My father was in debt.
Yes, he was a millionaire. He was.
The house was enveloped in a tense tranquillity for the past few weeks. My father and mother were both busy discussing the debts in his study every day.
While I, as usual, was inside my room all day, hardly going out. Not wanting to be a part of all this, not that they would include me.
My father even stopped me from going to college. And even at the age of twenty, I was still living with my parents. I did hope to finish college and find a job and leave here but my plans were ruined.
I wanted to leave here as soon as possible because they clearly didn't like me. I was just a burden to them. They made sure to keep reminding me of that.
I was just a pathetic, crybaby. But I can't help but cry knowing I have no one in this world, I am all alone. Not even a single friend to comfort me.
A few years back, I had Adrian, my bodyguard who soon turned into my first friend. He was really sweet to me, he understood me, and made me feel happy but...
My father started to suspect us and fired him immediately thinking we were having some sort of secret relationship.
No matter how much I begged him that it wasn't true, that he already had a wife he loved, and that he was ten years older than me, my father didn't agree and till now, I didn't get to see Adrian again.
I apologized to him before he left and he assured me that it wasn't my mistake. But still...I felt guilty about it.
I sighed deeply, burying my face into the pillow, wishing to escape reality. Escape everything.
"Drea!" Someone called me from downstairs making me groan. "Come down, right now!"
What are they calling me downstairs for? Did they finally remember that they have a daughter too?
Forcing myself to stand up, I walked out of my room and down the stairs, slowly, half-heartedly.
The once empty, silent living room was buzzing with excitement as servants moved past each other swiftly. The excitement prickled my skin, a weird feeling settling in my stomach.
What happened suddenly?
One of the servants told me that my parents were waiting for me at the dining table to have dinner.
Which was once again weird because I was hardly ever invited to have dinner or lunch or breakfast with them. I hardly existed for them.
Something was wrong. Swallowing my nervousness, I made my way to the dining room, my parents sitting beside each other at the table which was already laden with dishes.
I suspiciously glanced between my parents who gazed at me with neither warmth nor coldness in their eyes.
"Sit. Have dinner", father said gesturing to the chair opposite to him.
Curtly nodding, I sat down, my hands resting in my lap, my fingers fiddling with each other nervously, and my eyes lowered.
"You are supposed to eat..." I heard my mother speak as she passed me a plate filled with food.
"Thank you." I mumbled before I started to eat.
Silence descended upon us as we all focused our attention on eating. I really didn't feel like eating though cause my stomach churned with nervousness, wondering what is going to happen next.
Dinner finished soon and the table was cleared away while we remained sitting.
I made an effort to get up only to sit down again when my father said, "We need to talk."
Are they once again going to tell me how much of their money is being wasted on me? I am not going to college either now. Plus this voice inside me keeps reminding me of my worthlessness...they don't really need to remind me again.
"Yes?" I managed to say softly.
"I'm sure you were well aware of my company going into loss. How I was in debts."
I nodded in agreement.
"Well..." He continued. "Today I had a meeting with a CEO...I mean the former CEO of a powerful company and he made a deal with me."
"And...?" I urged him to continue because if my father gets out of his debts then maybe I can go back to college again and suddenly I was very interested in this conversation.
Father's eyes bore into mine. "And the deal is that he will convince his son, the current CEO to invest in our company if you marry his son."
"Marry his son?"
My mouth fell open. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
My mother decided to speak up in a firm tone. "You are going to get married in order to get that company to invest in ours."
"No." I objected promptly. "I am not getting married to some stranger. You both are literally selling me off."
Father's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed at me. "You will do as I say. I have already made a deal with him. You are getting married next week and that's fucking final!"
I flinched at his tone, a lump forming in my throat.
I was about to start crying once again.
"Such a crybaby." The voice inside me taunted me and I took a deep breath to force back the tears that had welled up in my eyes.
"Please." I pleaded. "Don't do this. Please. I am just twenty...I have my whole life ahead of me."
They both had cold looks on their faces, not a bit bothered by my begging.
"Drea, you are going to marry that man and make yourself a little useful for us. Besides you should be grateful someone is going to marry you and thankfully, you will be out of our lives." My mother's harsh tone really hurt as she looked exasperated.
