CAPÍTULO 02 - CAMILLY

Camilly

My birthday came and after what I overheard in my dad's office a month ago, things at home took a turn for the worse. There were fights every day, my mother no longer spoke to me, my father looked like a silly cockroach because he talked on the phone so much or kept locking himself inside the office. But today, I was very happy, I had already arranged everything with Nina, who would leave in a week, without anyone seeing it, I was just waiting for the documentation that would come from the university for that. I left Nina responsible for any correspondence in my name, so my parents wouldn't catch her and find out what I was up to. I was in my room when my mother walked in, for the first time in years, surprising me.

— Today is your birthday, let's have a celebration among some of your father's friends.

- Because today? If you never remembered my birthday.

"Why do you always have to question everything?"

— I'm not questioning anything, eighteen years ago you never remembered me and today out of nowhere you decide to celebrate.

“It's not every day our daughter turns eighteen.

- Not! It is not.

"I bought a dress for you to wear, it should be arriving soon."

— It was not necessary, I have a lot that I never used, having nowhere to go, since I could never leave.

“You don't realize the dangers out there.

"I can't imagine, since I only go out to school and come home," I said. - Mom! Can I ask you something?

- Yes!

“Why do you and Daddy hate me so much?” What did I do?

"We don't hate you!"

- That's not what I realized all these years, but now I don't care anymore, I've become my own.

- Not! As long as you're inside my house, you don't own yourself, and you'll always do what we want, because we do things for your good, that's what you always have to keep in mind.

“If you say so.

“Be ready by eight o'clock, don't make me come get you.

- It will not be necessary.

She leaves and closes the door, I fall sitting on the bed, I don't know what she wants, but I'm not liking this, she never even entered my room or even wanted to celebrate any of my birthdays.

I spent the whole day in my room and when it was time to get ready, I took the dress she had bought, it was black, with a V-neck in the front, its length went down to the knee, it was perfect on my body, it wasn't vulgar, I took my black pumps, with high heels, I'm already a tall woman, but with them, I'm as tall as my father who is almost 1.88. I'm not that skinny, I have some curves, my breasts aren't as big as my mother's, but they match my frame.

Once ready, I decided to leave the room, it was a little before 8 pm, I didn't want her to come here again and as soon as I got to the stairs, I could see movement, I went down slowly, as soon as I reached the last step, my heart stopped, there was a man dressed all in black talking to my father, who, when he saw me, said something to him, which made him turn around and look at me.

The man in front of me looked at me as if I were a piece of meat, his eyes examined my entire body and when he stopped on my face, I could feel a chill down my spine, his gaze was cold, without any feeling. He was handsome, elegant, but something about him scared me, I'm not sure what it was, I finish going downstairs and I go to them.

" Camilly , I want you to meet Mr. Carter Draw Sanders.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

“I'm sure you'll be very pleased to meet me,” he says, still holding my hand.

— Let's all go to the table, dinner should be served by now — said my father, who looked very nervous.

They gave way for me to go ahead of them. I sat down next to Mr. Carter, as my mother indicated, my father at the head of the table and my mother beside him, I don't quite know why, but it wasn't like she had told me, there was only him here, there was no nobody else.

"Mr. Carter, I hope you enjoy your dinner, I had it made especially for you."

— Let's see if it will be to my liking — he says with a face of few friends.

— I hope so — she says, upset, she always got a lot of praise for everything she did, people thought she was perfect in everything, but apparently he's not going to do that.

I don't know why to say it was a dinner, it was more like a funeral, in the atmosphere you could only hear the clink of cutlery on the plate.

I had the distinct impression that everyone was afraid to even breathe in the presence of that unknown man. When we finished, my father went with Mr. Carter to the office, my mother made me stay in the room with her, I didn't like that. After almost an hour, the office door was opened, my father came out and came to us, saying:

- Daughter, we need to talk, can you please come to my office?

"What's the matter, dad?"

"Please come, I'll tell you everything there."

— Don't disobey your father and go soon, don't question him — my mother says harshly, getting up, but my father made a sign and she sits down again.

I got up and followed him to his office, as soon as I walked through the door, I felt a chill take over my whole body and when I looked at my father's desk, there he was, sitting with a smile in the corner, once again he looked at me strange, he had a glass in his hand, with an amber liquid, I deduced to be from some drink. Feeling suddenly nervous, I went to the sofa and sat down, my father sat beside me with his head down.

"Are you going to tell Carlos or shall I?"

"I speak myself, sir."

"Very well, hurry up then, I don't have all night."

- Yes sir.

— Daughter, forgive me, but that was the only way I found to get my company out of bankruptcy, I made some investments that didn't work out and I lost everything, but Mr. Carter offered to buy the company, but to keep the employees' jobs, he demanded something in return.

- What?

- You! — went straight. “He would only buy the company if I sold it with him.

- Father! Why did it? I'm not an object, I'm your daughter, even if you never loved me, you can't do this to me.

— Excuse me, please, but I had no choice but to give it to you in exchange.

"You sold me to save your employees?"

— Please, daughter, understand, it's not just our lives that are at stake, there are many others.

"And will I have to pay for your mistake, Father?"

— I'd rather sacrifice one than sacrifice several, I don't intend to live in poverty, I wasn't born for that — were his harsh words.

- I can't believe they went so low to that point, I never imagined they would do this to me.

"We can set the wedding for a month from now and not a day more," said the stranger, butting in.

“I'm not marrying anyone, least of all you.

— Daughter, please, there's nothing else to do, I've already signed the contract.

- Daughter? I was never your daughter, don't come up with that now, you'd better find another way to settle your debt, because I'm not going to pay for something I didn't do.

“I hope your temper changes after the wedding or I swear you'll be sorry,” says the man, already standing beside me.

— I'm not going to marry you, or anyone else, I've already said that, haven't you heard? Know that my father made the debt, so he has to pay it.

As soon as I finished speaking, I felt the slap on my face, I put my hand where it was burning, I looked at my father who didn't say anything.

" Camilly , go up to your room now!"

"Dad, he hit me and you're not going to do anything?" How can you let a stranger into our house and do this, what right do you have to let him hit me without doing anything? I didn't know I had such a cowardly father.

— Your father no longer has power over you, remember that you belong to me and I will not accept disobedience, do as he ordered and go up.

“I'll never belong to you, even if I have to end my life to do that.

"Well, then try that, it'll save me the trouble of destroying it myself. "

I didn't answer, I left the office completely ignoring the woman who was sitting in the room and I went up to my room, soon Nina came in and by her face, I could see that my face wasn't well.

— Girl, I heard everything, I never imagined that your parents were capable of doing this to you.

— Nina! I exclaim. "What am I going to do with my life now?" My parents went too far.

— I don't know girl, I still don't understand why they are doing this to their own daughter.

'They never saw me as their daughter, Nina, and, you know, now I'm just a means for them to get their money, I guess that's always been the case.

"How can they force you to marry a stranger?" They're crazy, that doesn't happen anymore, honestly I don't know what to say or what to do to help you in this situation.

I didn't answer her, because I myself didn't understand how bad they were, but getting to that point was too much, even for them, she stayed in the room with me, I asked her to bring ice for my face, I didn't even want to look in the mirror so I don't see the mark left, I just hope it doesn't look like my back, which thank God I can't see, my mother is cruel when I don't do what she wants.