3: UNWILLING SACRIFICE

SIERRA'S POV!

Napabalikwas ako ng bangon ng marinig ko ang malakas na pagbagsak ng kung anong bote mula sa sala ng bahay. That sound made my chest tighten instantly. It wasn't just the clatter—it was a warning.At alam na alam ng katawan ko ang tunog na iyon. Mukhang umuwi na namang lasing si uncle.

He stumbled into the sala, jacket slipping from his shoulders, the sharp tang of alcohol filling the air. My aunt followed, arms crossed, jaw tight with anger.

"Nangako ka na aayusin mo ito!" she snapped. "You said today you'd fix it."

"Fix what?" he laughed, a low, ugly sound that made my stomach churn. "Money doesn't grow dahil lang binubunga ngaan mo ako."

"Bwesit naman! alam mong tumatawag na naman ang supplier!" my aunt said, voice sharp. "They're pulling out. If that happens, the business is done."

He poured himself another drink. "Let them."

"Naririnig mo ba ang sinasabi mo?!" she said, voice rising. "They'll take everything!"

Nanatili akong nakadikit sa pader halos ibaon ko na ang sarili ko dito kahit ang mismong paghinga ko ay sinusubukang pigilan para lamang hindi nila mapansin na nandito ako

"There's an investor," my uncle said finally.

My aunt stiffened. "An investor?"

"Big shot," he replied, smirking. " Mayaman "

"Yun naman pala bakit di mo pa fina finalize ang kontrata?" she asked.

" Did he want something in exchange? " Malamig na tanong ni Claire

My uncle's eyes flicked toward me for a second. My stomach sank.

"He wants a wife....."

The room went quiet.

Kitang kita ko kung paano naoatigl si Claire sa pagtatype sa kanyang selpon at tumingin sa ama nito.

"Excuse me?"

"He wants marriage tied into the deal," my uncle continued, swaying slightly. "Assurance. A guarantee."

Claire sprang to her feet. "No! Absolutely not! I am not marrying some stranger!"

Her voice was high and frantic, shaking with indignation.

"Claire hinaan mo nga ang boses mo!" my aunt said, sighing.

"You've heard the rumors!" Claire snapped. "He's disfigured. He wears a mask. People say he beats women! You expect me to marry that?"

My uncle scoffed. "You're being dramatic..... he's a rich man if mapapangasawa mo siya wala ka ng proproblemahin makukuha mo lahat na luho na gusto mo"

"I'm being realistic here!" Claire shot back. "Why would I ruin my life like that? I dont want to end up a beaten wife by a brute like him!"

Tahimik lamang akong nakikinig sa kanilang pakikipagtalo sinusubukang hindi ko makuha ang kanilang attensiyon habang nakikinig ako.

"Alessandro Rosini," my uncle said slowly, almost savoring the name.

Even my aunt inhaled sharply.

"That man is a monster! " Claire said, horror written across her features. Yung tipong sure na sure na talaga siya na kailanman ay hindi niya nais pakasalan ang lalaking tulad ni Alessandro

"Claire anak... he's rich" my uncle replied, voice low. "And he's our last hope.."

"I don't care!" she shrieked. "I won't do it! I won't marry a disfigured man! I won't be locked away with someone who hides his face like that. You can't make me!"

Her tantrum was theatrical, loud, absurd. And I watched from the sidelines, my stomach twisting, my heartbeat loud in my ears.

Then I realized—everyone else had stopped reacting. My aunt and uncle had shifted their attention away from Claire. My existence in the room didn't matter. Not one word directed at me, not a single glance to see how I felt.

And then, slowly, my aunt's eyes drifted to me.

The air changed.

"Well," she said carefully, voice soft, deliberate, "we do have another option."

Tila sumunod din ang mga mata ni Claire at ng tuluyan ng magtagpo ang mga mata namin tila nakaisip siya ng magandang ideya dahil agad siyang napangiti kulang na lamang ay pumalakpak siya..

"Oh," Claire said softly, smiling. "We have this useless thing...."

Buong takot akong nanginginig habang napatitig sa kanila....Sarili kong kadugo.

"She's not our daughter," my aunt said casually, as if discussing the weather, "but she is still family. ...No one would question it."

Agad akong napaatras "No," I whispered. "A-Aayaw ko po...auntie..." naiiyak na sambit ko

My uncle swayed slightly, glass in hand, pointing at me like I was finally the solution to all their problems.

" Sierra dapat nga magpasalamat ka samin ikakasal ka sa lalaking mayaman..." he said, slurred, "You're finally useful."

Claire walked closer, stopping in front of me. Her gaze swept over my face, assessing, cruel.

"At least this way," she said, smirking, "your face will finally match your life."

Nanlamig ang katawan ko at tila hindi ko lubos maisip ang mga pangyayari sa aking harapan. Tila itong isang bangungot na nais kong takasan...I can feel the fear crept up my throat na tila nasusuka ako.

Alessandro Rossini is not just some low street thugs he is even rumored to rape and killed a girl before and it scared me....I dont want to marry a man like that.

I wanted to disappear. I wanted the floor to swallow me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight. But I couldn't. I was a bystander. I always had been. A spectator in my own life. The world moved around me, and I could only watch it hurt me.

Malaki ang ngiti ni Claire ramdam ko sa mukha nito ang kaluwagan ng kanyang loob knowing she pass that role to me....Ill be the disposable lamb who get thrown to the wolf

"You're perfect for this, you know," she said lightly, turning to my aunt.

Gusto kong umiyak at magmakaawa...But there was no point. I had no control. My aunt and uncle had already silently agreed to this. They were only too happy to use me as the buffer for Claire's temper and their failing business.

I was nothing but a tool, a shield, a container for Claire's whims and my family's desperation.

I could hear Claire muttering under her breath, clearly already planning how my fear and misfortune would make her life easier. And I listened, silent, horrified, trapped.

I had survived the fire that killed my parents. I had survived years of being ignored, undervalued, invisible. And now... I was being thrown into a nightmare with a man I had never met, rumored to be cruel and dangerous, to carry the consequences of a deal I had no part in.

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to make myself small, to make myself vanish, to become invisible. But I knew it wouldn't work. They would still use me.

Because in this house, I was nothing.

And tomorrow, I would be a pawn in a game I didn't want to play.

______