Chapter 5 Becoming A Savior?
I was happy.
I was at my uttermost extent of peace, the exhilaration of saving a life was visible through my features.
It felt like I saved myself more than her.
It was my first step towards ’redemption’ after all so I dropped her safely to her home.
Ignorant, the series of the troubles on the journey of saving her were about to begin.
“Tell her to get these impure steps out of our home! She is no longer welcomed here!”
Her father, Greg Whitlock, yelled at her face, pushing her back leading her to hit my chest as I stood flabbergasted.
The display of cruelty by her father was unforeseen, it was not part of my plan.
“What…?”
“Yes, we advised her over and over again to leave that asshole and what did she do? She cursed us instead, calling us the wrong one!” Greg hissed.
Uncaring of the tears soaking her cheek, or the shame collecting in her pretty eyes.
Clutching her dress out of guilt, she was quivering endlessly.
“Don’t say this, Papa, if- if I had made a mistake.. That doesn’t mean you will abandon me…” She cried miserably, praying for acceptance after her harsh time in that marriage.
“The doors of this home closed the day you married Ken, Alyssa. Did you forget what condition we placed when you married Ken?” Greg announced strictly, reminding her of her wrong choices.
“What condition is he talking about, Alyssa?”
I gulped hard when things became rougher instead of finding liberation.
“You can fool him to save you but not us. This is the result of your actions. Tell him too,”
“I… chose Ken… over everything, I don’t need yo- your relations, money, or- or my position… I left it all for Ken,”
Sobbing wretchedly, falling lower in her own eyes, her self-respect was blazed as she could feel the whispering-
“What did she get by marrying him?”
“Was this her choice?’
“Is she happy now?’
“Are you fucking satisfied now that he had thrown you out!?”
“I-I am sorry… I was wrong… I made a wrong choice,”
“But you have no place left with us. I completed my last duty as your father and walked you down the aisle, don’t expect further,”
“Papa, please, don’t say this. Wh-where will I go? I have nowhere, you are all I have now,”
Placing his hand in between dominantly, Greg refused any contact with her.
Ignoring the resonance of painful wailing, or the need to embrace glimmering in those eyes.
She needed her family the most.
Weren’t parents supposed to forgive their children for mistakes?
Where was the compassion? And especially, what was her fault? That she was blinded by love?
“Go back to your fucking husband. You are not our family anymore,”
“Papa, please,”
“Don’t say this, okay, she did wrong but who will accept her if you guys won’t?” I whispered, hoping to convince them.
No, no, no, this couldn’t go like this!
I was frightened inexplicably because ‘I helped her get a divorce, if he won’t accept her, what am I going to do!?’
“You don’t meddle in our family matters, Vince, she made her choices. There is nothing we can do for her,”
“Please,”
“You have died for us the day you choose Ken, Alyssa,”
Her steps stumbled at the cold enunciation.
“Wh-What…?”
Blinking, she prayed hopelessly that she heard wrong but his harsh demeanor displayed it all.
They discarded the love, the endearment, or how precious she used to be to them.
The very people she loved- they left her.
Her world shattered in one night.
“Now get out before I call the security to throw you out!”
Nodding weakly, she sniffled to gather her ravaged condition, “Fine…”
Wiping her tears and retreating her steps, her features hardened as she declared her separation as well.
“I won’t come to you people even on the verge of dying…!”
“Alyssa, no-”
I held my hand out but shouting amid her crying, she ran out of the mansion without any intention of returning after being deserted.
Deeply, negatively impacted at the sight, disgust blended with disapproval as I stepped forth, pointing my finger at Greg.
“You will regret it. How can you do this to her?”
“She is the one who should be regretting. This is her lesson, let her learn, Vince,” He muttered, gritting his teeth.
“I am not heartless like you, I won’t abandon her,”
Rushing after her, I was cursing in my mind. All my plan was going downhill, that instead of helping, I doubled her tribulations.
Fuck!
And by all means, I had no intention of abandoning her.
“Alyssa?”
“Fuck, where is she?”
“Alyssa! Where are you?”
I was searching for her through the streets and saw her almost jumping in front of a truck to end her life.
Horrified at the sight, I sprinted towards her senselessly to grab her.
“ALYSSA!”
Fortunately, pushing her out of the way, I saved her at the last moment but we both fell on the sidewalk.
Panting, I was on top of her, staring at the razed woman hopelessly as she was crying badly.
Panicking, trembling, I held her elbows the second we stood up, scanning her worriedly.
“What the fuck you were thinking!? What the hell is wrong with you!?”
“What else am I supposed to do, huh!?” Screaming, she pushed me away.
The inability to think straight or find a way out of this predicament was transparent, she had embraced the loss, the defeat.
But, that wasn’t what I wanted.
“Can’t you hear what he said!? Tell me what place I have left now!? It’s better to die than to die on the fucking streets!”
“You are not dying on the streets, dammit!” I shouted back.
Breathless, hair sticking to my forehead due to sweat of anxiety.
Still disturbed to fathom what could have happened if I was two seconds late.
I'd be cursing myself for eternity.
“I shouldn’t have taken that divorce. What was I thinking? I left everyone for Ken,”
Sobbing, her body lost its strength as she sat down, covering her face in her hands to conceal the shame.
“What is going to happen to me now? Who will shelter me? I have no roof over my head anymore, Vince,”
“Don't say this. This isn't your fault,”
Running my finger through my lock in frustration, I gritted my teeth, cursing himself because in the end- Did she ask me? I came, I did this.
“I have made myself notorious because of that stupid love.. I am disgraced, people will laugh at me! I have no respect, no home, no family left!”
Ashamed, I sat beside her, hanging my head low. Fists clenching and unclenching to perceive what I must do next.
Slamming her hand down, the constriction in my chest became too much.
Shit, what have I done?!
“Alyssa, hold yourself, please,”
“How can I, dammit?!” She growled, rejecting my touch when I tried to hold her shoulder.
“Are you realizing, Vince, I have lost it all, can you understand my pain!?”
My lips parted to reply but nothing came. Curling my hand in a powerless fist, veins became visible, impotent to find a way to help her.
Roughly wiping her tears with her sleeves, she hugged her knees, whimpering softly to herself.
“Who will accept me now, Vince?”
I blinked, as if I had found my path, “Come again?”
“Who will accept me now, Vince?”
I spoke immediately, “I will,”
“What…?”
“I will accept you,” Facing her firmly, I declared unwaveringly.
“...By which right? Who are you to do this for me?”
“Do I need to become someone?”
“O-Obviously, or else what will they say?”
Placing her hand in between, her body quivered at the unpredictable suggestion, never once in her life, she pictured us together.
Neither did I.
“Who- Who are you to shelter me? Why should I come with you? To increase the talks and be more humiliated? No thanks,”
Uttering quietly, she averted her gaze, declining any further reason to face insult.
To that, I had another thoughtless idea.
“Then come with me respectfully, eradicate all reasons for degeneration,”
Perturbed about where this was leading, she shifted back, “H-How?”
But, overflowing with determination to fix this problem for her since I was the one who created it, I offered wholeheartedly.
“Marry me, Alyssa, I am willing to become your safe-shelter. Let me save you,”