"Are you planning to go see the bastard's father today?" Monica said callously, drawing a long drag from her cigar. 

"Mama!" Sasha hissed as she flattened her palm against her son's ear as if to block him from such foul words. Not that her nearly two years old child could comprehend a thing. 

Yet that didn't stop Sasha from shooting her mother a disapproving look. "For love's sake, mama, that is not a word to be used around a child. I told you children pick up bad habits easily. Also…." She went over and plucked the cigar from her mother's mouth, "What have I told you about smoking around the child. Second hand smoke is bad enough for me, not to mention a child whose lung is still developing!" She angrily stomped on the cigar and put it out. 

"You, disrespectful child!" Monica let out a shrill shout and stood up, striking her across the face. 

Sasha's face turned to the side from the impact and aside from blinking the dizziness away, she displayed no other emotion. This was not the first time the woman hit her. She was pretty much used to it. She knew what was going to come right after this. And it happened right as she predicted. 

Her mother screamed in her face, "What do you want from me?! To kill me before my time?! Is it not enough that you got pregnant out of wedlock and ruined the prospect of attracting eligible bachelors in this village. Who in the world would want a used product like you? Now you are going to die like a wrench without a husband to take care of you! Yet you expect me to be miserable with you, is that your plan?"

No amount of physical assault could compare to the way those abusive words cut through Sasha like a blade. It was the one thing she could never get used to even though she heard it everyday. 

Nonetheless, Sasha lifted her face, explaining to her mother gently, "Contrary to your thoughts, mama, I don't intend to kill you, no, it's for your own good. You have been complaining of a cough, you will get better if you stop smoking." 

She added, "Also, I'm not a used product nor would I die alone. I have my son Noah. Also, Jacob already promised me that he would pay my bride price at the end of this year. I just have to be patient with him so he can convince his family to accept me. He would want his family's blessing if we are to wed. "

Jacob was Noah's father and the both of them met during an annual festival organized by their village. They were both young, foolish and in love. Sasha had been careful, but sometimes life had other plans and that was how she ended up with her son, Noah. 

Sasha never regretted having Noah. No, Jacob had even suggested having an abortion during the time she was pregnant with her son, but she was stubborn and stood her ground. The both of them had created something beautiful and Sasha could not endure the chilling thought of taking a life. To kill her own blood. She could not take away that choice from her unborn child. So she had him. 

Although Noah was the best thing that ever happened to her, it was not easy being a single mother in Willowbrook village. It was a small village where everyone knew each other and when Sasha wasn't being gossiped about on sight, her mother made her life miserable. Everyday. 

Monica was poor, widowed and lazy. Sasha had been her only chance at getting a good life. The woman had great expectations and groomed her child to attract rich, attractive, and eligible bachelors. Perhaps the expectations on her shoulder were so heavy that Sasha acted out in rebellion by getting pregnant and ruining her life — so her mother reminds her every breathing seconds. 

Jacob's family was not affluent, but they lived comfortably and her mother didn't fail to show her disdain for him each time he visited. It was no wonder his visits got smaller and smaller until there was none at all. It then became Sasha's responsibility to visit Oakvale, the neighboring village with her son to spend time with his father. 

If Sasha were to be honest, she was resentful towards Jacob. While her mother was a tough nut to crack, Sasha had honestly thought he would fight for her and his child a little harder. But there was nothing she could do. Sasha endured it all with a smile on her face. It wouldn't be long anyway. Once she got married to him, their son would have a stable family and her mother wouldn't breathe down on her neck anymore. 

"Keep on fooling yourself!" was her mother's retort after her words. "I didn't realize that I had a fool for a daughter. No wonder they said a female child is only profitable in her husband's house. I should have simply sold you off when you were younger had I known you would bring me this much disgrace. " Monica raged on. 

Sasha said nothing. It was nothing new. She had heard it all. All she could do was pack her things quickly and leave the house even as her mother's rantings echoed behind her. Monica had a loud, snarly voice, which meant the neighbors outside heard everything she said. 

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and she could feel the eyes of the neighbors trailing her movement and whispering amongst themselves. But Sasha paid them no attention, blinking away the tears that stung her eyes and walking with her chin lifted up. Being a single mother was not a curse, not the end of the world, neither was her child a mistake. Noah was God's gift to her. Just one that had come a little earlier. 

