THE RIDE TO HELL

NRIELLE

I look at my mom and wonder why she looks so happy. She was giving off the image of a woman who got to marry off her daughter into a happy home. It was such a pity that Yvette and Enoch hosted a celebration even when it was obvious that Lucien was never going to come. I sigh as I look around. Everyone was drinking and making merry as if I had just been offered the rarest opportunity, and it was a great thing. None of them here had seen Lucien before, yet they celebrated me being married to him.

"This is all I'm worth," I whisper as I hold the hem of my dress tightly. I wondered why they had gone through all the trouble to get me into a wedding gown and makeup to hide all the bruises they got on me. Why a party when the groom was not even going to attend?

"When you get to the mansion, you will get the marriage certificate," Yvette had announced to me on the way to the reception hall. My entire family was dressed to the nines. Enoch and Cory had on a Tom Ford suit that was tailored to perfection and my mom wore a one-time piece from Yales. It made her absolutely stunning and I knew that they were just trying their best to keep up an image in society and I was the tool for it all.

"You are so lucky to become Mrs. Vexley," one of my mom's friends had said to me. I was tempted to ask her if she would have sent her daughter if Mr. Vexley had asked for her. Would she have sold her conscience like my mom did and sent her daughter into the unknown? I swallowed the words instead and smiled at the woman, hoping she would let me be and continue to gossip with her friends, but it seemed like they were just getting started.

"You know that the best thing for you to do is start a family as soon as you can," another woman chimed in happily.

"What?" I stammer. I understand what she means; I just hope that she does not mean it. My eyes trail to my mother standing there, and she nods with a huge grin across her face. "You know, having a son for him would instantly put you on a different scale. That way, you and your child could inherit the entire fortune once he was gone," the woman added.

I feel my throat tighten; the talk of sex made me feel sick. I was sure that these women had no idea that Enoch was a terrible rapist because Yvette would never have told them. If they knew, would things have been different? If they knew they hit me, would they be there celebrating with me? I wonder, as the woman touched my hand gently.

"Just be a good sport and bear your husband children, okay?" She said and then turned to her friends. "I wonder what it is with the younger generation; they do not want to have children. I wonder if they know that they won't have this life if we never gave birth to them." She said it, and her friends laughed, including my mom. I wanted her to know that she would have been better off if she had never had me.

"Tell me about it," the woman who had spoken earlier chimed in. Both women walked away, leaving my mom by my side. She moved closer to me and added in a whisper.

"You heard them, didn't you?" she asked, and I turned to her. I do not need to speak; the expression on my face is enough, and I believe it. "You do not have to be picky about these like this; from now on, you can control your life," she adds, like it is some kind of puppet show.

"You don't know that," I choke out, and she smiles while trying to make everyone think we were just a mother-daughter duo having a normal conversation. "You want me to have sex? After all I have been through? Do you think that is good advice?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"It is not, but it is; as long as your husband wants sex, then you shall give that to him." She pats my shoulder gently and walks away. For a moment, I feel some kind of sympathy towards her. Maybe she really did not have control over what was happening. She used to be my mother, but ever since Enoch came into our lives, she has become just Yvette to me. Maybe she was stuck doing what her husband wanted.

"She brought this upon herself," I say to myself as I realise that she chose this life in the end. The reception slowly wound down with people strongly praising the Thamore family for their achievement while also congratulating them for such a great feat.

"I am here to take Mr. Vexley's bride." A strange man walked into the reception and looked directly at me and my mom. I looked at the man, and there was nothing out of the ordinary about him; he looked pretty normal, and that should have calmed my nerves, but it made me fear even more.

"This is she," Yvette said, pushing me forward to the man.

"Let's go," he said at once without stopping for any pleasantries. He led me out of the hall into a limo, and the car began to move. The entire ride was silent. I wanted to ask him about Lucien, but I was sure he would not say anything, and I felt some kind of pressure and nervousness. I knew that the first thing I was going to do was negotiate the kids' thing with Lucien; there was no way I was ever going to give in to that demand.

Finally, the car came to a halt suddenly, and I looked out; huge black gates stood in front of me again, and I gulped. 'Was I really going to Hades this time? Was I born to live this kind of horrible life?'

"We are here,' the man announced, breaking the intense silence of the car for the first time.

"We are?"