Golden Melody

Chapter 8.2

Miexha Verra

Her Pov

Riel and I entered the living room, Kyliah was sitting on the couch, her face grim.
The air hung heavy with the scent of jasmine and the lingering scent of old books.

"Exy, I know you're thinking about a lot right now. This isn't the right time to add to your worries, but" she said, her voice laced with concern.

She looked at Riel and sighed.
"Zat, alalayan mo si Exy. She might not be able to handle what I'm about to say."

Riel looked at me, his eyes filled with a quiet understanding. I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. He took my hand, his touch a comforting weight in the face of the unknown.

Kyliah looked me in the eye, her gaze unwavering.
"Did something happen between you and Thyron?" she asked directly.

My breath caught in my throat, and a cold wave of nausea washed over me.
I felt my stomach churn, and my hands trembled as I gripped the edge of the couch.
I wanted to deny it, to dismiss it as a misunderstanding, but Kyliah's eyes held a chilling certainty.

I shook my head, but the words wouldn't come.
She wasn't even here yesterday, maybe Marie told her.
But it seemed like she knew more than she let on.

Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper, and her eyes narrowed.
"Your father... he's going to order Thyron to claim you."

My fingers dug into Riel's hand, seeking solace in his touch.
I felt his warmth seep into my skin, a grounding force in the face of this terrifying news.
"Huh? What? Wa- Why he would?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Kyliah's voice was a whisper, a chilling wind that swept through the room, carrying with it the scent of betrayal and despair.

"Last Saturday night," she said, her eyes like ice,
"Your father lost to Mr. Hamilton at the casino.
He gambled away everything, even his own daughter, to hold onto the Verra condominiums.
You were the bet.
I was their croupier, forced to watch as your future was traded like a piece of worthless currency." She leaned forward, her gaze piercing,
"And now, Mr. Hamilton wants his prize."

My knees buckled, and the room spun.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I felt myself falling. Riel's strong arms caught me before I hit the floor, his touch as a reassuring anchor in this storm of chaos. He sat me down on the couch, his hand gently rubbing my back.

"Mr. Hamilton is known to have a very disturbing history, you know a pedo" Kyliah continued, her voice a chilling whisper.
"He has a very specific and disturbing taste. If he finds out you're pregnant with Thyron's child, he won't be interested in you anymore."

Tears streamed down my face, hot and uncontrolled.
The image of Mr. Hamilton, a man I had only met once, flashed before my eyes, and a wave of revulsion swept over me.
I couldn't comprehend the depths of depravity my father had sunk to.
He had traded my future, my life, for a gambling debt.
The words echoed in my mind, a cruel and unforgiving truth that shattered my world.

"How could he? Why would he?" I cried, my voice cracking with a mixture of anger and despair.

"Am I really a daughter to him? Am I worthless?" The words tumbled out of my mouth, a torrent of pain and confusion.
"I feel so disgusted, I wish I had never been born!"

My body shook with sobs, my face contorting in a mask of agony.
I felt a deep hatred for my father, a burning rage that threatened to consume me.
How could he do this to me?
How could he sell me off like a piece of property?

Riel's arms wrapped around me, a haven of warmth and strength in the face of the storm.
His embrace was a shield against the icy wind of despair, his presence a grounding force in the chaos that threatened to consume me.
His heart beat against my back, a steady rhythm that calmed the frantic drumbeat of my own.

I clung to him, seeking solace in his embrace, my sobs muffled against his chest. The scent of his cologne, a familiar comfort, mingled with the salty tang of my tears.

"It's not your fault," Riel whispered, his voice a soothing balm to my shattered nerves.
"You are not worthless. You are strong, and you are loved."

His words, though simple, were a lifeline in the darkness.
They offered a glimmer of hope amidst the despair, a reminder that I was not alone in this fight.

But even as his embrace offered comfort, I couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal, the crushing weight of my father's actions.
He had shattered my trust, my sense of security, and left me vulnerable and exposed.

I couldn't hear the rest of what Kyliah was saying, and everything went dark.
But even in the darkness, I knew that this was just the beginning. The fight for my freedom, for my life, had just begun.