3. A TERRIBLE TURN

The wedding date was picked finally and I started cutting down on my foods in order to stay in shape. I resigned from the lesson class and stayed indoor to keep my skin intact with the help of my mother who made sure to feed me only healthy foods and getting me skincare herbs to improve my skin conditions.

We spent all day talking about life after my wedding with her giving me advice on how to handle things as a wife, how to support my husband and make sure to build a powerful home that is befitting the standard of a Beta’s lineage.

I informed my mother one afternoon “I should meet up with my friends, I won’t be able to see them often when I move into the Beta’s family” and she told me to have fun.

I hopped happily to the venue we agreed upon but if I had known that would be the location of my biggest tragedy, I would have just sat down at home. I would have turned them down, I would have given them excuse but I didn’t see it coming, I trusted them, they were my friends after all, I must have been mistaken.

On getting there, Anais and Aria came out of the house and I challenged them immediately. “Where are you both heading to? I only got here now” I protested but they gave an excuse of having to deliver something somewhere urgently so they will be back in no time.

“What of Ansel? Is here around?” I asked scanning everywhere and they replied with a solid “Yes, he’s inside so wait for us with him, we will be back soon” before sprinting up.

 I entered Ansel’s house and greeted him cheerfully, he was the only male friend I have so we were free with each other. He and Emory are also very good friends since we all grew up with each but we were closer than he was close with Emory.

“Welcome, the newest bride in town” he shouted with joy and I posed happily with a giggle as he ushered me in.

“Anais and Aria will be back soon, we will start our party then” he informed me and I agreed before he extended a bottle of watermelon shake which was my favorite to me.

Without hesitation I gulped it down but little did I know that was the poison that would shake apart my whole world. My head felt numb and my whole body was suddenly weak, everything began to split into two as my eyes turned on its own. I didn’t get to struggle for long before my back fell on the sofa as my eyes couldn’t hold out any longer, I finally gave in and darkness enveloped my eyes.

The same darkness that engulfed my sight earlier was the same one that greeted me as I opened them slowly, everything was oddly unfamiliar for the first few seconds. I tried moving but my leg snapped with a great pain that sent a groan of agony out of my throat. A rush of pain gathered at my lower part as I struggled to sit, everywhere down there was aching so much.

I thought to myself, “What the hell is happening?” as I managed to drag myself up the couch.

Confusion set on my face as I wondered what was going on with me, a sudden blow on breeze kissed my throbbing inner thighs and that woke me up with a full force. I shakily stared down to see what was happening to me and a piercing scream left my mouth. I jumped up ignoring the throbbing pain as I held unto my naked self.

“How did this happen? Ansel!” I screamed, scanning around for his help only to find him sitting quietly at the other side of the room, looking at me running mad.

Shame washed over me as I gazed at my below that was bare, the only cloth on my body was my top that had even been torn by the side. Blood trickled down my thighs as I wondered what happened to me but wasn’t it obvious?

I have been raped! But by who was the question running through my mind.

“You should cover up and go home, will you leave the blood dripping down on the floor of my house? It’s irritating see them drop that way” his thick voice boomed

I raised my head in disbelief to see the culprit in front of me. It was Ansel.

He stood in front of me with a disgusting look, he folded his arms staring at me with the bitterest disdain in his eyes.

“You…. You… what.. did.. what did you do to.. to me? How could you even think of doing this to me?” I asked, crying.

My voice was getting shaky with every words that came out but he only chuckled.

He was laughing? What was funny? The helpless and shameful sight of me? My disbelief? My confusion coupled with shock? What exactly was making Ansel laugh?

“Are you laughing at me right now?” I mumbled, but it was still loud enough for him to hear

“Why not? You are a laughing stock!” he declared and everything went still

My lips trembled as I struggled to find the right words, my mouth parted several times but nothing came out of it. I was overwhelmed with shame, it was traumatizing and tragic.

My chest constricted in pain as I clutched my hands on my chest, pain of betrayal shook through my entire body and my whole world went dark.

I was shattered!

“Why? Why did you do this to me? You are my best friend so why?” I questioned, tears streaming down my cheeks endlessly.

“Friend? Did you just say best friend? We were never one! You only thought I was your friend because I was your box that contained your rants, the one that allowed all your emotional downpour. You only remember me whenever you were in need of someone to rant to. I was never a man to you, you never saw my feelings no matter how I tried to portray them, you were too comfortable to see me as someone who loved you” he shouted at me but the words coming out from his mouth were too ridiculous to believe.

It was true that I always told him my emotions freely, there was barely anything he didn’t know about me. He was my confidant and the best person after my parents and Emory. Never have I ever underestimated him or thought of him as nothing but my rant box, why should this happen between us? What went wrong?

“I never..” I started to explain but he just cut me short with a loud “I don’t want to hear anything from you, get out of my house” and that shocked me. He was the one brimming with happiness few hours ago but he was now talking to me with spite? Where was the Ansel I knew?

“Ansel” I called softly but I was only met with a slap. “Don’t call my name with your dirty mouth, you slut” he glared at me and shoved me out of his house. I only managed to gather my clothes as he threw me out into the dark night, naked!

After dressing up in heavy tears, I headed home with a ripped heart. I was shattered to pieces, everything felt like a dream that I pinched myself so much to see if I would wake up but the sting from the pinch was reminding me every time that I was not dreaming at all, I have been raped by my best friend, just few days to my wedding.

Thankfully my parents were not around when I got home, I crawled into my bed where I unleashed fresh tears under my blanket. I felt useless, betrayed and stabbed in the back. There was no way this stigma would be washed away no matter how I tried to shower it off many times, the guilt just stuck with me.

“What will I tell my parents? What will I tell Emory? I was a virgin until few hours ago. What will I tell him happened to my virginity? How do I explain to him that it was taken away by my best friend? Who will believe my story?” were what I kept thinking about as I stared helplessly at the roof of my room, I was doomed.

I only curled up in bed for days, ate nothing or even took my bath. Every thoughts circulating around my head was either to confess or just die.

“I cannot bear this shame” I would tell myself over and over

My mother noticed my mood since I refused to come out of my room or even eat and that made her troubled. She kept pressing me to tell her what was wrong with me but how could I tell her such a thing? She would be totally disappointed in me, I was her pride but I had messed myself up.

“I am just feeling tired, nothing else” I lied but she was not buying it, she knew something was wrong with me.

“I am your mother, no one will understand you like I will so let me know what is wrong” she persuaded me but my lips were tightly shut, I couldn’t bring myself to open up to her.

Never!

“You are going to get sick at this rate, did something happen between you and Emory? Should I invite him over and talk to him?” she queried and that struck my heart.

I still don’t know how to face him, he might be a gentleman but will he even listen to the absurd story not to talk of accepting me? My life was on a cliff.

With a confidence that suddenly stemmed from nowhere, I jumped up “Why invite him over for something this trivial? I am only like this because I will soon leave this house and I will miss you and dad greatly” I lied blatantly.

She scoffed. “If you will miss us then you should spend time with us instead of covering yourself on the bed! Come out for dinner before I drag you out or call for your husband” she threatened

“I will come out, expect me soon”

My mother left my room after trying all she could to get me to talk but I didn’t. Series of lies flowed through my head as I thought about what to tell Emory but there was no one making sense, he is not dense to believe those kind of lies.

“How exactly do I go about it? Should I just keep quiet about it and get married? He wouldn’t throw me out when we get married, will he? At least, he would try to cover it up” I thought to myself but my heart almost jumped out of my mouth when I heard my mother announced that Emory was here.