Pushed to the Brink

I stared up at my father, my face stinging from his hand. Tears fell from my eyes, hot and fast. I tried so hard to keep them at bay, but they poured over my cheeks anyway. I was so sick of my family, sick of their endless selfishness. It was my father's bad choices and failed investments that had gotten us bankrupt. It was my mother's terrible spending habits on designer bags and jewelry. Yet somehow, they were selling off their own daughters to save themselves from their own mess.

I tried to take in a deep breath, but the sob escaped my throat. It sounded like an ugly, broken wail in the quiet room.

"I can't," I choked out, wiping at my wet face with the back of my hand. "Please, Dad. My daughter needs safety. I will work overtime. I will get two jobs, three jobs, I will help the family pay off the debts, but my daughter cannot live with a man like that. She cannot adopt a violent drunk as a father figure."

My father did not hesitate. He swung his leg and kicked me right in the ribs. Pain shot through my side, stealing the air from my lungs.

"You will do as I say!" he growled, standing over me like a shadow. "I do not care about Natalie, and I do not care about your little useless jobs."

"Mommy?"

A small, quiet voice came from the doorway. Natalie stood there in her yellow pajamas, rubbing the sleep away from her big eyes. She spotted me lying on the floor immediately. Frowning, her tiny lips trembled as she ran toward me as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Mommy, what happened?" she cried out.

Before she could reach me, my father reached down and yanked her back by her arm.

"Let her go!" I screamed, sitting up quickly and reaching for my little girl.

My father shoved me hard, pushing me farther away onto the hardwood floor. I sat on my knees, tears running down my cheeks now in endless streams. Natalie was crying too, her little arms stretching out toward me while my father gripped her tiny wrist tightly.

"Listen to me, Alessia," my father said, his face cold and merciless. "I am taking Natalie with me right now. I will lock her in the guest room upstairs, and I will only return her to you when you sign that contract tomorrow night. If you refuse to sign, I will throw you out on the street, and I will sell Natalie to any adoption agency or random parents willing to pay good cash for a child."

"You monster!" I yelled at him, my throat raw. "She is your granddaughter! You cannot do this!"

He did not even reply. He turned on his heel and walked away, dragging a sobbing Natalie along behind him down the hallway.

"Mommy! Mommy, help me!" Natalie screamed, her voice echoing off the walls.

My mother stood up from the dining table, pulling her cardigan tight around her shoulders. She sneered down at me as she passed by, not offering a single word of comfort.

I collapsed back onto the floor, my hands over my ears, crying uncontrollably.

Then, the loud, mocking sound of my sister laughing filled the dining room. Victoria walked over, her expensive heels clicking sharply against the floor. She looked down at me with pure amusement in her eyes.

"You look so pathetic," Victoria laughed, shaking her head. "So pitiful, lying on the floor like a dog."

I squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to look at her.

"Come on, Alessia, look on the bright side," Victoria continued, her voice light and cruel. "Your promised husband is in terrible shape, you know. Old Thomas Harrison drinks like a fish and does illegal stuff all the time. He is certain to die real soon. Once he drops dead, you get to inherit all his money. Or who knows, maybe he will just kill you and your little bastard first."

I snapped my head up, looking at my sister. I was more stunned than surprised by the utter disgust in her voice. How could someone born from the same womb be so heartless?

Victoria laughed again at the look on my face. She turned on her heel, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "Anyway, I need to go to bed early tonight. My young, handsome billionaire husband is waiting for me tomorrow."

She walked away, her laughter fading as she headed up the stairs.

I lay on the cold ground for a long time. Years of holding myself together, years of staying silent and trying to be the quiet daughter, shattered completely in that single moment. I cried right there on the floor, my ribs aching, my face burning, and my heart completely broken.

Memories came rushing back in the dark. I remembered the exact day I found out I was pregnant four years ago. I had been terrified, sitting in the bathroom holding the plastic test. Victoria had barged in, snatched the positive test right out of my hands, and ran straight down to show our parents. They had dropped me immediately after that. They stopped looking at me like a daughter and started treating me like a dirty secret.

And the man who did this to me was gone. Natalie's father was nowhere to be found. He had vanished into thin air five years ago without a word, leaving me alone to face the storm. I had no one else. I was all Natalie had in this world, and she was all I had.

I sat up slowly. I wiped the wet tears away from my face with the sleeve of my shirt. I had to be strong. For Natalie, I could not afford to fall apart right now.

I stood up, holding my sore side, and walked toward my father's master bedroom down the hall. I walked slowly, every step heavy, but my mind was made up. I reached his heavy wooden door and knocked softly.

"What?" my father's irritated voice shouted from inside.

I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and knocked again, much louder this time.

The door swung open violently. My father stood in the doorway, his silk robe tied loose, glaring down at me with annoyance.

"What do you want now?" he snapped. "I told you my terms."

I looked him straight in the eyes, swallowing down the last of my pride.

"I will do it," I said.