Love Faded

"Wh...What are you saying, Caleb?" 

Abigail sat back on her bed with shock while her body got frozen for a moment in disbelief. 

Her eyes turned bloodshot and tears almost ran down to her cheeks. 

Her heart completely shattered at this moment. 

She couldn't believe in her ears what she just heard from Caleb. He wanted her to marry the casino's owner in exchange for his home and money. Moreover, he has already accepted the deal! He sold her to an unknown big boss to save his neck. He sold her love, her care, herself to some random person for his own selfishness, and now advised her to accept this marriage. Marry the stranger and support him. How the hell doesn't she feel sad, upset, broken, and betrayed right now. 

"Eva, Please…" Caleb knelt in front of her and held her hands.

"Please think about it." 

"If you...If you agree to marry him. He will forgive our debt and give me money to open my new business." 

"Then what about me?" Her eyes turned sharp as she looked at him with anger. She never thought the person she loved most in this life would do something like this disheartening to her. 

Caleb's eyelashes flickered, as silence took place. He knew the thing he was asking from her was cruel. 

His silence made Abigail angrier, she stood from her bed and halted his hands from her.  

"Tell me, Caleb!" 

"Then what about me?" 

"What about us?" 

"Abi...Please listen…" Caleb tried to speak but the words were cut by her in the middle as rage-filled in her body.

"Forget the shake...give me an answer first!!" She yelled and bent to hold his collars tightly to make him look at her in the eyes. 

"Tell me, Caleb! What about our love?" She threw questions while her body almost shook up with anger. Her lips trembled with fury. Her eyes turned blurry because of tears. 

"Listen Abi…" He held arms that were still clinching on his collar tightly.

"I think this is the right choice for both of us. If we don't accept their deal. They are going to kill us or could make us homeless and I don't want to face that situation or let my parents face it or suffer from it…" His face turned serious as he looked at her with a serious gaze.

"So, you can sell me for you and your family profit? I'm not your family?" Abigail's hands lose her grips from his collars while tears escaped from her eyes. She felt like she was talking to some stranger. He is not the one she falls for. He is not the one whom she admired from her childhood and dream to become a bride. 

Her face had almost lost its color to listen to every single word coming from his mouth which turned out to be not sweet like before but felt poisonous to her. 

Caleb never saw her reacting like this before. So, he showed that he couldn't digest her words or questions. But the reality is he didn't have any answer for her in the first place. 

"Tell me, Caleb!"

She gritted her teeth, almost feeling frustrated to look at his gutless face. Caleb felt impatient as he tried to speak.

"Abi...It's not like that! You are also my family and see my parents raised you when there is no one beside you...when you are just an Oprah" 

Abigail's eyes turned dull to hear this while he added, "They give you food, shelter, education, a good life, and more than that a family which you always wanted…" 

Hearing the 'Family' word she could only laugh at herself. The family she got never accepted her for all of these past years. 

The family who gave her food to eat, also threw a disgusting look whenever she asked for extra plates. 

The family who gave her a roof to sleep in, also counting the days to get her money, then threw her out from their life. 

Other than that, the person she finally thought of as family, is the one who sold her for artificial things. He chooses everyone except her! 

She doesn't think someone could break her more than this. The feeling she's getting right now or facing right now. The person she believed closed eyes, deceived her, broke her, made her fall apart so she could never get along again.

"They never asked you to pay for that until now! Moreover, about your dad's savings, after I ask them to stop questioning about it. They didn't bring up the money thing again. Can't you see how much they do for you these whole past years?" Caleb's eyes turned serious.

"They never expect anything from you, Abigail...but can't you just do this marriage for them and for me? Can't you help us at least for the last time? Can't you pay for their whole past years bringing up to you!" He moved towards her and held her shoulders just to look at her with a straight gaze. 

Abigail felt foolish to hear him. He just wanted her to pay back for his parent's care for the whole of these past years. He wants a price from her. 

This bitter feeling made her chuckle painfully the next moment and looked at him with a disgusted glare before counter-attacking him.

"So, you are asking for me to pay by selling myself to your debt collector!" 

Caleb felt tight-lipped for a second and again tried to talk back. 

"Abi...I just…" 

"Enough!" 

Before Caleb could say more, Erma came inside the room with her husband angrily and shouted between them. 

"Mom!" Caleb's eyes moved to his mom.

Abigail coldly looked at both husband-wife without any feelings. 

Erma's eyes glared at Abigail and moved her steps inside her room.

"That's enough son! You don't need to talk to her sweetly anymore!" She arrogantly shouted while her eyes moved from her son to Abigail with fury. 

However, Caleb still doesn't want his mom to speak so, he tries to talk back.

"Mom...You don't need to come! I'm trying to explain to her…" He moved to his mom.

"Yes… we saw and heard it...what you talked about!" She raised her brows with anger while Dale also made the same expression and looked at his son with the same frustrated face.

Caleb felt lips tighten at this moment. 

"We both heard your soft tone talk with her, Son!" Dale stared at Abigail sharply while adding, "However, she is just too stubborn and can't be dealt with in a soft way!" 

Abigail didn't flinch or scared to listen to their arrogant words or see their sharp stares on her at all but all she got turned more hateful towards them.

Her eyes glared at the whole family coldly. While the love she felt a few hours ago now vanished from her heart as soon as Caleb told her about the deal thing.