Chapter 3
1703 Words
Hilda’s POV
"What is wrong with you?"
Aunty Hepsie’s voice ripped through the air like a gunshot. Before I could even draw a breath, she grabbed my arm and yanked me off the floor. My knees scraped against the wood, but she didn’t care. She shook me so hard my head snapped back.
"Have you completely lost your mind?" she screamed.
"I just... I wanted it to stop," I whispered. My voice sounded thin and broken. "Please, Aunt Hepsie."
The slap came out of nowhere. It was fast and heavy. The palm of her hand connected with my cheek, sending a stinging heat through my entire face. I stumbled back, my shoulder hitting the wall with a dull thud. My vision blurred for a second.
That was the third time today. My skin felt like it was on fire.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!" Hepsie hissed. Her face was twisted with a rage that went deeper than just anger. It was pure hatred. "You took her from me. You killed my sister, and now you want to run away from your punishment? You coward!"
I pressed my back against the cold wall and stayed still. I didn’t even try to defend myself. I had heard these words a thousand times since I was a little girl. They were the background noise of my life. In her eyes, I was a murderer. I was the reason my mother was gone.
"Shut up!" she yelled, even though I hadn't made a sound. She was pacing the small room now, her hands shaking as she pointed a finger at me. "You think you can just take your own life before you pay for your sins? You haven't suffered nearly enough for what you did."
The air in my lungs felt like lead. Every time she said it, it felt like a fresh wound. I covered my face with my hands, the tears finally breaking through. My chest felt like it was collapsing under the weight of her words.
"Please," I sobbed. "I can't take any more of this. Just let me go."
She let out a sharp, disgusted hiss and stepped into my personal space. I could smell her perfume, something floral and expensive that didn't match the ugliness in her eyes.
"You don't get to decide anything anymore," she said, her voice dropping to a terrifyingly calm level. "You will get up tomorrow. You will wear the clothes the stylist brings. You will put on a smile and you will marry the man we chose for you. That is how you start paying your debt."
I froze. The world seemed to stop spinning for a moment. I dropped my hands and stared at her, my heart hammering against my ribs.
"You can't be serious," I breathed.
"Oh, I am very serious," she snapped, stepping back toward the door. "The makeup artist and the dress will be here before sunrise. I’ll make sure the servants wake you up early. Don't even think about being late."
"I don't even know his name," I said. My throat felt like it was closing up. "I've never met him."
"Enough!" She slammed her hand against the doorframe, making me flinch. "You will do exactly what you are told. If you ever try a stunt like that rope again, Hilda..." She leaned in close, her eyes narrowing into slits. "I will kill you myself. Do you understand me? I will finish the job."
She didn't wait for an answer. She looked me up and down one last time, whispered the word "pathetic," and walked out. The door slammed so hard the pictures on the wall rattled.
Silence rushed back into the room, thick and suffocating. I sank to the floor, my legs giving out. I curled into a ball, trying to make myself as small as possible. Above me, the rope I had tied earlier still swayed slightly. Just catching a glimpse of it made my stomach turn.
I let out a loud, jagged sob. I didn't care if she heard me. I didn't care if the whole house heard me. I pounded my fists against the floorboards until my knuckles were bruised and raw.
"Why?" I cried out to the empty room. "Why do you all hate me so much? What did I do?"
I stayed there for a long time. My tears soaked the wood beneath my face. My head throbbed with a dull, steady ache. I felt hollowed out, like there was nothing left inside me but fear.
Eventually, I noticed my phone sitting on the small bedside table. It was the only thing I had that connected me to the real world. With shaking fingers, I reached up and grabbed it. I needed to hear a human voice. I needed Haylee.
I dialed her number, my hands trembling so much I almost dropped the device. She picked up on the second ring.
"Hilda?" Haylee’s voice was full of concern. "Hey, are you okay? It's so late."
Hearing her voice was like a dam breaking. I couldn't hold it back anymore. "Haylee," I choked out.
