CHAPTER 2: The Snare.

Tana's POV

After we left the church, I felt really surprised by what happened. Suddenly, my mom turned to me, her face showing how mad she was.

"What were you thinking, Tana?" Her voice was really angry and embarrassed. "How did this happen?"

I tried to explain, "I didn't know, Mom, I promise..."

But then she slapped my cheek hard, and it made a loud sound. Everyone could hear it in the quiet churchyard. "You made us look bad, made our family name look bad!"

I felt so embarrassed and sad, tears filling my eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Stop!" Her voice sounded really angry and disappointed.

"You're such a disappointment, Tana," my mother continued, her voice full of contempt. "You've always been a problem child, never doing what you're supposed to do. I should have known this would happen. I should have known you would ruin everything!"

I stood there, frozen, unable to believe the words that were coming out of my mother's mouth. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. "But Mom, it's not like that," I said, my voice shaking.

"It wasn't my fault. Philip was the one who changed his mind."

But my mother wasn't listening. "You are always making excuses," she said, her voice full of scorn. "You can never take responsibility for your actions. I'm so ashamed of you!"

I felt like I was being stabbed in the heart. I couldn't believe the way my mother was treating me, like I was a complete failure, like I was worthless. I had never felt so alone and unloved.

My eyes filled with tears, and I turned to walk away, but my mother's voice stopped me.

"Don't you dare walk away from me!" she said, her voice rising to a shout. "I'm not done talking to you!"

I turned back, my face pale and my body trembling. "What else do you want to say?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

My mother stepped closer, her eyes cold and her words cutting like a knife. "I want you to know that you've let me down, and I'll never forgive you for that.

You're nothing but a disappointment, and I don't know why I ever thought you could amount to anything. You're a failure in every way."

I was in shock. My mother's words cut like a knife, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt like the world was crashing down around me, and I couldn't escape the pain. I wanted to run away, but my feet were rooted to the ground. It was as if I  were trapped in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.

In the silence, I could hear my own heartbeat, and it was beating fast. My thoughts were racing, and I couldn't make sense of what was happening. I tried to calm myself, to think of something that would take my mind off the pain. But it was no use. The pain was too strong, and it wouldn't go away.

**********

The next day, I was at home, trying to deal with the pain. I felt like I  was in a daze, and it was hard to concentrate. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, and my heart started to race again. I slowly got up and opened the door, and there stood my  friend, Jennifer.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Jennifer asked, her voice full of concern. "I'm here for you, if you want to talk."

My eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to do," I said. "Everything feels like a mess, and I can't make sense of it all."

"Let's sit down and talk about it," Jennifer said, gently guiding me to the couch. "Maybe we can figure out a way forward together."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I looked at my  friend, feeling grateful for help and concern since even my  mother didn’t care about how I felt.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” she asked, as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

The room was calm, but inside me, there was a lot of pain. The truth about what happened made everything feel heavy and hard to bear.

I sighed, my eyes filled with a mix of sadness and uncertainty. "It's Philip," I began, my voice tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"I can't stop thinking about him. But he's with Veronica, and she's having his baby."

Jennifer nodded understandingly, urging me to continue.

"I thought he was the one, Jen. But now... I don't know."

She sighed deeply. "I get it, Tana. But if you still care about him, maybe there's something you can do," she suggested, her eyes reflecting empathy.

"But how? He's with Veronica now and he already rejected me," I said, my voice filled with doubt.

"Maybe he doesn't know how you feel. Maybe it's worth telling him," Jennifer encouraged, her tone gentle yet hopeful.

"You deserve to fight for what you want, Tana. Don't let this slip away without trying, if you love Philp, then don't just easily give up on him without a fight, I don't care if he's rejected you, you can still fight for your love, fight for the man you want."

I looked at Jennifer, contemplating her words. "You really think so?" I asked, searching for reassurance.

"I do. You've got to tell him how you feel, Tana. Fight for your happiness," Jennifer affirmed, a hopeful smile spreading across her face.

"I'll be right here to support you every step of the way."

With Jennifer's encouragement, I felt a glimmer of hope ignite within me. "Alright, I'll do it," I said, determination flickering in my eyes.

The next day, I got ready and decided to follow Jenny's advice. I headed to Philip's office, feeling both hopeful and a bit nervous.

