Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Elena's POV

My boyfriend. The same boyfriend with whom I had spent and dreamed of long-term love, trust, and life together was sprawled on a bed sheet with nothing but my little sister, Lily.

"Elena!" Brian tried in vain to get into a sitting position, his face a picture of guilt and fear written all over his face.

I guess it was too late. "It's not what it looks like!"

But it was exactly what it looked like. Lily, my sister, leaned back against the headboard, completely unfazed, her smug grin igniting my anger.

Well, I knew she was a snake, but bringing my boyfriend into this. He was the only one on my side. At least I thought so.

“Oh, come on, Elena," she voiced out, playfully wending a strand of her hair through her shoulder. 

“I hope you didn't think he'd be sticking around for someone like you, or did you?”

Her words cut deep as if someone had plunged a knife into my chest. My vision flashed, and my hands locked at my sides, screaming constricted my very throat. 

There was the urge to just let out every emotion I was building inside through a scream, but it was harder than I thought.

"Why?" My voice broke in an almost whisper.

Brian stood, tugging quickly on a pair of pants.

“I—I didn't want things to go this way," he stammered, looking away from me.

“He's only saying that because he has been caught. The whole time we have been fucking each other, he never complained or mentioned you.”

“Lily?” She shut him up with a finger and turned back to me. 

"I’m not telling you all this, so you can blame him for infidelity because are the one to blame, Elena. You're boring, a bit plain, just a little too desperate for love." She giggled.

“I guessed he got tired of you and decided to move to a more fun person. I guess it just happened to be me. 

I hope it didn't hurt you too much. It's not the end of the world. It's just the end of your relationship.” She said, still trying to hold her burst of laughter.

I couldn't spare another second to dwell in this room. After taking a last stare at Brian, I turned to the door and ran out, her words hitting my back.

It was like an echo that kept reminding me of the cruel thing I had just experienced. The journey home to my father's house was slow and quiet.

I decided not to take a cab but to trek, while I used the opportunity to dwell on what had just transpired, wondering what I had ever done to deserve such a cruel treatment.

Tears ran down my cheeks and my chest tightened with the pain of my shame and sadness. I couldn't control my emotions. Everything was all messed up at that point.

When I got to the front door my eyes were red and swollen. The familiar scent of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume greeted me, along with the sharp voices of my stepmother and Lily. 

I wasn't surprised she got home before me. I had spent my afternoon walking home alone while crying my eyes out over them.

The latter had returned home before me, fresh from her latest act of betrayal. My eyes fell on her and all I could see was her wide smile of mockery. She had ruined my life and all she could do was smile.

I was slowly losing it.

"Well, if it isn’t the little crybaby," Lily sneered as I stepped into the living room. 

Her face was still painted with that infuriating smirk.

I guessed it was evident on my face that I had cried my whole way home.

"What do you want, Lily? You've done enough already." I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Just wanted to see how you’re holding up," she said mockingly.

“You know, I'm so happy Brian finally got the message, you’re a pathetic little rodent.

Her words were like poison, spreading through my veins. "You’re vile," I snapped, my anger bubbling to the surface.

Her eyes shrank in surprise. I wanted to ignore her like I always did, but she was making me furious.

"You better watch your tone, Elena. You don't want to incite my anger. You know you are useless and can't do anything to me because I'm the one Dad cares about. And also, the one Brian cares about."

That did it. Something within me shattered. 

"How dare you! You've gone too far now," I growled, my voice trembling In anger. 

Without a second thought, my hand shot up and struck her cheek. And it made a loud crack.

Lily emitted a loud cry, clutching her face like I had just hit her with a massive hammer. 

Almost immediately, my father stormed into the room, his face filled with questions. He must have heard Lily's cry. That was the only reason he would come out running like that. He wouldn't even have done something like that for me.

"Elena!" He yelled. "What have you done?"

"She had it coming," I retorted, however, my voice began to shake beneath his furious gaze.

"She's your sister!" he exclaimed. "And you think you can smack her? Who gave you such right to touch my daughter?"

"She's not my sister," I mumbled.

