CHAPTER 1: Double betrayal

    *ALANA*

         “I won’t marry him!” I declared, anger filling my soul.

The Collins’ had done a lot of things to me but the nerves of them to think they can marry me off to an old man!

I would rather die.

          “Like I said, you don’t have a choice. We already collected the money in exchange for you so you must marry him.” Patricia Collins, my Aunt stated.

I stared at her then at her husband and then their daughter, Linda.

  When I got back home yesterday, I had heard Linda yelling the house down about how she wouldn’t marry an old man.

  I didn’t expect they would conclude that conversation by making me marry him instead.

        “You can’t do this to me. I am in a committed relationship.” I reminded.

Linda scoffed. “Well then, if that boyfriend of yours can get you $500,000, then we can return it to Mr Buford and you won’t have to marry him. Dad had already used almost all the money in settling debts and fixing the company.”

I stared at Linda’s father, Harold who looked guilty for a moment and then he shook his head and stood up.

Pointing at me, he yelled. “Don‘t look at me like that! Who can pass up on that sum of money? Besides, we’ve raised you since you were fourteen, you owe us a lot and you should consider this the best way of repaying us back.”

My fists clenched. “Owe you a lot? You only gave me a place to stay so I could be your servant. I’ve endured your mistreatment for so long and you all think you can just wake up and marry me off? This is my life! I decide how I want to live it!” I yelled, tearfully.

Patricia scoffed. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. Unless you can provide that $500,000, you must marry him. And if you want to pull any stunts like running away, then we will stop paying for Grandma’s medication, she might get kicked out of the care home, you know.”

I swallowed the thick lump in my throat. “She’s your mother.”

  Patricia laughed. “I think I’ve done enough for her than she ever did for me. It’s been eight years since she’s been at the care home. It’s about time she dies, don’t you think so? If you refuse to marry this man, your grandmother gets it!”

I sniffed, feeling utterly powerless.

No. I couldn’t give up.

I couldn’t let them mess with my life like this.

  I have to see Eugene, my boyfriend. I knew there was no way he could get $500,000, his company was barely a year old and he was still searching for investors.

But he was smart and I believe he could find a way out of this. He definitely wouldn’t want me to marry another man. He loved me too much. We must find a way out of this. We had to.

And tonight, I was ready. I was ready to give my virginity to him. In any case we couldn’t come up with a solution to this, I wanted my first time to be with someone I love.

I wanted to experience sex with someone I love before the rest of my life becomes miserable by getting married to an old man.

It hurts so much that we might not be able to come up with a plan. It hurts so bad that we might have to separate. Eugene and I had always talked about getting married and spending the rest of our lives together. I had countlessly imagined myself in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle to him.

********

   With a heavy heart, I stood in front of his apartment.

Oh, he was going to be so heartbroken when I tell him what my Aunt was forcing me to do.

Picturing his crestfallen face made my heart bleed.

     I sniffed and slowly inputted the passcode to his apartment. I could always come into his apartment whenever I wanted.

    Just as I walked in, I paused seeing a Birkin bag on the table.

That wasn’t mine.

I couldn’t even afford something like that but it looked oddly familiar.

   Why was a woman’s bag in his house?

           “Eugene?” I called, walking around.

           “Ahh…yes…so good! Eugene…uhm!”

I froze on the spot hearing those moans.

That was a woman’s voice.

    

         “I’m…going…to…fuck…you…so…hard… you…won’t…be…able…to…walk…tomorrow!”

That was Eugene’s voice.

My…my boyfriend.

          “Yes! Fuck me…fuck me…give me more!”

I gasped, tears filling my eyes.

That woman’s voice also was familiar but I couldn’t bring myself to accept that it could be her.

      But I needed to find out. On wobbly legs, I headed for the door of the bedroom. With my heart in my throat, I bent the doorknob and what greeted my eyes almost made me pass out.

    My boyfriend was naked and on top my best friend, Julia.

   Their clothes were scattered everywhere and they seemed to be so deep into it, moaning their heads out.

Anguished ripped through me.

It took a good minute before they noticed someone was at the door.

         Eugene was the first to notice.

             “Shit!” He exclaimed and quickly got off her.

   Julia glanced at the door and when she saw me, there was not a hint of panic in her eyes. She even looked annoyed, for I had interrupted their moment.

        I spun, tears blinding my vision as I headed for the door.

          “Lana, wait!” Eugene yelled but I didn’t stop.

He caught up to me at the hallway, he was dressed in only a sweatpants now.

Panting and sweating, he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you were on your way here?”

   I always told him before coming and the one time I hurried here without notifying him…I

          “How could you do this to me? Just yesterday, you, Julia and I hung out for dinner after work? And now…how…how long has this been going on?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t even look remorseful as he was supposed to.

In fact, he looked irritated.

          “Maybe six months.”

          “Six months?!”

               “You can’t blame me. Her father is the richest man in this country. You’re just an orphan. You should be grateful I even dated you. I won’t mind having you as my mistress though. I mean, I promised to make your first time…”

My hand shot out and I slapped him hard on the face.