Deal accepted
"Lyla… how can you sleep with your sister's husband?" Polly asked, her voice low and disappointed.
Words caught up in my throat; I was attacked by the sudden question. I couldn’t speak, instead sweat dripped down my forehead.
"Wait, how did you..."
"Hear about it? Well, Madam Silina announced it. But, bro, why would you sleep with your sister's man?"
"I did it for my mother! I was helpless! And I know that Madam Silina won't refund his money, he planned all this!" I snapped, my jaw clenching hard.
"Indeed, he set you up. Now you’ve become the laughing stock of everybody, especially Ryen. She's been going around talking about how she will make you miserable."
"Well, fuck her! She better not mess with me, because I’ll pop my fucking hands into her fucking eyes!" I was already too angry, too pissed, too broken.
"But I wonder why Madam Silina would announce it though. Makes me wonder if she ever liked you," Polly said, and I almost lost my sanity.
That witch! How dare she!
Immediately Polly ended the call, and I sat up. I was hopeless and just wanted to save Mom. Madam Silina wasn’t going to refund the money, and now she was telling everyone about it… ridiculous.
I lay back on my bed, my heart pounding so loud it felt like it would explode. My hands trembled. I needed to find a way out of this. I didn’t want Mom to find out, she might pass out.
I got drowned in my thoughts and didn’t realize I’d fallen asleep, not until the sound of clattering plates jolted me up. Immediately, I stomped out of my room.
"Mom!" My heart skipped, but opening my door, I found Mom washing the dishes, with a smile on her lips.
"What happened, dear? Why do you look scared?"
I sighed in relief seeing how healthy she looked this morning. "Good morning, Mom. It’s nothing. I have somewhere to be; I’ll be right back," I said hastily.
"I see. Won’t you at least eat?" Mom asked, but I just ran into my room.
Although Ellie didn’t put a specific time, I needed to be there. My anxiousness wouldn’t let me stay in this house for one more minute.
I quickly took my bath, putting on casual jeans and a top. I grabbed my phone to take a look at the time, it read 9:00 a.m. I didn’t care; I just wanted to be there.
I grabbed my phone and sprinted out of the house, assuring my mom I’d be coming back soon. With that, I booked a taxi and headed straight to our meeting spot.
Getting to the place, my jaw dropped seeing Ellie waiting outside the shop, dressed in an expensive gown worth more than our apartment, matched with an expensive designer bag.
I inhaled deeply and headed toward her.
"You’re late!" she said coldly.
I didn’t respond.
"Can we go in now?" I returned the same cold energy, and her expression darkened.
I pushed the sliding door open, and we walked in, finding a seat in the corner.
She placed her bag on the table and crossed her legs.
"I’ll be making this quick and sharp," she said, glancing at me while I continued staring, waiting desperately.
"I want you to continue sleeping with Diego, as a distraction for me and my lover."
I frowned slightly, my head banging in confusion. What if he finds out?
"I don’t understand. Continue sleeping how? What if he finds out?" I asked, my mind rough with confusion.
And how do I even meet him again?
"Yes, in order not to ruin your life, you need to continue sleeping with my husband, by coming to live with me," she added, and my eyes widened.
What about Mother? Is she insane?
I gritted my teeth so hard I could feel my jawbone surfacing. "What about Mom? Who’s going to watch over her? You know she’s sick, right?" I asked, my voice raised.
And she smirked.
"Yes, I do. But you don’t have a choice." My eyes widened in dismay.
"You will have to find a way to give your mother an excuse to come stay with me for the plan to succeed. In return, your mother will be flown out of the country for proper health care," she said.
I lost it and snapped. "Why are you calling her your mother? She’s our mother!" I corrected her angrily.
And she hissed. "Speak that for yourself. She’s your only mother, not mine. She failed me as a kid."
Then I burst into bitter laughter. "She failed you, or you disappointed her? You ran away, leaving us, not even thinking about us!" I clapped back, my eyes burning with anger.
"Yes, I ran because she failed," Ellie spat. "She couldn’t marry a wealthy man. All she did was marry bad luck. I can’t suffer!" she sneered, her hands seductively coiling around her hair.
I wanted to slap her so badly. I wanted to pull her hair and make her feel pain. But I swallowed my anger and inhaled deeply. Not yet.
She was talking about Mom being treated abroad, and that was the only thing holding me back.
"So if I move into your mansion, what’s next?" I asked.
"You seduce him, and Mom will be immediately flown abroad. If you agree, she’ll be placed in one of the best hospitals in Spain. You just have to choose, between your mom’s life and your pride, which is already lost," she said with a mocking laugh.
I took a side glance at her.
Yes, I needed to save Mom. The money I had wasn’t enough for her treatment. There were a lot of debts I needed to pay up too.
Then I sighed, my breath trembling.
"Yes, I’ll accept it. I’m doing this for Mom," I said, defeated.
And she grinned, satisfied.
But at that moment, it felt like my soul had been sold.
The weight in my chest grew heavier with each passing second. I could barely breathe as I watched Ellie pull out her phone and start making calls, probably arranging whatever wicked plan she had in mind.
I sat there, silent. A thousand thoughts ran through my head, how did my life end up like this? How did I become the woman everyone gossiped about, the woman who betrayed her sister, even though I was just trying to save my mother?
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not in front of her.
She looked up at me again, smirking. "Welcome to my world, sister."
I wanted to scream. I wanted to walk away. But I couldn’t. Because somewhere between shame and sacrifice, I had lost control of everything that once made me human.
And as I walked out of that café, my heart felt heavier than ever, knowing that from this point on, I wasn
’t just living for myself anymore, I was living for my mother. Even if it meant destroying what was left of me.