But when I walked in, ugh, it was Veronica. I tried not to let my disappointment show.

"Hey, is Philip in?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Veronica shook her head. "Nope, he's not here at the moment," she said, noticing my not-so-happy face. And I could tell she was enjoying seeing me unhappy, which just made things worse.

"Of course, he's not," I muttered under my breath, feeling frustration building up.

Veronica raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with mockery. "Looking for him? You seem quite eager."

Ignoring her taunt, I sighed, "Yeah, I wanted to talk to him about something important."

Veronica leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms with a knowing grin. "Hmm, I wonder what's so important that you couldn't wait. Or maybe you're just hoping he'll choose you over me."

My jaw clenched, trying to keep my composure. "This isn't about choosing. It's about how you two have hurt me."

Veronica chuckled, a hint of malice in her voice.

"Hurt you? Oh, please. You knew what you were getting into. He's with me now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

The words stung, but I refused to back down. "I loved him, Veronica. I thought he loved me too. You've no idea how much this hurts."

Veronica's expression softened for a moment before hardening again.

 "Well, it's not my problem. He's with me, and that's how it's going to stay."

Frustration bubbled within me, but I took a breath, trying to keep my cool. "Fine, Veronica. But I won't give up without a fight."

Veronica's eyes flashed with anger as she towered over me, her hand clenched around the dagger's hilt. "You think you can just come back here and take over?" she hissed. "I'm the rightful Luna, and you're nothing but a usurper!"

My heart pounded in my chest, but I refused to show any sign of fear. "I don't want to take over," I said, my voice calm and even. "I just want to help."

But Veronica was having none of it. With a snarl, she raised the dagger and slashed it across her own arm, blood spilling onto the ground. I gasped, stunned by the sudden violence.

Veronica collapsed to the ground, the dagger clattering beside her. I rushed to her side, my heart beating seriously. "Veronica!" I cried, dropping to my knees. "Are you okay?"

But Veronica didn't respond. She lay still, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow. My panic grew as I frantically searched for a pulse, but I couldn't find one.

Philip strode into the room, his face thunderous. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his eyes falling on me and Veronica.

"Philip!" Veronica cried, her voice trembling as she got up immediately from the ground.

"I was just trying to talk to Tana, and she attacked me!"

My heart sank as I realized I had been set up.

"No!" I protested, desperate to make Philip understand.

"That's not what happened!"

But Philip wasn't listening. His eyes were fixed on the blood pooling on the floor. He rushed over to hold Veronica’s hands and stared at me with anger.

"I should have known you would be nothing but trouble!"

"I didn't do anything!" I cried, but my words fell on deaf ears. Philip was clearly beyond reason, his rage blinding him to anything but his own anger.

“Philip, I can’t keep living like this with you. If you don’t do something about this bitch here, she’s gonna kill me one day.” Veronica said, as she touched her hand.

"Get out of my sight!" he shouted, his voice booming off the walls. "I never want to see you again!"

I was at a loss for words. I had never seen this side of Philip before, and it terrified me.

"Please," I begged, my voice cracking. "Just listen to me!"

But Philip who was still holding Veronica by the hand didn’t give me any chance to explain myself.

He turned to me and I could see anger in his eyes that I had never seen in the man I thought loved me as I did him.

“You have been nothing but a problem to me and to Veronica and I have had it up to here.

"You're no longer welcome in this house," he continued, his voice cold and hard. "You need to pack your things and leave. I'll have the guards escort you out."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had devoted myself to him, and this was how he was going to repay me? By throwing me out like I was nothing? It was too much to bear.

"I... I can't..." I stammered, my heart breaking into a million pieces. "I thought you loved me..."

Philip's face softened for a moment, and I saw a glimpse of the man I thought I knew. But then it was gone, and his hard exterior was back in place.

"I can't keep you here," he said, his voice full of regret. "It's not safe for you, or for Veronica."

"What about what's safe for me?" I asked, my voice trembling. "You're the only one I have. You're the only one I've ever been able to count on. I don't have anywhere else to go."

I could see the conflict on his face, but I knew he had already made up his mind. I was a liability to him now, and he wasn't going to take the risk of keeping me around.

I felt like my world was crashing down around me. I had put all my faith in Philip, and now he was kicking me to the curb. I had no idea what I was going to do next.