NB> FROM THIS POINT ON, THE STORY WILL SHIFT TO THIRD PERSON’S POV. I SAW IT EASIER THIS WAY SO THAT I CAN OUTLINE ALL THE CHARACTER’S THOUGHTS. I apologize for the encounters.The sun had dipped in the sky, and darkness had fallen. Lyana had fallen asleep, and her dear mother had tucked her under the covers. Ayana’s mind was still filled with the memories of her nightmare that had popped into her life like a storm and in the worst moment possible.From the moment Adam left her cage, she had not stopped thinking about him. His image clogged her mind; his beatyness invaded her every sense of being. She could not tell why she was reacting that way to someone she hated so much. Someone who would make her life more of a hell than it already was.All she wanted was to forget him. Besides, she had made her decision and her thoughts about the whole marriage saga known to the man, and she was not just about to change her decision for anything. She knew that was the first and last time they ha
“Why is nobody talking, huh?” Ayana snapped after a moment of dreadful silence. They were right there, staring at her as if she were an entertaining character in a live soap opera, which was not what Ayana needed. She needed answers. She needed them to come out clean and tell her what sort of deal they had made on her freedom yet again. “I said I was not marrying that sick bastard of De'Leon, and I meant every single word of it. So if you are here to offer me freedom on the grounds of me belittling myself to that man’s rotten stature and caliber, you are wasting your time,” she affirmed, anger boiling in her. Her face was turning red from ear to ear.“Then so be it. You don’t want to marry him? Then fine. We won’t impose on you again.” The amount of mockery and shock that slapped her with her father’s words was immeasurable. She could no longer hold back the shock. It was all over her face.“Excuse me?” She muttered, wondering whether she really heard her father right.How? Weren’t th
As Ayana stood in the doorway, the weight of her father's words pressed down on her like a suffocating blanket. She felt so shocked by what was about to become of her and her poor little child. Fear clawed at her chest, intertwining with anger and confusion in a tangled mess of emotions. She felt abandoned and betrayed by the very people who were supposed to love and protect her. The darkness of the night seemed to swallow her family whole as they disappeared from view, leaving Ayana feeling utterly alone in the oppressive silence that followed.She felt all the bones in her body creek as fear threatened to paralyze them. Vaguness clouded her mind and vision for a long moment as she wondered what to do in the couple for the few hours of the night she had to pack. The fact that her ghost fiance had gone mia on her was not helping in the petrifying situation. It made it even worse, making her heart sink even more.“Few hours?” She murmured to herself. Actually, she thought she was just
By the time the sun rays were invading her cottage the following morning, Ayana was staring at her packed luggage, which did not consist of much. She just packed her and her daughter’s clothes and shoes and some of her paintings that fit in a box. She didn’t know her destination, so the less luggage there was, the less tiresome their journey to nowhere would be.She was still staring at the rest of the belongings that she was leaving behind—to be precise, her paintings. They were the second part of her soul. She would have loved to take them, but she knew better than herself. She figured out that she might need to carry Lyana at some point in their journey, so overloading herself was a bad idea.“I will have to leave you behind, and I am sorry. I can’t promise that we will ever unite,” she said faintly, a tear dropping as she bid goodbye to the painting. “I will leave you here, not as part of the bitter memories that I am leaving behind, but because I have no way of carrying you where
Ayana's heart sank as she saw her sister, Grace, standing there with her mocking smile. She hadn't anticipated running into anyone from her tormentors, her family, especially not her sister, at this moment of departure.Ignoring Grace's taunting remarks, Ayana steadied her resolve. "I'm leaving, Grace. And I'm taking Lyana with me. This is what we all wanted."Grace's smug expression turned into one of disbelief. "Don’t fool yourself. We kicked you out, and that is the truth. And I know you feel like a lost, confused, hopeless, and helpless dog. You probably want to change your mind. Your betrothed is just a call away.”Ayana felt a surge of defiance rise within her as Grace's mocking laughter filled the air. Despite the bitter taste of her words, Ayana found solace in her decision to break free from the chains of her family's expectations. With a bitter smirk playing on her lips, she retorted, "This is probably the only good thing that you people have done to me in six years. As for
Grace's triumphant entrance into the De’Mario mansion was met with a wave of relief that washed over the grand halls like a cleansing breeze. Her demeanor radiated a sense of resolution and satisfaction that couldn't be concealed, and her grin was a testament to the weight that had been lifted from her shoulders.With a theatrical sigh, she sank into her seat, reveling in the newfound peace that enveloped the mansion in Ayana's absence, a feast smiling at their faces awaiting to be dovered as the celebrations commenced. It was as if a dark cloud had finally been lifted, allowing the De’Mario family to bask in the sunshine of their own righteousness. “Phew! The disgrace is gone. We can now live in peace and harmony like before, and we don’t have to lie to people anymore about her whereabouts. I don’t know how we have managed this for six years, honestly.” Grace voiced as she jubilantly sank to her seat.But amidst Grace's jubilation, there lingered a hint of caution, a subtle reminder
Grace got furious, dug her fork into the sausage with anger, and burst out, “Mom, please! Cut us some slack. She did this to herself in the first place. If only she kept her morals and dignity in check, she wouldn’t have to be traded this way. She was nothing but...”“She was and is still my daughter, and you are no saint!”Her mother’s words cut through Grace’s heart like a sharp, double-edged dagger. She was not a saint. How so when she was still a virgin? How was she not a saint when she had not digraced them by getting herself fucked by some son of a bitch and getting herself pregnant like her sister? Ayana was their daughter, yes. Nothing would ever change that, even though they had disowned her. She was aware of that. But she was a much better daughter than Ayana ever was!Grace's resentment towards her sister Ayana had roots that ran deep, stemming from a childhood overshadowed by familial expectations and sibling rivalry. While Ayana had always been the rebellious one, pursuin
In the quiet solitude of his home office, Adam sat at his desk, surrounded by a sea of paperwork. The room was adorned with tasteful decorations, a reflection of his refined taste and attention to detail. But despite the serene atmosphere, Adam's mind was elsewhere, lost in a labyrinth of thoughts and worries that seemed to stretch on for miles.As he stared blankly at the documents spread out before him, a pen twirling absentmindedly between his fingers, Adam struggled to focus. The weight of responsibility bore down on him like a heavy burden, threatening to overwhelm him with its sheer magnitude. Each document represented a decision to be made and a commitment to be honored, and Adam found himself paralyzed by indecision.Outside the walls of his secluded sanctuary, the city buzzed with life, its streets teeming with activity and noise. But within the confines of his home office, Adam was enveloped in a cocoon of silence, a solitary figure adrift in a sea of uncertainty. The world