CH002

Ophelia felt livid. It was as if she had anticipated this reaction from him the entire day, given how he had called her countlessly without ceasing.

“Jasper called me this morning to call off the engagement Ophelia. What did you do? Don't you realize the gravity of the sin you have committed against me?”

Ophelia closed her eyes in a bid to control her tears that threatened to fall from her eyes that instant.

“Did he also tell you his reasons for calling off the engagement?" She asked softly, trying not to mind his harsh words.

“Everyman cheats Ophelia. There isn't a man on this universe that can claim he hasn't cheated on his wife or fiance ever! Besides, you bring nothing to the table and he still chose to marry you, is this how you're repaying him for his kindness? Being hot headed and trying to kick him out of your because he cheated once?”

“Did you even ask him who he cheated on me with?" Ophelia demanded, downcast by the way he was trying so hard to dismiss her feelings.

Even if she brought nothing to the table and had clinged on to Jasper when he claimed to love her, was that all not his doings as well? Didn't he force her to accept his proposal when clearly she had no soft spot for him.

Why was he now trying to make it look as if she was the bad guy here when her cheating and lying ex clearly was.

“It doesn't matter! You will go over to Jaspers place and get on your knees and plead with him to take you back you hear me? That is the only way I will allow you into this family! No daughter of mine will stay single past the age of twenty five!”He blurted.

“If I were the one who cheated on your daughter's with her fiance, would you stand here and tell her this? How all men in the universe cheat?”

Ophelia's father was taken aback by her question.His face reddened with anger. "How dare you question me?" he thundered. "I am your father, and you will do as I say."

Do as he says? Sometimes she wondered if he ever cared about her with all the " do as he says” commands he had told her severally in her the past.

This incident was also an eye opener. Her fiance Jasper, had been cheating on her for a long time now with her cousin, Jean, and she knew her father was very well aware of it and never confronted her nor said a word about it to her.

So she was determined and stood her ground. "I will not beg Jasper to take me back," she said. "I deserve better than a man who cheats on me."

Her father's face turned red with rage. "You ungrateful child," he spat. "I picked you up from the streets and raised you after my sister abandoned you. Is this how you're going to repay me? By being stubborn to obey my will?"

Ophelia knew her father well and the fact that he would bring that card up, but not to the extent of calling her an ingrate. He was almost speaking as if he had raised her, hoping to get something in return from her for doing so. Was it looking or was she just gaslighting herself into not believing what was obvious?

She still racked her head for a reply to give to him that would not come out as disobedient and ungrateful, like he always is liked to use, but just as she was about to say what was on her mind calmly, her father's phone began to ring.

He took it out of his trouser pocket and walked out briskly immediately he saw the name of the caller. The way he walked away quickly, Ophelia could tell that the caller must be an important person to him or someone whom was in a position higher than his. He was an egoist you see, so grabbing his attention was usually a hard task.

Taking advantage of thedistraction, Ophelia began to walk to her room.

“If I were you Ophelia, I will just turn a blind eye to what's happened” a voice mocked as she passed the sofa's, drawing hr attention and causing her to pause.

“If it were your daughter's fiance I cheated with, would you tell me this shit about all men in the universe being cheats?" She mimicked loudly.

" What gave you the right to compare yourself to me, Ophelia? Are you forgetting your place?” She continued mocking.

Ophelia felt her intestines being suffocates inside her. She felt not even an atom of shame or remorse for what she had continuously done to her and that was what birthed her the most.

Even if they weren't biological sisters, was their blood relation as cousins not enough for her xto understand what it meant for her to be the one she would catch red handed, unclad with her fiancee in bed with?

With the way they were going on about it, she was also being bullied into believing that she was the one with an issue.

“You're engaged to be wed to the heir of Johnson chemicals soon Jean, wasn't that enough for you? What did you stand to gain by going out with Jasper? Wasn't the idea of being the bride of the most eligible bachelor in the country enough for you? Just why Jean? Why did you do that?”

By now Ophelia couldn't control her tears. They fell. They dropped and rolled down her eyes as she questioned her cousin, the sister she had believed she had, the one she was sure would have protected her as she was the eldest amongst them.

What was do special about Jasper that made her do what she had done to her. There was nothing. What pained her the most was that she had suspected this but never wanted to believe until she had seen it with her eyes.

And when she finally did what happened? Not even an apology. Not even an explanation. Jasper beat her up and threatened to call off the engagement. And home wasn't any different either.

“Jasper said you weren't good on bed Ophelia. Don't blame me but yourself. I only gave him my cookie jar for some days to keep him busy from infected flings. Besides, he said he wouldn't cheat on you that much when you two get married. I actually believe you're overthinking things now and taking it to a level it shouldn't be on. These things happen. You just need to understand the game and move on with your life. Don't sweat too much about it"

Ophelia’s ears itched at what she had just heard. Was she being for real with what she had just uttered out of her mouth?

Her wedding was in a few days time and she isn't even feeling remorseful.

Before she cheated on her with her fiance for whatever stupid reason she just mentioned, her marriage should have been one of her priorities on her mimd. Does she think that she doesn't owe her husband any loyalty?

“You're literally about to get married soon, why are you so nonchalant to your infidelity to your fiancee? Downplaying my feelings is okay, Jean but not even feeling any remorse for betraying your would be husband's trust? Even animals don't stoop that low”

Ophelia didn't know where she found the courage, but all she knew was that her voice had been loud and harsh when she confronted her sister, for the first time in years. For the first time ever, taking a stand for herself before her too and not allowing her to dismiss her feelings as if they were nothing.

“What did you just say?" Jean tried to catch her breath from the insult she had just heard. “Did you just call me an animal?" She questioned angrily again, her voice sharp and cutting.

That hadn't been how she put it but of course what she had said had flown over her head. She was always that dumb to begin with. What was she thinking when she believed that Jean would understand what she said.

She came down from the sofa she was on and rushed at Ophelia, striking her to the ground and pulling her hair and Ophelia retaliating by pulling her hair backwards too with all strength she could muster.

Fighting her too? Ophelia for some nerves. She was an ungrateful child and her father shouldn't have picked her from the streets when she was abandoned. He should have left her there to die at the hands of gangs. That would have been a more deserving end for such an entitled brat like her. Jean thought.

“What are you two doing?" A familiar voice shouted as he sprinted towards the two ladies, releasing Jean from Ophelia's grip and after, pushing her away with force.

“Why are you always causing trouble wherever you go, you this troubled and embarrassing woman?"

"Troubled? Embarrassing?” Ophelia questioned while holding her head that had begun to bleed from the impact of the push she had just experienced.

“Just because I cheated on you makes you think attacking your sister is ideal? What's the big deal with me cheating on you anyway? Haven't I been providing for you all these while even though you have nothing more to offer to me than your body?”

Why was all these happening to her? She questioned as her vision blurred.

Why was she the one born into her fate, the one who always had to endure, the one who go abandoned? Would her life had turned out better if she wasn't born with her circumstances?

The more she thought about it, th more sadness she felt from the pain she had endured all these while.

“She's not moving,Jasper" she heard Jean’s faint voice saying in a rumbled exasperation.

“What do you mean she's not moving? She just shot a piercing gaze at me a few seconds ago" Jasper defended.

" She's not moving. I'm telling you she isn't” Jean whispered again in a trembling voice that was growing distant.

Ophelia wanted to raise her hand to show her that she was undefeated and still moving but alas she couldn't, truly truly, she wasn't moving. And she could feel the pool of blood gathering around her motionless body that was on the floor.

The room fell silent, except for the sound of Jean's tensed breathing.