CHAPTER 7 : Terrifying secrets
981 Words
After Asha finished reading her mother's letter…
her hands remained trembling.
Tears continued streaming silently down her cheeks while her mind sank deeper into confusion and fear.
Slowly, she turned to look at her younger brother.
"Juma…"
But he was gone.
Asha's heart skipped a beat.
"Juma?"
She immediately started looking around the hospital corridor in panic.
There was no sign of him.
"Juma!" she called anxiously.
A few moments later, she finally spotted him sitting beside a wall, curled up tightly while crying softly to himself.
Asha rushed toward him.
"Don't scare me like that…" she said as she pulled him into a tight embrace.
Juma cried even harder.
"Big sister… has Mom really left us?"
The question pierced straight through Asha's heart.
But she forced herself to stay strong.
She gently held his face.
"I'm here…" she whispered with a broken voice.
"I won't leave you alone."
After completing all the hospital procedures…
They were finally given permission to take their mother's body.
The body was placed inside the funeral vehicle while Asha and Juma cried helplessly beside it.
Asha stood near the car, her eyes fixed on it with unbearable pain.
"Mom…" she whispered weakly.
"What kind of war have you left me in…?"
After news of the death spread…
Relatives, friends, and neighbors began arriving at their home.
Everyone offered condolences.
"So sorry, my child…"
"May God give you strength…"
"You just got married… and only hours later your mother passed away…"
Those words hurt even more.
Asha remained silent.
She no longer had the strength to respond.
Her heart was exhausted beyond words.
Damian's House
Meanwhile…
Inside Damian's luxurious mansion, the atmosphere was completely different.
The front door burst open violently.
A beautiful woman with tear-filled eyes stormed inside angrily.
Her name was Zai.
The moment she saw Damian standing in the living room—
she marched straight toward him.
SLAP!
A heavy slap landed across Damian's face.
He turned slightly from the impact.
"Zai—"
"DON'T TALK!" Zai shouted through tears.
"What have you done to me, Damian?!"
Her voice cracked painfully.
"All our love… all the promises you gave me…" she cried.
"You promised you would marry me!"
Damian exhaled slowly.
"Zai, calm down first—"
"CALM DOWN?!" she screamed.
"You married another woman today! Your own employee!"
Damian stepped closer carefully.
"Listen to me…"
But Zai moved away immediately.
"Don't touch me!"
Damian lowered his voice.
"I'm doing this to protect our love."
Zai shook her head painfully.
"I don't understand…"
"Just endure one month," Damian said in a deep voice.
"After that, everything will return to normal."
Zai stared at him as though she no longer recognized him.
"I thought you loved me…" she whispered through tears.
"So my love means nothing to you?"
She turned to leave.
"Zai!" Damian called out with a pain he had never shown anyone before.
"Please… don't go."
But she never stopped walking.
BAM!
The door slammed shut.
Silence swallowed the mansion.
Damian closed his eyes painfully.
For the first time…
he looked broken.
A few minutes later…
Damian picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Uncle…"
A deep voice answered from the other side.
"You succeeded?"
Damian inhaled slowly.
"I married her already."
A short silence followed.
Then his uncle chuckled darkly.
"Very good."
Damian shut his eyes tightly.
"Prepare everything," he said coldly.
"I'm coming tonight."
"This time… the ritual must be completed."
The call ended.
Damian remained standing alone in the darkness.
Then he whispered softly, filled with guilt:
"Forgive me, Asha…"
After the Funeral
The day of the funeral was heavy with sorrow.
Asha wore black clothes, her eyes swollen from endless crying.
After most people began leaving…
she approached her aunt.
"Auntie…" she said quietly.
"There's something I want to ask you."
Her aunt looked at her silently.
"What do you know about my father's death?"
Her aunt's expression changed instantly.
Asha continued:
"Was it really natural… or was something hidden from us?"
Silence.
Then Asha mentioned the name.
"Do you know the Davis family?"
Immediately, her aunt froze.
She stood up abruptly as if burned.
"Asha!" she said fearfully.
Asha's heartbeat quickened.
"So it's true? You know something?"
Her aunt grabbed her handbag quickly.
"The funeral is over. I'm leaving."
Asha stopped her desperately.
"Please, Auntie!" Tears fell again.
"Please tell me the truth… I need to know."
Her aunt looked at her with deep sadness.
"My child…" she said softly.
"Sometimes the truth hurts more than lies."
"But—"
"Listen to me," her aunt interrupted firmly.
"It's better if you know nothing."
Asha shook her head.
"No… I can't live in darkness."
Her aunt held her hand tightly.
"If you dig into the past… you may not survive."
Asha's eyes widened slowly.
"What do you mean?"
But her aunt only shook her head.
"Take care of your brother. Let the past stay buried."
Then she walked away.
Leaving Asha behind with more questions than answers.
Night of Decisions
That night…
Asha entered her mother's room.
The scent of her perfume still lingered in the air.
The bed was silent.
The wardrobe was slightly open.
Asha picked up one of her mother's dresses and hugged it tightly against her chest.
Tears fell again.
"Mom…" she whispered painfully.
She sat beside the bed while endless thoughts consumed her.
"Should I go to Damian…?"
She closed her eyes.
"Should I continue living in this contract marriage…?"
Then her mother's words echoed in her mind again:
Stay away from that family… they will destroy you…
Her chest tightened painfully.
Then her aunt's warning followed:
If you discover the truth… you won't be safe…
Asha held her head tightly.
"What am I supposed to do now…" she whispered weakly.
But what she didn't know was—
while she cried alone in the darkness…
Damian was already preparing her sacrifice.
- Writer
