THE PASTORS DAUGHTER WHO WAS NEVER FREE

“Remove those earrings right now!” My father’s voice cut across the sitting room so loudly that I flinched. I froze immediately. My fingers slowly touched the tiny silver earrings on my ears. Beside me, Aurora had already lowered her head. Of course she did. Aurora always knew how to avoid trouble. Me? Not really. I looked at him instead. Pastor George Whitmore. My father. Outside this house, everybody respected him. Inside this house… It was different. “You are standing in my house looking like what?” he snapped angrily. “Like a prostitute?” My jaw tightened instantly. I was already tired.I wish I was not born into this family. It was always the same thing with him. Earrings were sin. Trousers were sin. Makeup was sin. Fashion was sin. Everything apparently led girls to hell fire. “Worldly things destroy young girls,” he always preached. “The devil uses fashion to drag women into hell.” Sometimes I wondered if he actually believed every single thing he said. Or if he just enjoyed controlling us. Especially me. Because somehow, I was always the problem child. Aurora Whitmore and Aria Whitmore. The Whitmore twins. That’s what church members called us proudly. Like we were perfect examples of holiness. But we weren’t the same at all. Aurora was soft spoken.she was careful and obedient Church people loved her. Me? I was the difficult daughter. The one they whispered about after service. The one my father was constantly praying for. “Answer me, Aria!” he shouted again. Before I could speak, Aurora talked quietly beside me. “Daddy… she wears them in school too.” I turned to look at her immediately. She still kept her eyes down. Like she was ashamed. Good. Because she should be. Something painful settled heavily inside my chest. Then my father stood up slowly. The belt was already in his hand. The atmosphere changed instantly. My mother stood near the staircase silently like always. She was watching as if she was watching a TV drama.I knew she would never interfere. Victor leaned lazily upstairs like none of this concerned him. Then David came downstairs. My brother. The only person in this house who sometimes made things feel less suffocating. David wasn’t rebellious exactly. But he liked fashion too.He always wear a fresh sneakers,neat shirts and expensive watches. Sometimes chains hidden under his clothes where my father couldn’t see them. He understood me more than anyone else in this house. His eyes met mine briefly. That one look said enough. You okay? I looked away first. “Stretch your hand,” my father ordered. I didn’t move. “Aria.” I swallowed hard. “No.” The word slipped out before I could stop myself. Everything became silent immediately. Even Aurora looked up sharply. Because nobody says no in this house. Nobody. My father stepped closer slowly. Then the slap landed hard across my face. My head turned instantly. Pain burned through my cheek. Aurora gasped softly. My mother whispered my name under her breath. David moved slightly forward then he stop. I touched my cheek slowly. I already knew there would be a mark. I hated marks on my face. Hated them so much. Not because of the pain. But because they reminded me how powerless I was in this house. “You can hit me,” I said quietly. “But I’m still leaving this house one day.” Aurora stared at me like she didn’t know me anymore. My father didn’t respond. The belt came down again. And again. Later that night, the house became quiet again like nothing happened. That was normal here. Pain happened. Then silence covered it. I sat alone in the bathroom staring at myself in the mirror. The mark on my cheek was already showing. I touched it carefully and looked away angrily. A soft knock came on the door. “Aria?” David. I quickly faced the sink. “What?” The door opened slightly before he stepped inside carefully. His chain flashed briefly under his shirt before he adjusted it quickly. His eyes immediately went to my cheek. His jaw tightened. “Damn,” he muttered softly. “I’m fine.” “That’s a lie.” He stepped closer and touched my cheek gently. I winced immediately. His expression changed at once. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then he sighed. “You seriously don’t know when to stop talking.” I almost laughed. Almost. But the anger inside me was still burning too much. “She told him,” I whispered. David leaned against the sink quietly. “Aurora didn’t mean it like that.” “She still said it.” He stayed quiet after that because deep down, he knew I was right. Then he reached into his pocket and dropped something into my hand. My earrings. I looked up immediately. “You picked them up?” He shrugged slightly. “Thought you’d want them back.” That small action almost hurt me more than the slap. Because somebody still cared. Even just a little. David rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before speaking again. “Just… don’t let this house change who you are completely, okay?” I looked at him without answering. Because honestly… I didn’t even know who I was becoming anymore. After he left, my phone vibrated. I picked it up immediately. Vanessa. Of course. She somehow always knew everything. VANESSA: Heard what happened tonight. I sighed. Another message came in immediately. VANESSA: Remember we’re going to my house during school hours tomorrow. Don’t let this hold you down. You’re not weak, Aria. Then another message entered. VANESSA: I promised to teach you something new, remember? I stared at the messages for a long time. Vanessa lived in a completely different world from mine. Her parents were Rich.she had freedom,she was fashionable, confident. Everybody in school admired her. Honestly… Sometimes I admired her too. She went to parties and clubs freely. Meanwhile, I had never even stepped into one before. But Vanessa promised one day she would take me to a real night party. Everything about her life felt exciting. Free. Everything she had… I didn’t. And after reading those messages, I found myself looking forward to tomorrow more than I should have. Maybe because for the first time in a long while… Something in my life was finally about to change. :::