Arranged Love

1- Liliana

I always wondered why my father hated me so much.

I'm in my bedroom corner curled up in a ball hiding from my father, he is drunk as usual, and when he's drunk, he's angry. He chooses to take his anger out on me and I'm still trying to figure out why. I start to shut my eyes thinking he had forgotten about me, then he barges into my room fuming with anger. He starts screaming at me about how I ruined his life. "You're a disappointment! You're useless! I wish we never had you!" He screams at me as I can feel tears rushing down my cheeks and into my mouth tasting salty as ever. "You're such a disgrace to this family! You need to be punished for it!" I hear him taking off his belt and my heart drops to my stomach and I let out a sob preparing myself for what is about to come. The footsteps start coming towards me and before I could even look up at him, he smacks my hands with his belt and I let out a whimper thinking to myself "This is just the beginning" He strikes my hands a few more times before deciding that he should move to my back. He smacks the right across the middle of my back and I let out a scream of pain. At this point, I'm on the floor, curled up into a ball crying. He starts laughing at me "God, your so fucking weak" I hear him slur his words. He retracts his foot and I think he is going to walk away, but instead, he kicks me right in my left rib cage. I'm too tired to let out any more cries of pain, so I just accept it. He bends down and gives me one more hard punch on my jaw that is definitely going to leave a bruise. The punch was hard enough that I let out a cry for help that no one will respond to. He stares at me and mutters to himself loud enough for me to hear "Soon enough you'll be out of my life" and he walks out of my room making sure to slam my door making me flinch.

I just lay on my floor lifelessly not being able to move an inch without screaming in pain. I decide that I'm going to have to let myself sleep on the floor due to the probably broken ribs.

*Flashback*

I didn't get to go to school anymore because Dad thinks it was a waste of time and that I should focus my time on helping him instead of school. I was only 8 years old and I obviously missed school. I was pouring myself a glass of milk because I was thirsty and hated the taste of water. As I was pouring, the cartoon slipped out of my hand spilling all over the counter and the floor. Dad walks in seeming calm until he sees the mess that I had made. He started to turn red, I had never seen him this mad before over anything. That's when I started to smell the alcohol coming off of him. He walked over to me getting redder in the face by the second. He raised his hand and struck me across the face before I had the chance to say a word. That was the first time my father had ever laid a hand on me in a harmful way. I started bawling my eyes out, shocked at the event that just took place. I wasn't even crying because of the pain, it was more so because the look in my father's eyes which used to be sweet, loving, and caring, was replaced by anger and rage. The worst part I can remember about that day, I saw absolutely no regret in his eyes.

*End Of Flashback*

I felt my eyes getting heavy and I couldn't help thinking that it was my fault. I never thought that I was a bad kid or did anything to deserve this, but what if I did deserve it? What if I accidentally talked back to him, or raised my voice at him on accident? I could keep playing out scenarios that never happened that would make him want to do this to me, but instead, I let my brain take a break from all the thinking, and I let myself fall asleep knowing how much pain I would be in tomorrow.