CHAINED

"No it can't be!!" I shouted then looked at them with frustration. 

"Cassandra, why can't you see that we are doing this for your own good?" Mommy explained gently while holding on my arm.

I don't want to be rude to my mother that’s why I just shook my arm from her hold because of my turmoil emotions instead of shouting at her.

I looked at them with hatred. "How can this be for my own good? Why marrying someone I don't fvcking know will be good for me?!"

Daddy lowered down his head as if he did not know how to begin explaining the things they were doing. 

I laughed for a moment. "Don't ever tell me that the company is losing money so you will marry me to a man I do not know, that is too much rubbish in the tele series".

He massage the bridge of his nose before giving me a serious look.

"Come to my office—" 

"Are you sure about this Deyniel?" my mom butted in.

Dad just gave her a warm smile and lead the way to his office. I could do nothing but obey, mommy quietly followed behind me.

What the hell is going on? I just came home from a party of my friend then I will be facing this shit—marry someone I do not know. Well, erase that, I will never marry someone I do not love. 

Daddy sat down in his swivel chair then emptied his drawer. I heard Mommy sniffing in the back so I looked at her.

Why the heck is she crying?

I was nervous for a moment. Is our company already losing money? But that is impossible, I just came back from the company the other day and everything seems okay. 

Daddy caught my attention when he pulled out a folder in front of me.

I get it and scanned the files, for a moment I feel like my world has collapsed. 

"W-what the hell is this?" stuttering, I tried to ask. Slowly I glance at my father.

My tears automatically run down through my face as I see my father smiling yet his eyes are full sadness.

He grabbed my hand then kissed it. "You know I love you so much princess don't you? I'm sorry if I push you to a decision you don't like, I just want to see my princess go to the right man before I die.”

And there we all broke down. 

My father, my dearest father has brain cancer.

"N-no, no this can't be. You will be treated dad. If not here in the Philippines, let's go to the US, "I said.

Daddy touched my head then disheveled it gently. I could do nothing but to sob because of the warm smile he gave me that moment.

"Who doesn't want to live long? I also want to see my future grandchildren with you but what can we do? The Lord give me a limit to live."

All I could do was to shake my head and whimpered. Mommy slowly approached to me then hugged me tight.

"Sorry my princess for being greedy. I just want to secure your future. I don't know how long or short I will still be here. If I can no longer see my future grandchildren then your wedding is enough," he said emotionally.

I run into him and hug him tight. 

"Please fight Daddy. Why do I feel like you are already surrendering? Fight for us Daddy, fight for me." I begged. 

My dad just hugged me back then kissed the top of my head. 

"I'm not surrendering princess, I just accepted the fact. I want to spend my remaining days with you and your mom than suffer at the hospital." 

I cried even more at what Daddy said.

"Iloveyou Daddy," I said and looked at him.

He smiled at me. "Iloveyoutoo princess, I love you and your mom. Please take care of her when I'm gone."

"Stop it Deyniel. Please stop speaking like that," mom stopped daddy at his sentence while crying. 

Daddy just smiled at her then touched my mother's face.

"Always remember that I love you both," he said, teary eyed.

"Of course, we kno—"

"AHHH!!" 

Dad shouted while holding his head. Mommy and I attended quickly to him. 

"Get the medicine in the drawer Cassandra!" mom shouted while holding daddy's hand on his head.

I am literally crying as I searched for the medicine. I looked back and forth from my dad and it. Scared that I might missed something from dad.

"Hon, honey I will call Dr. Soriano. Please stay with us, please I-I still can't live without you, " mom cried hard as she said the last line. 

I quickly gave mommy the medicine I had found. She opened it and took a pill then gave it to daddy.

Why? Why did they just let me know this? 

I just cried silently as I saw how daddy complaining about his headache.

What kind of child am I? I did not see nor notice it all? I thought it was just because of work that is why daddy seemed to be losing weight, I thought it was because of his old age that I noticed his hair was falling out. I didn't know he already sick.

After a few minutes daddy gradually calmed down just in time for the doctor to come. He checked daddy in the room. 

He's lying down now and sleeping probably because of the extreme pain he felt earlier.

Mommy approached me after the doctor left. She smiled at me then straightened my runaway hair on my face. 

"You can now go to your room. I'll take care of your daddy," she said while combing my hair with her fingers.

"When mommy? When did it all start?" I asked. 

Mommy sighed before sitting beside me then hugged pulled me for a hug.

"After you graduated college, that's when your daddy's severe headache started. He used to feel headaches, but he ignored it because he thought it was just stress at work. But a few weeks after you graduated, that's it, everything was getting worse and he's already experiencing various symptoms of brain cancer,” mom started the story.

"He went for a treatment. Your Daddy fought for us Cassandra. Every time we told you that we have a business trip, he was really taking his meds with me; chemo and so on.. "

"But your Daddy can not neglect the company either, many people depend on us, dear. " 

"Why? Why didn't you talk to me to help the company. Yes, I don't know anything yet but I can still learn that Mommy." I asked as if that would bring back yesterday.

She just smiled at me then kissed my forehead. "Yes, we think of that, but your daddy loves you very much. We know that you have been studying all your life. You did nothing but gave us a reason to be proud of you. Deyniel wants to give you the freedom to do everything after you graduated. He wants you to enjoy the things you did not experience during your studies."

"I'm sorry. I can't resist your daddy, I love you too and I can see his point. I want to help you with the company but no one will teach you because your Daddy is often in the treatment with me. Forgive us Cassandra if we did not immediately told you about this. Like you, your daddy and I also hope that his condition will improved."

"But nothing has change, maybe this is really the Lord's plan," she growled. 

"But even so, I am still not ready my child. I am not ready to be left behind, I can not afford to be alone. I have not yet accepted dear," she continued as she cried silently.

I could do nothing but hug my mother and accompany her in her silent crying. 

Daddy loves me dearly, he did everything for me to make my life happy and orderly. Who am I to be selfish for the thing that can make him happy ?

I wiped away my tears then boldly looked at Mommy.

"Who will be the groom and when is the wedding?"