Driven to the Edge

I sat at the long dining table staring at my parents in utter disbelief. The silver fork in my hand felt suddenly too heavy to hold, so I dropped it onto my plate with a sharp clatter.

"No," I said, my voice shaking slightly as the word left my mouth. "I am not doing this."

My father paused, setting his wine glass down with slow precision. He frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing into cold slits as he looked at me across the white tablecloth.

"I was not asking for your permission, Alessia," he said, his tone flat and unyielding. "I was simply informing you of what is going to happen."

"I said no," I repeated, standing my ground. "You cannot just decide to hand my life away."

My father stood up immediately. His chair scraped violently against the hardwood floor, sending a harsh screech echoing through the quiet dining room. Anger was evident in every line of his rigid frame. His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"You will be at the signing event tomorrow evening," he said, pointing a finger directly at me. "I will come with the contract in hand, and you will sign it. That is the end of this discussion."

I looked over at my sister Victoria. She was leaning back in her padded chair with a triumphant grin playing on her lips. She was marrying Drake, the powerful billionaire tycoon. Rumor had it that Drake was only marrying to gain full access to his massive inheritance, a strict clause his late mother had left behind in her final will. Victoria was getting a young, insanely wealthy husband to save her reputation. Meanwhile, my father was handing me over to a known drunkard. Thomas Harrison was an old man who had already been sued multiple times for violent assault.

"I will not marry him," I said again, my throat tight. "He is dangerous, Dad. Everyone knows what he does when he drinks."

"You are in no position to bargain!" my mother snapped from the head of the table. Her face was red with frustration as she glared at me.

"Look at you," my father said, walking toward my side of the table. "You are a complete failure. Five years ago you ruined your life, got pregnant out of nowhere, and dropped out of college. You do not even have a proper education or a job to support yourself."

Victoria sat across the table, right beside our agitated mother, all smiles. She smoothed down the edge of her silk dress, looking down her nose at me. Victoria had always been the favored child, but after I got pregnant four years ago, my parents turned completely against me while spoiling her rotten.

"Honestly, Alessia, you should be grateful," Victoria chimed in, her voice dripping with sweet poison. "Who else would want a college dropout with baggage? Dad is actually doing you a huge favor."

"Victoria is right," my mother spoke up in strong agreement, nodding firmly. "No decent young man from our circle is going to look twice at a disgraced woman with an extra mouth to feed."

"My life will not be used to settle your business debts!" I shouted, turning back to my father. "I am a human being, not a piece of property you can sell off because you made bad financial choices!"

Before I could even take another breath, my father swung his hand. The blow landed flush across my cheek with a deafening crack. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and I saw bright stars as my head snapped violently to the side.

"Shut your mouth!" he roared.

"Dad, stop!" I gasped, stumbling backward.

He stepped forward and slapped me across the face a second time, hard enough to knock me off balance. My knees buckled beneath me, and I crashed onto the hard floor, clutching my burning face with both hands. Tears pooled in my eyes, blurring my vision as I lay on the rug.

"You will do exactly as you are told!" my father towered over me, his chest heaving with rage.

I looked up from the floor, my voice thick with raw emotion. "Natalie deserves a stable father figure in her life! She is four years old! I cannot bring a violent alcoholic into her world!"

Victoria let out a cold laugh from her seat, placing her glass back on the table. "An illegitimate child deserves nothing, Alessia. You brought her into this world without a father, so stop acting like she is royalty. At least this decision will provide good finances for this family and pay off the debts you helped create."

I stared at my sister in absolute shock. I could barely process the heartless words coming out of her mouth. Surprised and deeply hurt, I realized right then that my own sister viewed my daughter as nothing more than a burden.

My father crossed the short distance between us and crouched down real close to me on the floor. His eyes were cold, dark, and filled with pure malice.

"Listen to me very carefully," he warned, his voice dropped low and spiteful right against my ear. "If you do not agree to marry Thomas Harrison tomorrow night, I am kicking you out of this house before sunrise. And I will make sure I take Natalie away from you forever."