DO. YOUR. WORST!

"Tea!" Bella's voice rang out, followed by a series of insistent knocks on the door.

"I have to go," I said to Kathryn, my heart racing. "Bella's at the door. I can't let her see me like this."

"Okay," she said, her voice full of concern. "I'll be here if you need me. Please, take care of yourself. And don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will," I said, already reaching for the door handle. "Thank you for listening, Kathryn. I really appreciate it."

"You're very welcome, Tea," she said. "I hope everything works out okay." With that, the call came to an end.

I quickly wiped my tears and went to answer the door, where Bella was standing on the other side. Her face was full of worry as she looked me up and down. "Tea, what's going on?" she asked, her voice urgent. "I've been knocking and calling your name for ages. Were you ignoring me?"

"No, of course not," I said, my voice sounding a little too high-pitched and fake. "I was just…"

I let out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "You're so cute!" I said, and to her surprise, I picked her up and swung her around.

She giggled, and I could feel her relax a little in my arms. "Thank you very much!" she said, her smile brightening my heart.

"And I'm not going to tell you what I was doing, since it's a women's secret," I said, a twinkle in my eye.

Bella laughed again, and we started walking down the stairs together, her arm wrapped around my neck.

"Is it the good kind of women's stuff, or the bad kind?" she said, but her voice was full of affection.

"The good kind," I said, a smile tugging at my lips. "I was talking to Kathryn on the phone."

"Kathryn!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "I miss her! When is she coming back?"

"Not anytime soon, " I said, my voice softening. “By the way, why did you knock at my door?”

"Mom told me to come and get you," she said as we reached the bottom of the stairs. "She didn't say why, though."

"Hmm, that's strange," I said, a hint of suspicion creeping into my voice. "But I guess we'll find out soon enough. Let's go see what she wants."

As we walked into the living room, I saw my mom sitting on the couch, her face serious. "There you are, Althea," she said, her voice tight.

"Good girl!" I exclaimed, setting Bella down gently on the ground. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a chat with mum. Can you run along and play?"

"Sure!" she said, skipping away happily. "Bye, Mommy! Bye, Althea! I'm off to play with the gatekeeper."

I watched her as she went out with a smile on my face.

As she left the room, I turned to face my mother, an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. "You called for me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. She nodded in response. I sat on one of the sofas, different from my mother.

"I did," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Even though you were a little bit rude and walked out on me earlier."

"I'm sorry about that," I said, my voice apologetic. "I was just overwhelmed and I needed some space."

"It's okay," she said, her tone softening. "I understand. Now, let's talk about why I called you here."

"Please, go ahead," I said, my heart pounding in my chest.

"I want us to talk to Mr. Carter about another option," she said, her voice businesslike. "I know you're not happy about the arranged marriage, and I don't want you to be miserable."

A wave of relief washed over me. "Oh, thank you, Mom," I said, my voice full of gratitude. "I really appreciate you understanding how I feel." I immediately stood up and went to sit beside my mother, my back not resting on the sofa.

"You're welcome," she said, giving me a warm smile. "Let's call Mr. Carter and see what we can come up with."

My mother let out a small smile as she reached for her phone and dialed Mr Carter's number while putting the phone on speaker.

After two rings, Mr. Carter finally picked up the phone, but the line went silent for a few moments. Finally, my mother broke the silence. "Mr. Carter," she said, her voice firm. "My daughter and I have decided that we cannot go through with the arranged marriage. I will not force my daughter to marry someone against her will, so we would like to discuss an alternative arrangement."

My mother paused, waiting for a response, but the line was still silent. My heart pounded in my chest, my palms sweating, as we waited to hear Mr. Carter's reaction. After what felt like an eternity, we finally heard his voice. "Melissa," he said, his tone measured. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I will not marry Adam!" I shouted, unable to contain my frustration.

Mr. Carter chuckled, an unpleasant sound that grated on my nerves. "Mother and daughter, so alike," he said, his tone mocking.

I was fuming now, my temper flaring. "Go ahead, do your worst!" I said, my voice dripping with venom.

"Fine then. I have a little surprise for you." he said, the smugness in his voice palpable. We heard footsteps, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. Then, there was silence. Then the footsteps continued in the manner of echos until it got to a place and stopped.

"Daniel…I've got your daughter on the line," Mr. Carter said, his voice thick with malice. "She's given me permission to do anything I want."

I could hear my mother's breath catch in her throat. "Please, don't hurt him," she whispered, her voice shaking with fear.

"Please don't do this," I said, my voice desperate. "I'll do anything, just please don't hurt him. I take it back! I take it all back!"

"You're too late," Mr. Carter said, his voice chilling my blood. "I'm afraid it's out of your hands now."

My heart sank as I heard my mother let out a choked sob. I felt helpless, unable to do anything to save my dad.

"Let me talk to him!" I begged Mr. Carter, pleading for any way to reach out to my father "Please, let us talk to him."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, a sickening satisfaction in his voice. "This is your punishment for defying me."

“So boys, Do. Your. Worst!” Mr. Carter said as we began to hear sounds of my father getting beaten. Punches rained on his body as he groaned in pain. The sounds of the beating grew louder, and I heard my father's desperate cries for help. My mother was sobbing uncontrollably, and I could barely hear myself think. I couldn't stand it any longer. "I'll do it!" I shouted into the phone. "I'll marry Adam, just please stop!"

Suddenly, we heard the snap of a finger and there was a moment of silence while my father groaned in pain, and then Mr. Carter spoke again. "Good," he said, his voice smug and self-satisfied. "You've made the right choice."

I felt sick to my stomach, knowing that I had just agreed to a marriage I didn't want in order to save my father. I wanted to scream, to rail against this injustice, but I knew it was too late. I had made my decision, and now I would have to live with the consequences.

"Good girl," Mr. Carter said, his voice lacking any warmth or compassion. "You have one week to plan the wedding. And one more thing - neither my wife nor I will be attending. This is between you and your family. Adam won't be there!"

The line went dead, and I was left with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had just agreed to a marriage I didn't want, to save my father from a beating. And now, I would have to go through with it without any support from his family.