Love Denied

Elysha Benjamin’s life was broken before it even truly began. The day her parents signed their divorce papers, everything she knew crumbled into dust. There was no proper goodbye, no explanation, and certainly no comfort. Her father vanished from their lives without a backward glance, leaving only debts and empty promises behind. Her mother, Enit John Roger, a cold and distant woman, was too busy drowning in her own misery and chasing fleeting moments of happiness to care about her two young daughters. Overnight, their home was gone. Elysha, only seven years old then, and her older sister, Eloner Benjamin, were left to survive like stray dogs on the streets. They moved from one cramped, dirty room to another, often sleeping on cold floors or under makeshift shelters. Money was always scarce; hunger was their constant companion. Most nights, Elysha went to sleep with an empty stomach, her body shivering from the cold, wrapped only in thin, worn-out clothes that no longer fit. But what hurt far more than the hunger or the cold was the lack of love. Enit was never a mother to them. She treated her daughters as heavy burdens, obstacles standing in the way of her freedom and her own pleasure. She would leave for days, sometimes weeks, without telling them where she went or when she would return. When she was home, her words were sharp, her touch rough, and her eyes always looked right through Elysha, as if she didn’t even exist. Elysha learned early that crying brought no comfort, asking for affection brought only insults. She grew up starved not just for food, but for a mother’s hug, a gentle word, or just someone to say “I care”. Her older sister, Eloner, became just as cold and arrogant. Blinded by her own pain and jealousy, she took out all her frustration on little Elysha. She treated her like dirt, ordering her around, stealing what little food they had, and constantly reminding her that she was useless and unwanted. “You are nothing,” Eloner would hiss. “Even Mother doesn’t want you. You were just a mistake.” Alone, small, and broken, Elysha learned to stay quiet. She learned to endure. She thought this hard life was her only fate. She didn’t know yet that the worst was still coming that being denied love was only the beginning of her long, painful journey.