A tear threatened to escape my eye but I hastily wiped it away with the back of my palm. "But...what...what about my studies? I want to study further."
"I don't care about it anymore, okay? You want to study, ask your husband after you get married." Father silenced me.
"I can't let my husband decide whether I get to study further or not." I argued.
He slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth. "Take your feminism somewhere else! It won't work here!"
This time a tear rolled down my cheek, and my lips wobbled. No, they can't force me to marry a stranger.
"Their family is coming for dinner tomorrow. Dress properly and don't embarrass us." Mother ordered and before I could break down completely, I stood up and ran back upstairs to my room.
This can't be happening. They can't do that. They can't. Am I really such a burden to them that they are selling me off? Am I not a bit important to them that they chose their company over me?
I can't let this happen. I have to do something.
Tears were flowing down my cheeks; I pinched the middle of my forehead where a headache was starting to form.
I don't know what to do. I can't even run away because I don't know where to go nor do I have any money.
I simply can't get married, my heart refuses to because I was still head over heels for that man. Sorin Zaveri.
He didn't even know of my existence but still, I loved him. He already has a girlfriend but still, I love him. I am nothing in comparison to him but still, I love him and refuse to marry anyone else even though I could never get him.
Throwing myself on the bed, I cried my heart out while gazing at his picture on my phone. And my heart ached for him.
I gently brushed my finger over his smiling face, an involuntary smile gracing my lips through the tears on seeing him smile.
He is the only reason I force myself to get up every day, to not give up completely and take my own life. He is the only reason I am alive because I wake up every day thinking that at least I would get to see his face on my phone. He is the only good part of my life. He keeps me going.
I am not getting married to anyone if that person is not Sorin although I know that never in a million years could I get married to Sorin himself.
I don't even have Adrian here with me, he would have helped me. And I don't even know where he is or else I could have gone to him, asking him for help.
"Drea, you are going to marry that man and make yourself a little useful for us." My mother's words echoed in my mind causing more tears to stream down my face. "Besides you should be grateful someone is going to marry you and thankfully, you will be out of our lives."
My heart clenched tightly, it hurt, it hurt too much. I grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged at it, my mouth opening in a silent scream.
It was too much. It hurt too much. I couldn't breathe. Everything was suffocating me.
Please, someone, save me. Please. If only there was someone who could love me.
You don't deserve anyone's love. The voice inside my head reminded me.
And I felt numb. It's right. I don't deserve anyone's love.
I don't deserve anything. I am nothing.
With those thoughts in my mind, I drifted off to sleep.
My eyes were bloodshot and puffy having cried almost the whole night. My hair was a mess, and my body looked weak, both mentally and physically. Overall, I looked like crap, not that I looked good anyway.I leaned my back against the bathtub, submerging my body in the warm water, drawing my legs closer to my body, and placing my chin on top of my knees.I contemplated several times whether I should stay here the whole day, in silence and peace instead of leaving this small space and facing the reality, facing the war my heart and mind are fighting, facing how much my own parents hate me that they decided to sell me in return for their company.The former sounded like a better option because I didn't have the courage to go out. I scoffed at how ironic my name was. It meant courage, I was supposed to be courageous, not a coward. I sometimes wonder who exactly named me that.Someone slammed their fist against the bathroom door. "Drea! Do you think you can hide in there all day, come out!