I managed to say the words before his hand struck out. 

The slap was swift and forceful, leaving my cheek red and my ears ringing.

"You ungrateful little brat," he yelled.

“You’ve been nothing but bad luck since the day you were born." 

I stumbled back, clutching my cheek as my stepmother appeared. They were all present. My family. More like my hell. 

"You've always been jealous of Lily. Always has been and always will be. You couldn't get what you wanted, so you proceeded to harm her.”

That wasn't a surprise coming for her. Seeing that Lily was her daughter, and I wasn't.

According to everyone, my real mom was a whore. She left my father and he never heard from her again. He took his anger on me since I looked a lot like her.

He remarried and there we have it. The Cinderella story. An evil stepmother and a stepsister, twice as evil.

Before I could get the chance to reply to my stepmother, the front door burst open. My father froze mid-sentence. His face became pale when a group of men in dark suits stormed in. 

At the centre of them was a man who exuded authority and something else. Danger. I could sense it. This was someone that I wouldn’t want to be around or interact with.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, and he looked like he was in his late thirties. He had jet-black hair. His sharp, angular features were made known with his grim expression.

His dark eyes scanned the room. The air seemed to thicken up. It was suffocating. He began to move forward with his polished shoes rubbing against the ground.

"Did you think you could get away with paying your debt to me?” His voice was thick 

"I saw my dad fall over, his anger fell off.’ 

“Si–” He stuttered, "I was going to pay you." He continued. I just need more time.

He scowled, unimpressed. "How much time has passed?" he whispered, his voice filled with jests. Do you think I do charity or I'm some kind of charity case?”

My father's arm was clutched by my stepmother, her face gloomy. 

"Please hear us out." She pleaded with him. 

“We'll find a resolution to this issue.". Let's have another week.”

It was no surprise that my dad was a debtor. This wasn't the first time. He always wasted his money on gambling.

With a low, nonchalant laugh, he said: "You're out of time, and you've got no hope." He continued:

My father's expression changed. “I do.”

His gaze was directed towards me, causing painful thoughts in my head. I was already having a bad feeling about the look.

With a desperate tone, he said, "Take my daughter. She's young and healthy. The debt can be paid off by her.”

“What?” I heard myself say, father was pointing at me.

“You can take her,” he repeated. He looked like he had never been this certain in his life. I bit my lip, throwing to hold in the pain I was feeling.

“Father, are you giving me away?!” The fear in my tone was very audible. As much as I hated my family, getting on the mafia's bad side was not advisable.

A soft but evil chuckle escaped the mafia’s lips and he immediately pulled out a gun making sure it was loaded, before pointing it to dad. “Take your daughter as my payment? The nerve of you to give me such an offer. Either I get my money or you all die today, one after the other.” His voice was low but as cold as ice 

"Please. Don't kill us." Mom was the one talking now.

Soon, father chimed in. “We don’t have the money yet but we will get it soon. Hold my daughter, till I am to repay all. She'll do anything you want. Please just spare our lives.”

Without any apparent emotion, he lowered his gun, "Take her."

I collapsed on my knees, falling to the ground with tears on my face. "No, please. Don’t take me," I pleaded, my voice slowly slipping away from me.

He didn’t say anything to me. I turned to my family, looking at each of them. "Don't let them take me, please. Dad, don't do this. Mom, Lily, please save me.”

I was still pleading, when the hands of two heavy looking men grabbed my arms and lifted me while I slashed and kicked.

“No!” I yelled out but it didn't do the trick.

One of them growled at me, "Stop struggling."

My voice became louder and louder as I stared at my father, wondering "How could he do this to me?".

After being struck by the words, I gave up and lost all physical strength. I was pulled towards the door by these men, and upon leaving. I caught sight of my father, stepmother, and Lily, with faces that were all relieved.

To think that I had gone through a lot just today. Without knowing I was coming back to another. I didn't feel safe going along with him. Something about himself wasn't right. He looked like the devil himself.

I looked away and tears began to stream down my face.

Within a few hours, my world had collapsed. Still, I found it amusing that all of these happened in one day.