Chapter 1: Freedom, at what cost?

“Mom, Dad… please. The admissions are open, and I passed. Please help me with $20,000 so I can pay my school fees and secure my admission spot,” Elise said, her voice trembling as she knelt on the cold, tiled floor of the living room. Her clasped hands and pleading eyes showed how much she needed their help.

Margaret, her mother, barely looked up from her magazine, as she continued flipping a page with a bored expression. Her father’s gaze shifted briefly to her, but the indifference in his eyes felt worse than outrightly saying no.

“We’ll give you the money,” her father, Charles, said at last, setting down his coffee cup. Relief washed over Elise, but it was fleeting and only for a moment.

“On one condition,” he added, his voice sharp. “You’ll marry Alejandro Mendoza.”

The words hit Elise like a slap. She froze, her heart sinking as she processed what he’d said.

“What are you saying, Father?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Marry? But I don’t even know him! Father, do you want me to marry a stranger just to get money for medical school?”

Margaret finally looked up, her lips curling into a disdainful frown. “Watch your tone, Elise.” She yelled.

“Alejandro is the son of the Mendoza family. Do you know how much this union could benefit us? You should be grateful for an opportunity like this.”

Elise’s fists clenched at her sides. “Mom, this isn’t an opportunity and you know it. I’m just being tied down to a union that I don’t want against my choice.”

She continued, “Mom, Dad, please you know how important this is to me. I’ve worked all my life just to get this admission and now that I’ve been accepted, please don’t let me miss it.”

Before her parents could reply, the sound of clicking heels came through the hallway. Clara, her younger sister, strolled into the room with a wide smile on her face, and her designer handbag swinging from her arm. Her hair was perfectly styled, her makeup delicate, and her presence dominated in a way that always made Elise feel invisible in front of her parents.

“Mom, Dad,” Clara began, her voice sweet and melodic. “My friends and I are planning a boat cruise next weekend. It’ll cost $50,000 each. Can you transfer the money today?”

Margaret’s face lit up with pride. “Of course, darling. Anything that makes you happy, I’ll do it with all my heart.”

Clara beamed, leaning down to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

She adjusted herself, then raised her face to Elise, a mocking smile tugging at her lips. “Why are you on the floor? Is it about the school thing again?”

Elise’s voice disappeared for a moment, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “You’ll give her $50,000 for a boat cruise, but for my medical school fees, I have to marry someone before I get support?”

Charles' expression hardened as he turned to Elise with fury. “Don’t be dramatic, Elise. Clara deserves the best life, is it too much to give her? She’s been through so much because of you. How are you not remorseful? The least you can do is make sacrifices for her happiness.” He spat.

Elise’s heart twisted. She had heard this argument too many times to count, that it barely held grounds anymore. “Sacrifices?” she repeated, her voice cracking this time.

“I’ve been sacrificing my whole life while you hand her everything on a silver platter. I’ve sacrificed vacations just to please you people, I’ve sacrificed my right as the first child and a child of this home. I’ve barely had access to what Clara enjoys. How much more should I sacrifice?”

“I’ve made so many sacrifices already that even if my crime was too big, it should have cleared it by now.” Elise shook her head with tears, “It’s too sad that I’m still treated this way because of what happened when we were kids. Something that I can barely remember.”

“Enough!” Margaret snapped, anger evident in her voice “Don’t you dare bring that up. Do you have any idea how much pain Clara endured because of you? Do you know the sleepless nights and agony you have caused your father and me? All because of your carelessness!”

“If you hadn’t been so careless and had done as you were instructed, your sister wouldn’t have spent two days lost and come back to us sick. Did you see how your sister looked? Lifeless! Yet you dare underplay the situation? Everything we’ve done for her is because she deserves it and even more.” Margaret yelled.

Tears rolled out from Elise's eyes, so much that she couldn’t control them. “She deserves it?” Her voice trembled as she asked. “And what about me? Do I deserve to be treated like a second-class citizen in my own family?”

Her father’s glare was ice-cold. “Stop acting like a victim. You’ll marry Alejandro and that’s final. Now get out of here.”

Clara’s smirk widened as she watched the exchange. She had been quiet all along, watching the drama with a smile. How was Elise ever comparing herself to her? She wondered.

“Maybe if you weren’t so difficult and asked me, then I can try to talk to Mom and Dad for you and they would help you with the fees,” Clara shrugged.

Elise looked up at her sister and did not have any words. If she understood perfectly, then Clara was saying that she should pass through her to get considered for her school fees.

Elise’s shoulders sagged as her gaze shuffled between her parents and her sister. She felt like she was suffocating, and the walls were closing in around her. Elise had expected this reaction considering that her parents never supported her dream, but she wanted to try anyway. Hearing everything they said, only served as a reminder to her to know her place.

Later that night, Elise sat at her small desk in her cramped bedroom, staring at her laptop screen. The admissions portal was open, the clock in the corner of the screen counting down 36 hours until closure. Her acceptance letter sat beside her, the words “Congratulations” causing an ache in every part of her.

She opened the portal again, entering her login details for what felt like the hundredth time that week. The fees section mocked her: $20,000 due in 35 hours. Elise’s chest tightened as the deadline pulled closer.

Her parents’ condition replayed in her mind, alongside the memories of her childhood.

She had been ten years old, and Clara was six. Their family had gone on an outing to the park, and as their parents set up a picnic, she played nearby with Clara. Being the elder, it was automatically her duty to watch her sister. But she had gotten a little distracted, chasing butterflies, and at that moment, Clara wandered off. By the time Elise noticed, Clara was long gone.

In a panic, her parents began to search for her and it lasted for two days. By the time they found Clara, she was shivering and barely conscious, huddled in the woods. She had developed a severe respiratory illness that plagued her for years.

Their parents blamed Elise for it, and from that moment, Clara became their focus, their fragile angel. While Elise became their scapegoat.

Elise closed her laptop with a shaky sigh. She had no idea what more to give to free her from the bondage of that day but she had run out of options.

The morning of the deadline arrived, and Elise found herself standing in the living room again, her parents watching her with expectant eyes.

“Mom, Dad,” her voice was firm this time, masking her emotions. “I’ll marry Alejandro. Just… please give me the $20,000 to pay my school fees.”

Her mother’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. “Good. It’s settled, then.”