Saldivar's. We will be compromised if the wedding doesn't happen? The wedding is a merge of both companies." My mom explained. 

Sudden memories from last night flooded my mind, causing me to clench my fists. This might be the reason why Alexa acted strangely and kept apologizing to me last night. Why do I suddenly feel like my sister intentionally trapped me in this situation? I was well aware that my sister is cunning and a bit selfish. Could it be possible that she planned to make me come home and replace her? It was stupid of me to believe that I could still have a chance with Kyle. The man was desperately in love with my sister, to the point of leaving everything to have a life with Alexa. 

"No! You can't do that! You know I can't pretend to be Alexa and marry her fiance? We can't just fool him and his family!" 

Are they thinking we won’t get caught? My disgust and hatred suddenly arose to my sister knowing how cunning and selfish she is. I don't wanna assume but why does I have a feeling she trapped me into this mess?  That she intentionally invite me and made me come home to take her place. It was obvious how she acted strange last night.

"Zeke has only met Alexa a few times, first  at the formal dinner between both families, and the second was at the engagement party. He won't suspect that you aren't his original fiancée. After the wedding, your father can deal with the legal papers and pull some strings to change your sister's name to yours on the marriage certificate," my mom explained.

"You're insane!" I screamed, pulling away from her. "You can't expect me to marry a stranger! This is my life we're talking about!”  I opposed.

"You have to do this Andra. Our company is down and the Saldivars promised help on your Dad's company after the marriage." My mother sadly added. 

"What do you mean Mom?" 

"The company has been dealing with financial problems for the past few months due to market changes and previously failed transactions. Your Dad is facing a lot of debt, especially to the Saldivars. Don Juancho Saldivar has been helping our company since then, and this marriage is supposed to be a merger between the two companies. If this marriage doesn't happen, I'm afraid we'll lose everything. Your Dad could even go to jail if he can't pay the company's debts." I felt my knees weaken, and before I knew it, I had collapsed onto the bed, overwhelmed with distress and confusion.

"You need to replace your sister and marry the Saldivar's heir for our Company's sake." My father stated in a stern voice. 

It's ironic that even in this situation, my father is still cold and proud. It doesn't feel like he's asking for a favor; it's more like an order than a request.

"How can you just marry me off to someone I barely know, like I'm some kind of property you want to get rid of?" I couldn't help but accuse, my voice full of resentment. 

"You've never done anything worthwhile in this family!” Dad roared, his face contorted with rage. “You always fail and disappoint us. This will be the last favor I will ask you, Maria Alejandra. Marry Zeke Saldivar, or I will completely disown you as my child!" My father stated, his voice solemn, restrained, and serious.

Tears started streaming down my face after hearing my father's cruel accusations. I felt my mom hug me, but it didn't even comfort me. It always goes like this. Everytime I was scolded by my dad, even since I was young, my mom would just hug and comfort me but never had the courage to defend me from him. I understand that my mom doesn't have the courage to go against her dad's will, but sometimes, I can't help but sulk with her as well. It's like I have no one I can depend on in this family at all. I shook my head in disbelief as my feet led me out of the room. I frantically walked back to my room as a decision formed in my mind: to leave. Being threatened with disownment by my father will no longer scar or pain me. I had been long disowned by him for the past eight years anyway. There was never a time I felt loved by my father. To him, I was nothing but a failure and a disappointment. I can't just marry a stranger without any assurance of what life I will lead. I just can't give up my freedom when my freedom is everything to me.

The moment I reached my room, I started packing my things as tears streamed down my face. I could run if I wanted to; I could immediately leave this country and go back to my normal life, but guilt would surely haunt me, thinking about what would happen to my parents, especially my dad. I couldn't help but cover my face with both my palms as I let out a heavy sigh, overwhelmed with worries and distress. I then found myself staring at my baggage, wondering if I should go through with leaving this house and bear the thought of leaving my family in this terrible situation.

Then a knock on my door broke through my deep thoughts. Already knowing who it was, I opened the door to find my mom standing there, exactly as I'd anticipated.

"You're leaving?" I noticed the fear and anxiety in my Mom's voice when she saw my baggage. 

"I have to." I replied keeping my voice not to break. 

A long moment of silence stretched between us. I couldn't help but notice how my mom discreetly wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes before she approached and sat on my bed.

"Dad sent you here to convince me, right?" I stated.

"It was my own will that I came here to talk to you."

"My answer is still no, Ma. We're talking about marriage here. A lifetime commitment!"

"Listen, Andra. I was against your father's decision but we have no other choice."

"'I'm sorry, Ma, but—'" My words were cut short when my mom suddenly started sobbing painfully. Seeing her in that condition felt like my heart was being crushed into pieces.

"'Your father is sick, Andra!' That completely stunned and disoriented me.

The words hit me hard, like a punch, and I couldn’t breathe. Dad is  sick?

"He doesn't want you to know this, but I'm worried about his condition after what Alexa did. Your father's heart condition has been getting weaker, Andra. Last year, he had a mild heart attack, and I'm afraid this will put too much pressure on him. The company's problems are affecting his health, and I'm afraid he can't take it if we completely lose the company." Worry and fear of losing my father dominated my thoughts as I felt tears start to form in my eyes again.

"Does Alexa know about this?" I asked, my voice breaking, but I didn't mind.

"She does." My Mom replied between sobs. 

I couldn't help but get mad at my sister's selfishness this time. How could she still choose to leave knowing our Dad's heart condition? 

"I know he's been unfair to you, Andra," Mom pleaded, her voice breaking. "But please, for his sake… for the sake of the family… you have to do this.”

"I know he has been unfair to you all these years, Andra, but I'm begging you, child. Your father needs your help. He will never accept it if he loses the company. This is the last option that we have to save the reputation of the family and the company. Please, child, do this for the sake of your father.”

Feeling imbecile, staring at a loss, I wiped my tears away as a decision formed in my mind. This is what makes me different from my sister, Maria Alexandra. I may be a prodigal and hard-headed daughter, but I can never turn my back on my family when they need me the most. I knew I would eventually agree to this agreement because I have no choice; if I don't, I might lose my dad if we lose the company too. Even though I never felt loved by him, even though it felt like he had disowned me a long time ago, the fact remains that I love him, and he is still my parent. I cannot afford to see my dad go to jail if he fails to pay the company's debts. I cannot afford to lose and fail him this time, knowing his life might be the consequence.

I wanted to hate my sister for putting me in this situation. Will I ever get out from under her shadow and stop being hurt because of her? Wherever she is now, I couldn't help but still wish her nothing but the best. I guess I need to totally forget and finally give up on my silliness regarding the man who loves only my sister. I can only wish that God will give me the strength to get through this unwilling decision I will make from now on…