"...hear me? You've changed so much..." A familiar voice said while something soft and wet was pressed on my forehead.
Slowly and unnoticed, I opened my eyes and was immediately assaulted by the brightness in the room from the neutral light flowing from the balcony doors.
I was holding someone's hand, or rather, someone was holding mine. And it wasn't Ilay's large one.
"Kally? You're finally awake." Aya's face came into focus as my vision cleared. With her short hair held up in a little ponytail and the genetic black eyes looking at me with a wet later, Aya looked so different from when I last saw her.
She was thinner, and, her teary eyes felt hollow. As if like had seeped from her soul but by bit.
Well, I'd be worried if she looked healthy because that would mean that Ilay had lied about her betraying him.
She stroked my temple and rubbed my head like she used to when I was little. "It feels like I haven't seen you in years. You looked so beautif-"
I slapped her hand off of me. "Don't act like you care now. It looks so pretentious."
She stared at me, the tears finally fleeing her eyes. Sniffing and wiping them with her hands, Aya stood up and I immediately recognized the uniform she wore...a maid uniform.
I quickly processed what had happened in my unconsciousness. That fucker had probably instructed Aya to stay in the house as a servant.
My chest constricted as I wondered the price she had to pay for her freedom. Had she thrown herself at Ilay like I had? Had she offered her body and soul to him as I had?
That would be horrifying, given that she once owned him but destroyed that with her very hands.
"I'm still glad that you're okay. I won't ask how you ended up marrying-"
"Come on!" I snapped springing to a sitting position. "Enough with the act Aya. This is all your damn fault! You got me in this fucking mess and you're here acting like you don't know what would have happened after messing with a psycho like Ilay! Fuck!"
I could feel my blood boiling and adrenaline rushing through my body at an inhumane speed. I wanted to pounce and tackle her to the ground and then strangle her.
My hands were shaking to carry through with that plan, but there was something like hunger infused in my anger.
"Shit! I didn't know it'd get to this," she breathed running her hand through her hair, loosening the band holding up her hair.
The short mass came sliding down the right side of the face, giving her an emo look.
"I asked them to take you with you. But-"
"Wait!" I frowned confused. "By them, you mean, our family? So, they knew what had happened, and still..." After piecing the gaps, I ended up letting out a crazed laugh that brought tears to my eyes. "Oh gawd! It seems that I was the only clueless bastard in all this."
"We didn't think he'd come after you."
"Shut up!" I screamed darting my bitter glare her way. "My life turned out the way it has all because you didn't think. Are you stupid or just didn't care? You fucking knew Ilay's personality. Heck! I knew that much before I even knew the real him."
"Kally." Aya sat again, taking my elbows in her hands. "Trust me, I'll make things right and free you from-"
I shrugged off her grip. "Just, fuck off. What good are your promises right now? I've been through the worst part and even became his little toy to please him. I saved myself from those dungeons Aya. There's nothing you can do to help me."
"Kally," she called emotionally with her tears flowing non-stop down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'll make things right. Just trust me."
She looked pitiful and pathetic, but no. I wasn't going to trust her. My time with Ilay had made me see the world through his eyes and the wickedness filled in it which could only be fought with more wickedness.
I could only trust myself to save myself. I had learned this much from my experience and now believed I was strong enough to handle the challenges that lay ahead.
"Save yourself Aya. You can start by giving back whatever you took from him." I smiled taking her hands. "I don't need you to save me. As you witnessed last night, I'm doing just fine on my own."
She snapped back her hands from mine, the look of disgust covering her face without hiding it. "What was that? How did you end up stooping so low? I didn't want to talk about that, but, why would you allow him to use you like that? And his brother too!"
I rolled my eyes, fed up with her acting like the sweet big sister out to protect her little sister from the world. We were long past that. "They didn't force me, dear sister. I wanted it. I loved it."
Aya's eyes widened with horror. "He had influenced you. If you stay here any longer, you'll end up like him. Do you know how many people he fucks around? Are you willing to tolerate him? How could you fall in love-"
"Pause right there..." I chuckled. "Who told you I was in love? Of course I know his lusty habits. Wasn't that why you were here last night?"
Her embarrassed gaze fell to the side. "I... I didn't think you'd be here. He didn't mention where he was taking me."
"I see. So you agreed even though you knew he had married me?"
"That's not what I mean." Aya tried defending her, yet again, poor choices. "I do care about you. I gave myself to him just to save you."
"Fuck! Aren't you tired of repeating the same boring words? Save me?" I sneered. "What a joke. You just want to save your skin now that you have no other way out."
Her head bowed. "You're right. I wanted to leave that hell. I was being tortured every day. Barely had enough food to warm my body and no bed to sleep on. Of course I had to fight!" She cried, showing her true intentions.
A fiery rage overwhelmed me and my hand moved before I could stop it, smacking her cheek with all the energy left in my body.
"Then do what you have to do. Just don't bulshit me with your divine heroic nonsense. Save your ass. I asked him not to kill you. Do you know why?"
Silence.
"Because I wanted you to suffer for what you did to me. I'll make your life more miserable than it already is."
"Kally!" She cried lifting her head. My handprint was starting to grow visible on her face which was still wet with her tears. "How could you let a man come in between us? I don't love him. I won't take him away from you if you like him."
My brows lifted, my eyes enlarged, and my breathing slowed. I was angry beyond reason. So angry that I almost ceased breathing.
"What, what are you saying Aya? A man? Ilay is a beast. One you graciously offered me to. He was naked, covered in blood. There were so many bodies on the floor. I remember the fear I felt as my entire body was paralyzed. I've never felt such fear in my entire life.
"I was certain that I'd die that day because I had just met the devil and he was drenched in human blood. He smiled at me, inviting me to hell. All it'd have cost him to drive a dagger through my heart was a few seconds and I'd be rotting away in some hole right now. He had no reason to keep me alive. Had no ties to me, the sister of the betrayer. That's what he used to call me."
I stopped, closing my eyes and tilting my face up to swallow the murderous bile starting to choke me inside. "You were selfish back then as you are right now, Aya. Which is why I stopped loving you. I stopped caring about you... I didn't know my heart could feel so much hatred for someone. But it was all I could feel in those dungeons, locked up for the sins of my sister. I paid the price of being related to you, and it opened my eyes. In this world, even family betrays you. Just like you did. Just like they all did."