How many times did I dream of this moment, how many times did I play it over and over again in my mind...Me walking down the aisle and the man I love, standing at the altar, waiting for me.Everything was the same, almost everything, except for my future husband who was staring at me with coldness in his eyes. It made my heart ache and tears welled up once again in my eyes. I was quick to blink them away before they cause any drama.The wedding ceremony passed in a blur and I dreaded going back to his house, to be there all alone with him. He clearly didn't like me, not that I expected him to.During the car ride back to his house he sat as far as he could from me in the backseat gazing out of the window in complete silence.I wanted to talk to him, a normal conversation but I didn't want to annoy him so I kept my mouth shut but I couldn't help but look at him, the side of his face as his head was turned towards the window probably to avoid looking at me.But that didn't stop me from
I was still lost in my many thoughts when I drifted off to sleep on the couch in the main lounge. I guess I had been sleeping for hours because I didn't notice when someone walked in. I was awakened by the slam of the door and jerked up from my sleep in fear as I thought the house was about to be robbed. As a matter of fact, I had not gotten accustomed to the fact that I was already married and living with someone. And also, if not that I wasn't thinking straight, why would I think a Billionaire's house like Sorin's, was about to be robbed when there were numerous guards in the house. I began to hear different sounds coming from upstairs and I became more confused. I tip-toed into the store room and found a golf club. I picked it and started following the sound I was hearing, I was determined to strike but I was shaking at the same time. I mean, what could a frail young woman do to defend herself if situations come to the worst?As I made my way into the room, I heard a glass shatte
"I wish I could lay my hands on that good for nothing girl! Urrrrgggggghhhh!!!! I sure would squeeze the living day out of her.""How could she do this? How foolish and clueless can she be!" Daisy Cole said angrily while pacing around her room."I really do not know why you would agree to such useless arrangement in the first place. Just look at you." She continued as she bent towards Sorin to check his wound which was now covered with a band-aid. Her beautiful black eyes travelled round his entire face to see if there was any other wound inflicted on her precious boyfriend, Sorin.Sorin tried to calm Daisy down and explain the whole situation to her but she wasn't having it. She was fuming in anger. Only if she could lay her hands on me at that moment, I'd be a dead and gone."Calm down, Daisy. You're just being unnecessarily dramatic." Sorin said to her.Daisy, shocked at Sorin's words, stopped to look at him,"Dramatic? Did you just say I am dramatic?""Yes, Daisy, you're just bei
"Sir? Are you okay?" Kelvin asked his boss, as soon as he got into the car but got no response from him.He immediately knew something was wrong. Having been with him for years, he knew something must have happened for Sorin to walk into the car and slam the door the way he did. He also didn't wait for the car door to be opened for him before he entered the car.Getting no response from Sorin, he didn't want to ask too many questions so that he wouldn't anger him more.Sorin's phone began to ring but the moment he saw the caller ID, he silenced the phone and looked away.Kelvin peeped from the front seat and saw the caller too- It was Daisy. "Sir, your phone has been ringing. Aren't you going to pick it, sir? Kelvin asked, concerned because the phone kept ringing but Sorin wouldn't budge.Sorin raised his eyebrow and stared at Kelvin with utmost anger which made Kelvin look away immediately."Mind your business! If you know what is good for you, you'll drive this minute!" Sorin comma
"Strange? What do you mean, Doctor?" Mum asked, not because she was concerned for my health but because she didn't want any of their plans disrupted."Is she going to die?" Dad asked the doctor which made the doctor turn to look at him in utter shock."What!?" The doctor almost screamed in shock."How could you say such things, sir." The doctor asked him. "If you're going to be this negative around my patient, please leave this room." The doctor added."We're so sorry Doctor, my husband was just worried for our daughter. It was just the wrong choice of words." Mum said, coming to the rescue once again."It's fine, I just do not like any negative utterances and actions around my patients, whether they are conscious or unconscious." The doctor explained further."I'm sorry, Doctor. It won't happen again." Dad said to the doctor."There's no problem." The Doctor replied after which, he picked up his stethoscope and checked my heart beat once again while my parents watched in anticipatio
