Bitterness was all Ariana tasted at the moment. Anger, anguish, regret over the past years of wasting time over someone that wasn't hers. Here, she was all dressed up for meeting Andrew's family, that's what he told her.
Their date tonight, was at his family's house to formally introduce his fiancée being her to his family. The joy of finally meeting them despite their opinions over the years about their son, dating someone like her is being crushed by the cold reception they gave her.
"We called you as Andrew's family to get things straight with you," Mrs.Hart said with a grim expression plastered on her face, which made Ariana know that this night was turning for the worst. The woman has never really liked her, despite that, Ariana, has always believed that she would get to cuddle up to her once she's married to her son.
Hearing the next words, she felt the cruel world collapsing on her. She felt played, her dream of finding her true love and getting married to the man of her dreams. But apparently, that man isn't Andrew anymore.
"Andrew is getting married next Saturday, and i do hope that you don't ruin this arrangement seeing as you were being kept in the dark about it. But to be fair," Mrs.Hart explained further before dipping her hand into her expensive Zara purse, one that she couldn't afford even in her next life to drop an envelope right in front of her.
"Take this and disappear from my son's life. I don't want you to ruin everything that i have worked so hard for, with the likes of you. So, you are going to take this and promise me that you don't ever come close to my son ever again. Is that clear?"
Ariana was speechless.
The night truly has turned to bite her in the ass, she didn't know what to say. Hence, she owed Mrs. Hart, no explanation for dating her son, the only person who could have explained to her if this was a prank or not wasn't present.
Andrew wasn't here, and from the look of things. It occurred to her that he planned this with his parents, this night wasn't to formally introduce her to his family or to talk about setting their wedding date. He was breaking up with her in a grand style.
Tears filled her eyes but she tried to hold it back in. To make the matter worse, she looked up to see Andrew's father and two other siblings eating dinner, like there was nothing going on right in front of them.
It was hurting her that they didn't care about her feelings, well why would they? She wasn't the appropriate daughter in law figure since her social status was below any average family. She's an orphan, who is barely making ends meet and trying to get through life.
Andre has only been the lucky thing in her life, and she blamed herself for being so attached to him and over putting her trust in him, that things would work out for the both of them without seeing the red flags, being his family and that he's a momma's boy.
"Is it not enough?" Mrs.Hart broke through her thoughts with her harsh words that made Andrew's younger sister laugh at what she said. "Figures! Orphans get to make the most demands…"
She went on and on to humiliate her with her words, until Ariana couldn't handle it anymore and stood up to leave. As her chair scratched against the floor the door chose to open at that moment, and she raised her head up at the sound of Andrew's laughter and another unfamiliar female voice that joined the gathering.
The moment she locked eyes with Andrew, the laughter died on his face and was replaced with another emotion that she makes out to be regret, was it pity?
Ariana needed an answer from him as to why he chooses to humiliate her this way. But before she could say anything, he beat her to it.
"Why is she still here, mother?" Andrew asked, coming closer to where everyone was with the real fiancée perched at his side with a mocking smirk on her face too.
"We are just concluding things until she demands more money." Mrs.Hart said, and under everyone's watchful eyes, Ariana stormed her way towards Andrew and landed a hefty slap on his face.
"Why did you do this to me?!" She cried, trying to hit him once again but he held her hand and pushed her away which made her land on the floor.
"Babe, are you okay?"Andrew's real fiancée asked, checking his face. He has a busted lip as a result of what Ariana did.
"You ungrateful bitch! I offered you money and now you want to kill my son?" Mrs. Hart thundered, before she called for the security that swiftly came to her aid.
"Throw this beggar out of my house and make sure you don't allow her anywhere near here anymore!"
As she rained thunder and brimstones at her, Ariana couldn't help but to cry. She has never been so disgraced all her life like she was right now, and all she wished for was the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Grace, her best friend, would never believe in her wildest dream how this night has turned into a nightmare for her.
"Let me go! I can walk by myself." She fought the man that tried to haul her up on her feet. She didn't know where she got the strength, maybe it had to do with the fact that she was done being played around like she was an animal.
All her life people had treated her no less than a human, for being so poor and not having what her other mates had, a family and money.
Andrew has all long made her feel safe, he made her realize that there was more to the world than being angry for being so poor wretched, yet, he ended up like the others.
He proved to her that he's no different from the others.It's always going to be the rich looking down on the poor.
She took one last at everyone, just to remember their faces. Especially that of Andrew's , who was not able to look at her anymore because he's feeling guilty for what he's done.
But it was too late.
"You will regret doing this to me, I promise you. Andrew." She told him lastly before leaving but not without hearing his mother back him up once again.
"You are leaving without the money. Ungrateful bitch!"
Once she was out of the house and out of Andrew's life, her legs buckled and the courage that she had moments ago vanished from her body which made her fall on the side of the road in tears.
Her phone rang and she didn't need anyone to tell her that it was Grace that was calling.
"Girl! I have been waiting all night, how did it go? What was his parents' reaction?" Grace attacked her with a barrage of questions only to stop when she heard her sniff.
"He broke up..he broke up with me, Grace." Ariana cried, still holding the phone to her ears. She knew that only talking to Grace about this, would help her pass through this night without commiting suicide.
"What? Andrew did what?" Grace asked. "Where are you? I knew that there was something fishy going on with him! I'm coming to get you."
Ariana told her where she was and broke down in tears, she didn't have the strength to move from the spot that she was sitting on the floor, to make matters worse it started to rain that very moment.
It's all her fault.
The signs were there, but she overlooked that because she loved him too hard to think that he would break her heart. Grace would always warn her but she didn't listen to her, she chose Andrew over her own judgment.
Passersby stared at her as if she had gone crazy, but she didn't care. She felt like dying.
Three years of wasted efforts!
It took a while for her to stand up to leave, because the last thing she needed was for Andrew to come out and find her here. It would be more embarrassing.
Ariana called for a cab but none of it stopped for her, she couldn't wait for Grace any longer since it was raining heavily. Just as she was about to stop a taxi. A sleek black, which she didn't know that was watching her all long while she was crying stopped infront of her.
Before Ariana could understand what was happening, a man covered her nose from the back with a handkerchief, while she struggled against her as she realized that she's being kidnapped.
But she was no match for his strength, which made her eventually breath in the chloroform that made her give in to sleep, but not without hearing the man at her back speak.
"We have her, Sir."