Sasha boarded the local ride to Oakvale village. She had prepared specially for this opportunity. She looked spectacular in her clean, new dress and even had her hair done. She had used quite a bit of her savings to look this good, all with the hope of impressing Jacob's mother. Unlike her own mother, who was brash and confrontational, Jacob's mother exuded an air of arrogance and condescension that Sasha found daunting.

Jacob told her that his family had once been influential until they lost everything and how his mother, Rebecca, struggled to accept their changed circumstances. Rebecca's demeanor reeked of superiority and entitlement, her gaze often condescending toward Sasha whenever she visited. Yet, Sasha never said a word. She wanted to win the woman over as her mother in law. No, she had to. 

By the time Sasha arrived at her destination, she was drenched in sweat and her arm was dead from carrying her son who was deep asleep. 

"Don't worry, we are almost there, Noah. You will see daddy pretty soon." Sasha whispered to her son in her embrace, wiping the sweat on his forehead and pressing her lips there instead. 

No matter how tough it got, the sight of her son filled her with so much joy and strength she just couldn't explain. He was her world. Her everything. 

As Sasha continued her journey, she couldn't help but notice the unusual activity in the neighborhood. Brightly dressed people bustled about, their opulent attire hinting at a special occasion. Curiosity piqued, Sasha wondered if there was an event happening at Jacob's place that she hadn't been informed about.

Sasha's confidence wavered as she suddenly became self-conscious, smoothing her hand down her dress and questioning if her attire would measure up to the occasion. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps Rebecca was hosting a party—a common occurrence, given her relentless pursuit to align herself and her family with the wealthy and influential, in hopes of restoring their former glory.

Yet, Sasha couldn't shake the growing sense of dread in the pit of her stomach as she encountered more extravagantly dressed individuals, each carrying gifts and heading down the same path as her. Rebecca's typical parties couldn't possibly warrant such opulence, and having attended one before, Sasha sensed that something was amiss. Call it intuition or a sixth sense, but an unsettling feeling gnawed at her, hinting that there was more to the situation than met the eye.

Almost immediately, two people approached Sasha, their animated conversation catching her attention. Eagerly, she listened, hoping to overhear morsels of information about the unfolding event. 

"Am I the only that can't wait to see how this wedding turns out?" one of them exclaimed.

Wedding? Sasha's heart skipped a beat.

Surely not, she thought, a nervous laugh bubbling up inside her.

"He's marrying the village chief's daughter, isn't he?" the other remarked with a snort. "Well, it's no surprise. Rebecca wouldn't settle for anything less than grandiose for her son."

Bang!

It felt as though an explosion detonated in Sasha's mind, her ears ringing from the shock. She hadn't even realized she had stopped moving until the men walked past her. But before they disappeared from earshot, their conversation reached her ears.

"But doesn't the groom already have another woman? I heard she even has a son for him."

The other man laughed, "Oh, come on.What makes you think Rebecca would allow such a woman to be her son's wife? I heard she's from a poor family with nothing to offer. Plus, she's a single mother. She's already used goods. Can't blame Jacob for wanting someone new," he quipped, their laughter echoing cruelly in the air as they walked away, oblivious to the devastation their words had wrought.

Frozen in place, tears streamed down Sasha's cheeks, her chest heaving with anguish. It felt as though her heart had been torn from her chest, leaving a raw, gaping wound in its wake.

No, Jacob wouldn't do this to her.

Sasha's stubbornness drove her forward; she refused to accept the truth without seeing it for herself.

She needed confirmation, a direct confrontation with Jacob, to look him in the eyes and hear the truth from his lips.

With determined strides, Sasha pressed on along the path, Jacob's manor looming closer. Her pace quickened, her anger palpable, awakening her son who began to cry, sensing his mother's turmoil.

Yet Sasha paid no heed to her baby's distress, her focus laser-sharp as she reached the front of the imposing manor, the unforgiving sun casting harsh shadows. The air was heavy with the fragrance of flowers, wedding signs leading the way to the ceremony.

And there, in that moment, Sasha's world shattered into a million irreparable pieces.