The Black, tinted Rolls-Royce, halted in front of The New Gen Hospital. Kelvin turned off the engine and called out to Sorin because he was far away, in his own world."Sir? We're here." He said to Sorin, which made him jerk about into reality.As he peeped outside through the car window, he began to wonder why they were at the hospital at that moment."And what are we doing here, Kelvin?" He asked Kelvin, raising his eyebrows in confusion."Mrs Zaveri is here, sir." He answered."Mrs Zaveri? What are you talking about, Kelvin?" Sorin questioned him further.Kelvin paused for a while as he began to think of what Sorin's reaction was going to be like when he finally told him that he brought him to the hospital to see me, his wife.He had thought Sorin heard him earlier, when he asked if they should come to the hospital to see her but it just dawned on him that Sorin didn't hear because he paid no attention at that moment but now that they had gotten to the hospital, he knew it was goin
There's been a very serious car accident, sir." He was finally able to say after pausing for a while to catch his breath and compose himself."Who was involved? That girl?" He asked."I'm afraid… She isn't the one sir." He answered."Then who? And if she wasn't the one, why were you planning to kill us?" He asked him further."Mr and Mrs Zaveri, sir. Your parents." He finally said, after garnering a lot of courage."What!?" How come? How? Where? When? Both of them? Are they injured? Is it very bad?" He kept questioning Kelvin as he began to shake like a lone leaf on a stream of water."I'm yet to get the full information, sir but they are at the New Gen Hospital. Damn! I think they were the ones who were rushed into the hospital when we were leaving. I'm going to turn right back now." He kept talking but got no response."They'll be fine. I hope they will be fine." He kept reassuring Sorin."I can't lose them too. No way! Please stay alive for me. Don't leave me alone. Please." Sorin
“Ma'am?” Kelvin rushed in too. “Oh my goodness!” He exclaimed.“Call the doctor, immediately. “ Anne yelled, panicking. Kelvin immediately took his phone, and swiftly speed-dialled the doctor. “Hello Doctor. It's an emergency. Please come by the—”“I’m not dead….” I weakly spoke up, stopping him mid-sentence.“Oh my goodness.” Anne sighed in relief, her eyes welling up with tears.Kelvin was also relieved to see that I was fine. I saw relief evident on his face.Although I spoke weakly, at least it gave them the reassurance that I wasn't unconscious, or dead, maybe.“What is going on? Is there an emergency?” I heard the doctor's voice faintly from Kelvin's phone.He immediately checked his phone and realized the doctor was still on the call. “It's nothing, Doctor. Don't bother. Bye for now.” He quickly spoke into the receiver and ended the call.“You scared me.” Anne said, wiping her tears as she helped me sit up.“I know, and I'm sorry.” I apologized, my voice a bit inaudible.“You
“Mr Zaveri has left already.” Kelvin reiterated, making it clear to Anne that Sorin wasn't around, and her outburst was basically going to be pointless.“Geez!!!” Anne slowly dropped to the ground once again.“So he was in a hurry to leave right after serving her divorce papers? How much more insensitive could he be.” She said, her tone filled with disappointment.“Actually, we had a heated argument. A bit of an angry back and forth. I guess that was what made him pack up and leave earlier than he was supposed to.” Kelvin explained, but Anne shook her head.“That’s not an excuse, Kelvin. He is just wicked and insensitive. That's all I can say.”She turned to look at him again and at that moment, it clicked. Kelvin's busted lip was as a result of his argument with Sorin.She swiftly got up. “He did this to you, didn't he?” She asked him, her tone filled with both curiosity and certainty.He maintained a blank expression. “Anne, it's nothing.”“That's not what I'm asking you, Kelvin.” S
“I’m so sorry.” Anne quickly apologized with a bow.And without waiting to see who it was, off she went again, running with a sense of urgency. As she got to the road, she raised her hand, hurriedly hailing a taxi.Just as the taxi stopped and she was about to get into it, Jake's car arrived, stopping a few metres away from them. And as soon as he saw her, he immediately noticed that she looked distraught.“Isn't that Anne?” He asked Terry, who also tried to confirm if it was truly her.“It appears so, sir.” Terry replied, and Jake frowned.“It appears so? Or she is the one? Which is it?” Jake asked, visibly upset by Terry's choice of words.“I'm sorry, sir. She is the one.” Terry apologized, correcting himself.“Where could she be going in such a hurry?” He asked, out loud.“I have no idea, sir. Do you want me to find out?” Terry asked him.“Yes, find out.” Jake answered sharply.Just as Terry took out his phone to make a call, Anne's taxi began to leave.“You know what? Forget it. F
Sorin leaned his back against the door, his head resting on the cool wood of the door, wearily. The sound of my muffled sobs as I cried my heart out, seeped through the door, a haunting reminder of the pain he had just caused me. He closed his eyes as the weight of his decision crushed him. Guilt tore through his heart, as he kept wondering if he had done the right thing.“So you think you just did the right thing?” Kelvin's voice snapped him back to normalcy.He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Kelvin approaching him.Seeing Kelvin standing right in front of him, he cleared his throat and remained silent right after.“You're not saying anything, Sorin.” Kelvin stated, waiting for a response from him. “I hope you're happy now.” He said, his tone laced with criticism.Knowing that Kelvin was about to begin to lecture him about what he had just done, Sorin immediately turned around, and headed towards the bedroom. Kelvin refused to back down. “Really? You're just g
