Anastacia's Pov
Sophia laces my hands in mine, her voice fearless as she stands in front of me, like she's trying to protect me from whatever my father was about to do.
"Sophia dear, don't speak like that. Leave" my mother orders but there still a hint of care in her voice.
"I think she needs to be disciplined" my father yells as he tosses his plate towards Sophia and gets extremely angry when the plate misses her.
"I regret the day you bore me!" Sophia yells, fed up with the bullshit she has had to endure ever since Duncan died, 15 years ago.
I stay silent, and I don't know if it's because I'm too stunned to speak, or because I was trying to figure out if I was about to get married.
Sophia pulls me away from the chaos as we head upstairs, the creaking of the wood doesn't help matters.
We walk back into my room, and I let the tears that gathered in my eyes finally fall through. I take glances across my room, letting the cold reality dawn on me. There's no escape. This was my reality.
My room is small, barely spacious and enough to accommodate my bed that has been tucked into one corner. My sheets are worn-out from their years of use and they have faded, the pink sheets now looking like white.
My blanket is almost as thin as my bed sheet that barely helps me cover up during the cold night, offering very little warmth.
Beside my bed is my small rickety table stand. It's covered with worn out books that I've been reading over the years that helps me to keep my sanity in check when everything around me seems to be going haywire.
Beside my book is a solitary lamp that has a flickering bulb and it casts a dim glow across my room.
Opposite my bed lies a narrow window that is covered by my tattered curtains, a testament to its years of use. And it fails to block out the light of the moon which results in the casted shadow across my room.
The window glass is slightly fogged, distorting a clear view of the outside world, and adding to the isolation of the room's air.
My wardrobe is a makeshift closet that has been made from old crates and scraps of wood and is situated in a corner. The hinges of the door are out with the view of the rusted nails that screams for a change, revealing the faded clothes hanging lazily, due to years of washing.
Sophia says nothing but watches me take the view of my room.
"You're not going to leave, I'm not going to allow that" Sophia tries to soothe me, but it doesn't work.
"Just maybe this is for the better" I sigh,
Sophia opened her arms to embrace and I give in, resting my head on her shoulders as I let my burden slip off me.
Still standing and being enclosed in the arms of my sister, my mum walks in and I let myself loose from her embrace.
"Anastacia" she calls out softly
"No no no mum, you knew about this, didn't you?" I say, making no attempt to fight the tears from my eyes.
"I'm sorry" she says, trying to hug me but I push her off.
"You could have said something you know…. You have let that man abuse all of us in this house, and you always keep shut" Sophia says, almost yelling.
"It's for the better" she spits out
"Then why didn't you get married to him" I retort
"I promise you, it'll be okay. And I know what is best for you" My mom says
Sophia laughs sarcastically as she walks into the room and shuts the door, leaving our mom on the other side.
Her footsteps become almost faint and then I realize that she has left. I walk towards my bed and lay down as I sink into the bed.
"What do we do?" Sophia asks
"I mean…. He's a billionaire, it can't be that bad" I smile, trying to cheer myself and my sister up.
"Maybe you could be sending me a lot of money, and you know, we would get the life we deserve" Sophia replies, and a smile graces her lips... it's a thin line between family hate and acceptance.
"Are you accepting that there's no other way for me?" I tease
"Well, of course not… I know it's unfair of that drunk man to just come back one day and suddenly decide to get you married to someone you've never even met, just because he's a billionaire. I wonder where and how he even met him" Sophia sighs as she joins me in bed.
"There are so many things that man does, we're just so unaware, sometimes I feel he gets drunk purposely not because of grief" I say
"I mean you're not wrong, it's surprising, but damn, even momma knew and she made no attempt to inform you, despite everything you've done for this family? You've done way more than that drunkard of a man could ever" she says, disgust evident in her voice
"Sometimes, I wonder what and how life would've been like if we still had Duncan, would he be the way he is? Would we suffer so much?" I ask, almost regretting the words as soon as it leaves my mouth.
Sophia finds my hands and intertwines it in hers, her own way of reassuring me that everything is going to be okay.
"We don't have to think about that… it's in the past, let's leave it in the past" she says soothingly.
"What do I do if I have no other choice than to get married to this man? What would I do if he's just a replica of our drunken father, what do I do if he abuses me. Who do I run to if he hits me? Where do I go, where do I call home?" I let my overthinking take the best of me and voice out my unsaid thoughts
"You and I, Sophia Kenneth and Anastacia Kenneth, have each other, and no matter what, we're inseparable, I promise you Anastacia that nothing will harm us, no one will harm us. We will figure something out and if we don't, you can always run back to me, I will be your home" she assures me and I feel her voice slightly break.
It's fear and realization finally dawning on her, but I'm glad I'm taking all the trauma for her. I'll always put her before myself. I'm glad she doesn't have to suffer this, I'm glad that I get to protect her much more than the way she gets to protect me. I'm happy she's my sister.
"Thank you" I murmur, fighting the tears that fight their way into my voice.
"Tomorrow is another day to fight against the world, My best friend, let's see what it holds, maybe then we can maneuver our way and dance to the tune we play" She says, taking my hands towards her mouth and placing a kiss on it.
"And I will always love you for coming into my life and not allowing me face the world alone" I smile.
It doesn't take long before we fall asleep, our bodies are intertwined with each other, an attestation to the bond we share that is unbreakable.