"Hilda, talk to me. What’s wrong? You’re scaring me, girl."
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but the words came out in a rush of air and salt. "I can’t do this. I really can’t."
"Tell me what happened," Haylee said, her voice firm and grounding.
"She took it," I whispered, the betrayal burning all over again. "Hattie stole my entire project. She presented it today like she was the one who worked on it for months. And the worst part? Everyone believed her. They didn't even look at me."
"Are you kidding me?" Haylee breathed. "That snake. Hilda, I am so sorry."
"That’s not even the worst part," I said, my voice cracking. "I went to find Hendrix after the meeting. I thought he would stand up for me. I thought he loved me. But I found them together. He was kissing her, Haylee. Right there in the hallway. And he told me... he said I was stupid for thinking a guy like him would ever actually want someone like me."
"That absolute jerk!" Haylee shouted. I could hear her moving around on the other end of the line. "He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you. Don't you listen to him."
"I feel like I'm invisible," I whispered, staring at the shadows on the wall. "Like I’m just a spare part they keep around for when Hattie doesn’t want something. I’m just the shadow."
There was a long silence. I could hear Haylee breathing, steady and soft.
"You are not disposable, Hilda," she said finally. "Do you hear me? You are worth a thousand Hatties. You deserve so much more than the scraps they throw at you."
"Then why does this keep happening?" I asked. "Why am I being sold off? They just told me I’m getting married tomorrow."
"What?" Haylee gasped. "To who? Is it a local guy?"
"I don't know," I said bitterly. "They won't tell me a thing. All I know is that he’s older and Hattie was too good for him, so they gave him to me instead. Like I’m a consolation prize."
"This is insane," Haylee snapped. "You can't let them do this. You have to run or something."
"To where?" I asked quietly. "I have nothing. They took my work. They took my reputation. I don't even have myself anymore."
"You still have you," Haylee insisted. "Don't let them take your spirit, Hilda. That’s the only thing they can’t touch unless you let them."
I closed my eyes, trying to imagine a version of me that wasn't broken. It felt impossible.
"Haylee?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't want to be me anymore," I whispered.
"Don't say that. Please don't say that."
"It's the truth," I said. My voice felt steadier now, cold and resigned. "Every time I try to be happy, it gets used against me. Every time I love someone, they hurt me. I don't know who I am without their insults."
I heard a sniffle on the other end. Haylee was crying now too.
"Promise me you'll just stay safe until tomorrow," she pleaded. "I'll come over. I'll find a way to see you. Just stay with me, okay?"
"I'll try," I said, though I didn't know if I could keep the promise. "I'll try."
We stayed on the phone for another hour. She talked about random things, trying to distract me. She made me get up and drink a glass of water. When we finally hung up, the room felt even colder than before.
I held the phone against my chest. The screen was still warm. Reality was settling in like a heavy fog. Tomorrow, I would be forced into a life with a stranger. I would be tied to someone I didn't know, all because my family wanted me out of the way.
A sharp sob escaped my throat. The pain in my chest was so physical it felt like a heart attack. I looked at the small flower vase on my table, the only pretty thing in the room. In a sudden burst of movement, I grabbed it and threw it against the wall.
It shattered into a hundred tiny pieces.
"This is so unfair!" I screamed. The words felt like they were tearing my throat open.
Why was it always me? Why did I have to carry the weight of a death I didn't cause? Why did my sister get everything while I was left with the ruins?
I sank back down to the floor, my hands over my heart. It was beating too fast, like a trapped bird. I wanted to scream until the house collapsed. I wanted to burn everything down and start over.
But I just sat in the dark, surrounded by broken glass.
"I didn't ask for any of this," I whispered to the shadows. "I just wanted to be loved."
The only answer was the wind rattling the windowpane. I looked at the door, knowing that in just a few hours, they would come to dress me for my own funeral.
"Who is he?" I asked the silence.
- Writer