FIVE MONTHS LATER “Sign it…” Sorin tossed a bunch of documents towards me.“What is it?” I asked, picking up the documents from the table, but I didn't get a response.As I began to read the contents of the documents, I couldn't believe my eyes. I stared shockingly at the documents in my trembling hands, as Sorin's voice re-echoed in my ears, in the silence of his study.I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It felt like I was having a very bad dream. A dream I wanted to wake up from so badly.He had told me to come to his study that morning because we needed to talk about some important things. I had been so excited, thinking we were finally making some progress in maybe fixing our rocky marriage, but never did I imagine that I would be staring at such heartbreaking papers.“These are divorce papers.” I said, hoping that it was a mistake or some stunt he was trying to pull.“Yes, I know. I have signed my own part of it. You should sign yours.” He answered sharply, his eyes fixated o
“Anne?” I managed to mutter as soon as I found my voice.“Is… is this really you?” I stuttered, not sure if I was seeing the right person.Actually only Anne could have recognized me with all my disguise as she was one of the very few people who called me “Drea”.“Yes, it's me. Oh my goodness, I can't believe this.” She responded happily, her eyes welling up with tears.Before I could even say anything, she rushed towards me, and we collapsed into a tearful hug, the emotions of our reunion overwhelming us both.“I'm so speechless right now. I don't even know what to say. I don’t know how to react. I came here to get something for the house.” I said, pulling down my hoodie.“Me too…” Anne replied, wiping her tears. “I needed to get some things urgently, that was why I came here. I never would have imagined that I would meet you here.”Apparently, she had also come to get new glassware products for her kitchen to replace the ones that broke the previous night. The song I was humming was
"A plan?” Kelvin asked, surprised.“Yes. I'll go incognito,” I said, a sly grin spreading across my face. “No one will even recognize me.”“Are you sure that will work?” He questioned, with an unsure look on his face.“Of course. Just make sure you don't follow me around so that it won't raise suspicions.” I said again. “You should dress the part too. If anyone identifies you, they'll surely know that something is fishy.”He sighed again. “No problem. I understand, ma'am.”“Thank you, Kelvin. I'll be down shortly.” I said and rushed upstairs to get prepared to leave for the hospital.I hurriedly took my bath and quickly got dressed, throwing on a pair of jean trousers, sneakers, and a black hooded sweatshirt. The large hoodie was the perfect addition to my disguise, and I deliberately chose it to help me blend in with the crowd and keep a low profile.We left the house and finally arrived at the hospital and of course, I didn't have to stand in line. I was attended to immediately.“S
The next morning I slowly opened my eyes to the warm brightness of morning light shining in through the window. The melodic chirping of birds outside filled the air, and I stretched, yawning loudly. But as my jaw cracked open wide, I remembered that I wasn't alone in the room. I quickly slapped my hand over my mouth, because I knew how much Sorin hated disturbances, and I had no intention of testing his patience.I immediately turned to his side of the bed to see his reaction, but to my surprise, he was nowhere in sight.“Where could he have gone?” I thought to myself.I wasn't sure if he had headed to the office or he was in his study, because it was one of those types of days where he would decide to stay in his study throughout the day.“Sorin?” I called out to him, hoping to get a response, even though I knew it was highly unlikely.As expected, I got no response and I wasn't too surprised. I got up and headed to the bathroom. The door was wide open and so, I knew he definitely wa
I heard Sorin's footsteps rushing out of the room, and heading towards me. I knew he must have heard the noise.Getting to where I was, and seeing that it was one of his favorite picture frames I had broken, he couldn't believe his eyes. “What the hell is this?” He yelled at me. “What exactly is wrong with you? Why are you such a clumsy girl? Why can't you just do anything right without causing chaos?”“I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to.” I immediately apologized.“That's what you always say. Yet you’ll do the same thing tomorrow.” He hissed in frustration.“I'm sorry…” I said again and crouched to the ground once again. “And what the hell do you think you're doing?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed.“I want to clean it up right away.” I answered, trying to pick the broken pieces.My eyes remained fixed on him as I spoke to him to the point where I forgot what I was doing. And before he could warn me, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my already injured fingers.“Ouch!” I yelped, instin