A Crash

Donna's POV  

My fists clenched on the document so much that it crumpled. What's this hag saying? "Why would I marry someone like that?"  

"Donna!"  

I jolted, my eyes growing teary because deep down, I knew I had no way to fight this. I was truly alone in this world and at the mercy of my stepmother.  

Cherry snickered, slowly leaving the room. "Congratulations on your marriage. I hope the first one is a boy."  

My hands crumpled the paper, while my eyes followed her with a glare.  

"How dare you treat such an important document that way!" Before I could blink, my stepmother raised her hand to hit my face.  

The slap made the stings in my eyes intensify and I held my cheeks. She grabbed the file but it ripped. My mouth opened as she stared at me like I did it.  

"I... I don't want to get married to some old man. You'd never want this for your daughter so—"  

Chris left the couch and my remaining words buried themselves in my throat. He slowly walked to me and I backed away, wondering what he wanted to do.  

I tried to plead. "Please, I am still your sister. You wouldn't want Priscilla to marry such a man—"  

"You have guts, bitch!" he shouted, pointing at the file. "You will sign that and get the hell out of this house because I've just endured you enough!"  

My heart thumped and I felt the wall behind me. He kept coming closer and the fear in my heart heightened. He'd been enduring me? Shouldn't it be the other way around since he was a guest here?  

"I won't marry such a man." I stood my ground.  

"You still talk!" My stepmother barked. "He has everything you could get in a man! We made a deal, didn't we? So why are you going..."  

Her talk of a deal really pissed me off. Deal? She paid my fees and that's a deal? She paid the burial services of her husband's first legal wife and her daughter's mother and that's a deal? She used a minor in her time of need and that's a deal? Did she forget that the money she'd been living off belonged to my own biological father and mother?  

"If he's so perfect then why didn't you marry him yourself!" I shouted back when I could no longer feel stings in my eyes. "I'm not interested!"  

I couldn't see her reaction before a palm grabbed my head and slammed it against the wall. An excruciating pain rang through my body. My head split open.  

"How dare you talk to my mother like...!"  

I couldn't hear the other things Chris said as my head felt woozy, and I collapsed onto the ground. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "All I want... is to live in peace..."  

"And this is your ticket which you tore!" Chris slapped the wall beside me and I quivered. "Who else do you think would accept a bitch like you, huh! You are an eyesore! If you don't want to be understanding then I won't endure anymore and show you your place."  

My place? As the real owner of this place? My fists clenched but I released them before he saw, yet I felt his leg stomp on my hand. I let out a scream as his feet crushed my hand.  

"Are you still trying to resist, huh!" He pinned my hand as he spoke. "Still trying, huh!"  

I lowered my head and pleaded in whispers.  

Stepmother stooped down and I felt her massage my back. "My dear Donna, this is actually for your good. Why don't you sign this and live a happier life outside of here?"  

Wasn't it obvious that she just wanted me to leave so she'd have everything? Everything my parents had ever worked for!  

I stopped sobbing when I realized. That was actually what was going on. She wanted me to leave.  

She obviously preferred if I left her life and wanted me to be married off, but I never thought hard on why. It should be because of my inheritance.  

Chris bent down. "Finally quiet? I hope it means you accept this or you'll make me hit you again." He finally released my hand.  

This suddenly felt hilarious to me. They were desperate for me to leave and I was desperate to stay. I needed them to get out of my property but I didn't know they were also scared to leave.  

I struggled to sit on the ground and my disheveled hair covered the small smile on my face. "If I sign the contract, there's no going back, is there? I have to marry him?"  

Chris groaned. "You still don't get it? Should I drill it in with a slap? If you sign, it's a happier life for you. I don't know why you are hesitating."  

Good, but I wasn't the only one who deserved a happy life. If there's no going back, then all the better.  

I shouldn't be selfish. "Please, stepmother, get another copy and I'll sign. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."  

She smiled and left the ground, looking down at me. "You're finally being a good girl. In fact, I'll let Priscilla handle the chores till tomorrow morning, okay?"  

I parted my hair immediately to look at her face. She was serious. She walked out and after a while, I sluggishly left the ground and limped to my room. Chris said nothing and kept on working on his laptop. He only tsked when I left.  

I was a different Donna than I had been an hour ago. I now knew why they were so bitter towards me and always wanted me to leave.  

I rushed to my room and when I got in, the headache pangs from that head slam attacked me in full force. I held my head and buried it into my bed, trying to ease the pain.  

"I have to find my father's will. Surely, I'm the sole heiress."  

My stepmother must've known this and wanted me out of the way without me figuring this out. I just had to comply till I find out how to get my hands on the will of my father.  

When I'd get full authority over my properties then, they'd be off my property as soon as possible. Priscilla could work as a cleaner, depending on how good she became.  

An hour later, the headaches stopped throbbing and only dried lines of tears remained on my face. My eyes spotted the wet letter.  

I reached for it on my bedside and tore it open. What fell out, along with a beige letter, was a locket. My eyes tarried on the locket as I tried to remember where I had seen it – of course, I hadn't. The letter was already opened so I read through its content. It was simple.  

'Remember Contract 21, Sir Draven. I hope your little girl is well.'  

I turned to the other side of the letter, and there was no more information. There was a contact down the letter.  

After checking the time, I decided to try a dangerous play. If I stayed put without making any major attempt to get my hand on my father's will, then it'd remain the same.  

I also had to call this line and ask what Contract 21 was. I was the only daughter of my father and would be the only one to settle his remaining businesses.  

I quickly washed my face and forced my hair into a beanie. I changed to baggy clothes, because I never had any that fit. My only footwear was an old pair of sandals that somehow still fit all those years.  

I locked my door and poured a glass of water and kept it on my bed with an empty roll of paracetamol. My planned excuse was that I had a headache and quickly left to get medicine because it felt like my head was ripping apart. I left with the letter.  

The main gate was a meter away from the building. There was a tree by the gate that I climbed into from my room. I looked left and right before slowly opening the gate and sneaking out.  

My erratic heartbeat slowed down when I made it out and I turned to behold the sight of the blue sky and tall buildings that I'd been missing.  

Escaping had been easier than I thought but that's because I never had any reason to leave in the first place. I had always been on house-daughter duty.  

It didn't take me long to begin running down the lonely estate. I ran as fast as I could and enjoyed my dark hair slapping against my face.  

I wasn't happy, but I felt free and that's closer to happiness for me. Despite the sting from my opened wounds, I felt like I was in my top form.  

"I should go to the pay phone and try to reach—" Argghh! Something collided with me.  

I had reduced my speed or it could've been worse when a bike rammed into me. I flew back and I could see the concrete floor coming closer, but that biker suddenly leaped and caught me before I landed.  

He rolled on the ground and protected my head from hitting the ground, then we finally stopped rolling. I lay there, the pain roaming through my body and the headaches coming back.  

"No, why.... please, why..." I curled myself and tried to plead with the pain to go away.  

Ten minutes. Couldn't I have just ten minutes of happiness before anything jinxed it?  

The biker bent over me, and opened a part of his helmet, revealing his eyes. "A-Are you alright? My apologies. I don't know why I didn't see you coming..."  

I hid my face from him when I felt my eyes starting to tear up again. His voice sounded familiar and those gray eyes too.  

But all I could do was lie there, hoping for the pain to go away, and slowly falling unconscious in the arms of this stranger.