Tia.
Caleb finally came to see me. Four days after, Alpha Aesop and Luke visited me. I sat at the back in the garden staring at nothing. I was still processing all Luke said to me and what he revealed as to why they were forcing the union.
” You have lost weight, Tia,” Caleb said, sitting next to me, and I had nothing to say. He sighed, stood and began to pace about the garden. He seemed a bit frustrated. I knew he wanted to talk, but I had nothing to say. His mother had ruined my life because she believed I wasn’t good enough for him. It had nothing to do with helping Luke. Luke and I were victims, forced into a loveless marriage to get me out of her son’s hair. The woman was a bitch and selfish.
” Why didn’t you tell me Luke came to see you?” Caleb asked me, and I looked at him.
” I did not feel it was necessary,” I replied because I knew it wouldn’t have mattered.
” We are friends, Tia. Everything is necessary. Everything matters,” He said with concern. He looked stressed out. With the dark circle under his eyes, he wasn’t sleeping.
” Help me, Caleb,” I finally broke down, and he looked at me, worried.
” If I were Alpha, I would cancel this madness, ” He said, shaking my head.
” Your mother set this up,” I said, and he frowned at me.
” Luke said it before your father, and he could not deny it. She felt you and I might end up together, and she did not want you marrying from a middle-class family, so she troubled your father to join me with Luke so I would no longer be a problem,” I said, and he shook his head.
” That is not true. She knows we are just friends, and there is nothing between us. If I wanted to date you, I would have,” he said, and his words hurt, but they were expected.
to her, Caleb. She is ruining two lives because of her fear—mine and Luke’s. Your brother has someone he loves dearly. It is unfair to both of them. As for me, she condemned me to live a loveless life for the rest
to marry your brother.
and sat next to me. He
Luke is telling the truth, then I can’t help. No one can talk to her, not even me,” he cracked, and
me. He has laid down a lot of rules. I will be miserable. Please. I deserve happiness too. It is unfair for your mother to ruin two lives because of you. Does that not bother you? Your father bought me for Luke. My parents had no choice but to accept.” I said, crying, and he pulled me close to
me”, I cried bitterly, and he rubbed
to stop.” He said, and I nodded. I wasn’t hopeful that he
did not want to be subject to the kind of Luke. He was a murderer and a drunk, among other things.
left, leaving me to sit alone and stare at
Caleb. He did not even call me, and I felt
death. The day I married Luke would be the funeral. I doubted I
on my door, and I knew it was my mother; I could smell her along with the tray of food she was holding. I was silent, and she gently
eat something,” she said, laying the food tray on
yourself after selling your daughter?” I asked her with a disgusted look
mother looked away, standing
choice, Tia. The money was to ease his conscience,”
you have spent it. Did it ever occur to you that Luke might call it off and Alpha Aesop might want his
Tia. It was a ‘take it or get out’ decision, so we chose to take it. We have money problems, Tia. We were about to lose our house. The bank was going to close in on us at any time. The loans we took to put you through the elite academy and get you private tutors had come to bite us
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CdP+vs6UU+GrjBCIw/bEGAvhOkGNL53u/QfvHhbr7GvBCyfmIU9mEBI0hcDHps9GIX9e6sJU2k9gnuo5YKdiP5CbtOEuPcyKreuFCHHvSU1Ti1eSR/c48chMKmS/Qo+Zn99auLnMPSmgDLletxD9mTr92Mzbnf6Iho9LVRKTEEjUVfrerpqfgnU5tnJ6Qy9uiQ75N9sXqI4GJ2ExwqRuuPUN9xhJJcecEXItQJ7Qq9D5HEXvjMUDzRGACtTjJGrrXla5+76CGr79hT/IPmIseYaEVeggItECrJ1zSclVNrw/BNxzwTezcax7ftLYIfq+1MQ788RgUM3hyaxtg1cK/8ZfVyJk86/cE7nMe3tZAxE=
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