The car drove off in silence, suffocatingly quiet as Naomi's mum, dad, and younger sister sat inside. Her sister was absorbed in her phone, watching some series online. The tension hung thick in the air until her father broke the silence.
"Why did you slap her?" he asked, his tone sharp and accusatory.
"It wasn't my fault! She was acting insane, starting to see things, or even hallucinating!" Her mother spoke her voice rising in indignation.
"Enough!" Mr. Luke snapped. "You've made people wonder why my daughter's cheeks were pink and scratched. You could have waited until we got home to discipline her. People were mumbling, talking. I had to clear the rumors that we weren't mistreating Naomi. Now you've made things worse!"
Naomi hung her head low, her body trembling at the thought of what awaited her once they got home. Her father only cared about his public image.
"We had to leave early! I couldn't even meet Mr. Zylan because of this ungrateful child. Words are spreading!" he continued, frustration coloring his voice.
Tears welled in Naomi's eyes. If she had known it would come to this, she would have never stepped outside for fresh air.
Naomi's lips trembled slightly as her mother turned to her. "I always knew you were bad luck, ever since I gave birth to you. Just look at your hair!" Her mother pointed at Naomi's golden blonde locks with anger. "Look at your sister—so demure. Just look at you!"
Naomi's world crumbled around her.
"Enough! You have to stop saying that about her!" her father gritted out, his voice tight with anger.
"Mum, my data has been exhausted," Anna spoke up, trying to intervene.
Her mother's gaze softened for a moment. "Oh, baby," she said, turning back to Naomi. "Give her your phone."
"B-but I have a chemistry assignment on it! I need it…" Naomi stammered, desperation creeping into her voice.
"I said give her your phone! She wants to watch her favorite series," her mother insisted.
Reluctantly, Naomi handed her phone to Anna, who took it without a word of thanks.
"Hope it's enough," Anna mumbled before continuing what she was doing.
Naomi sank deeper into her seat, wishing she could disappear. The suffocating atmosphere was overwhelming. She felt the pressure of her family's expectations weighing down on her. They placed such high value on appearances and reputation, leaving little room for her feelings and ambitions.
Naomi had always wanted to be a doctor. Now, in her final year of college, she had been studying hard to earn A's in her classes. Born with rare golden blonde hair, she often felt the weight of her family's suspicions. Her father questioned her mother on the day of her birth, doubting that Naomi was truly his child since both he and her mother had brown hair.
There was a curse in her family—a foolish rule, in her opinion. According to it, if a woman turned 24, she would be destined to become a reverend sister because no man would marry her.
As Naomi's mother announced, "Mr. Johnson's son has asked for Anna's hand in marriage," Naomi felt a mix of emotions. "We'll be celebrating our beautiful daughter when we get home," her mother said, but the thought of Naomi's own future loomed over her like a dark cloud.
"He'll be visiting in two days for the preparations," her mother smiled, clearly thrilled. Anna finally raised her head, a smile spreading across her face.
"What can I say? He'd be blind not to marry such a beautiful, demure lady like me," she finished, emphasizing the word "demure" that their mother had used earlier when comparing Naomi and her.
"Yes, love. And as for you, get your things ready; Father and Reverend James will be coming tomorrow," their mother instructed, her eyes narrowing as they fell on Naomi.
"W-what?" Naomi stammered, struggling to find her words.
"She said Father and Reverend James will be coming," Anna repeated with a smirk on her lips, clearly enjoying Naomi's discomfort. It was obvious that Anna did not respect her.
Her mother added, "You will be going to a reverend school—the earlier, the better."
"What about college? What about my exams?" Naomi thought, frustration bubbling inside her. After all these years of hard work, it felt as if everything was about to go down the drain because of some ridiculous curse. The thought of being forced into a life she didn't want was suffocating.
"I don't want to go," Naomi spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Shut up! You're going to go. You need to learn. Who knows? If you waste more time, you might even be considered useless in the reverend school—more than you already are. Maybe they'll teach you how to stop swearing," her mother snapped, her tone dripping with disdain.
Naomi's lips trembled in anger, her heart racing at the insult. "Tomorrow is your birthday," Anna chimed in, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Are you telling me a suitor would come tonight for your hand in marriage? That would be impossible!"
Naomi turned to Anna, her frustration boiling over. "Is there a problem?" The car fell silent, the air thick with tension. This was the first time Naomi had spoken up; she was normally quiet, but she didn't know where the courage had come from.
She stared at her nails for a moment, then clicked them against each other, trying to regain her composure. "You know," she began, her voice steadier now, "it's better to be single than to marry Mr. Johnson's son."
She turned to her sister, who wore an angry expression, and continued, "Who would have expected our demure sister to marry the second fattest man in the celebrity industry? Oh, so demure!"
Just then, a sharp slap landed on Naomi's already swollen cheeks. The sting spread across her skin, igniting a fire of humiliation within her.
"Don't you dare speak like that!" her mother shouted, her face contorted with rage. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
Naomi smiled, though the pain stung. "But I'm not lying, am I?"
Her mother turned to Naomi, her expression filled with disdain.
"At least Anna is a virgin," she remarked.