Amanda's Pov
Life isn't easy. Every unanticipated action can truly turn your life upside down giving it a twist, a twist which can either prove out to be a fairy tale or a nightmare. In my case, every fairy tale ending concluded a hideous reality.
"Amanda"
"Amanda"
I was knocked out of my thoughts when mom tried to shake me hard. I gathered my attention towards her and tried breathing hard in order to control my anger. No, I wasn't angry because Samarrah didn't abort her child. I was angry because I was unaware of this fact.
"Why didn't you tell me mom and above everything you lied", I felt like an irrelevant member of the family. After mom sensed the melancholy in my tone, she came closer to me and side-hugged me.
"We didn't want to add up to your problems", she answered me with a small smile.
I made an eye contact with mom, and turned my face away. I was mad at her "I'd be really happy for you. I know I overreacted in the past but that was my reflexes or maybe the overprotective sisterhood that added up flames of anger."
"I'm really happy Amanda. I couldn't really gather the guts to abort something which belonged to me. I promise I'll complete my education after giving birth", Samarrah placed her hand on her tummy, a small smile took birth on her lips which made me smile slightly too.
"No hard feelings anymore", I surrendered my hands in the air and looked at Samarrah. She reciprocated the sentence and gave me a quick hug.
She crossed her legs, took possession of one piece of the cake after cutting a slice from the knife which was laid next to the cake, all decorated with ribbons. She licked her lips when a part of the cake got stuck on it. "You're really lucky Amanda. You're literally living a queen's life here"
"It sucks", I answered immediately and then continued "Well, at least some part of it"
"Aaron is a sweetheart", Mom chuckled.
"Are you talking about Aaron Tveit? Yeah, he is"
"You got to be kidding me Amanda. Aaron Reynolds is one of the nicest guys I have ever met", she folded her arms around her stomach whilst answering me. The reply I got was unsatisfying to my ears because Aaron Reynolds was a sweetheart with selective people. I was included in the list lately.
I thought for a while, whether to tell them the real truth. The way he fraudulently got Samarrah through James, she definitely had the right to know the real truth. I cleared my throat before initiating a conversation. "It isn't as it seems"
"What?" Mom and Samarrah interrogated jointly.
"Mr. Reynolds is the reason for it, the soul reason for your pregnancy and heartbreak. I'm really sorry. It all started with me. I shouldn't have admitted myself at his office at first place", I looked down towards the bed sheet and refused to make an eye contact.
She tilted my chin up and made me face her "You're mistaken. Though, he plotted the story negatively but I was the main character of it. If I wasn't dumb in the past then I wouldn't have been cheated. James set a trap for me and I lost myself to him"
I nodded listening to her without any interruption.
"Aaron isn't bad as he seems. He-he uh", she stammered.
"He..?" I interrogated arching my brows.
"He's been paying all my pregnancy bills lately. He also had been consulting a lot of gynaecologists so that I get the best treatment. He's been putting a lot of efforts even after we forgave him"
"Wait, he apologized?"
"Yes, he did. We turned him down a several times but he showed up every time as a channel to serve help", Mom favored his side.
I was shook, why wouldn't I be? The man I hated for spoiling my sisters life was actually repenting. Maybe, because if me. He'd been helping her with her pregnancy but never once mentioned about it. Some truths should be out in an early phase in order to lock and prevent the shit your tongue and actions can cause.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I interrupted the silence and looked at mom.
"He didn't want you to be aware of it. He's a nice man, the one who believes in keeping his good deeds hidden"
I have mistreated him in the past when all he did was protected my family. Some crimes don't require punishments, the regret and guilt is enough. "Mom, I want to have a word with you, in private. Samarrah can you please excuse us?"
I wanted to clear all my doubts. Mom had the answers, she had to tell me. Samarrah pouted slightly in annoyance and then left the room stating that she'd made herself comfortable in the hall room. Mom furrowed her brows whilst looking at me. Her facial expression denoted the fact that she knew that where the conversation would go.
I gathered my hair into a ponytail, turned my face towards mom and questioned "You were acquainted with his mother in the past. Why didn't you tell me about it?"
Mom widened her eyes, like she didn't expect such a straightforward question. She thought for a while concealing silence all around the environment and answered in a slow tone "I didn't want you to hate me"
"I'd hate you if you keep me unaware of the truth"
"The past always haunts me, makes me guilty. I wish I could change it. If I could, I would", her facial expressions were dim and showed sadness.
I inhaled deeply waiting for the truth. She continued "I was best friends with Aaron's mom. Our families were connected with each other"
My mouth formed an 'o', but I kept silent whilst listening to the rest of the story "I didn't really knew her personally anytime before marriage. Your father had an inseparable bond of friendship with Aaron's dad because of which I became friends with Emily aka his mom. Time passed, our bond got strong along with it"
She cleared her throat "Your father was richer than Aaron's father. We usually hanged out at weekends. No, it wasn't really a casual dinner like most couples and friends did or do. We were engaged in gambling back then. Every royal and rich casino of the city was visited by us. Emily didn't really appreciate it. She distanced herself every time and also guided us to avoid it. But that didn't stop me, stop us. We were addicted to it. Greediness had great control over our minds. Our stakes were always high and so was our winning percentage"
"And...?" I furrowed my brows and waited for mom to complete the story. The story was turning as ugly as a sin. Tears took birth on mom's waterline as she proceeded with the rest of the story.
"We didn't have much luck that fine night. Everything we owned or won was lost by us, our house, our cars and everything which had any amount of monetary value. A merchant agreed to bet on an amount, an amount through which we could regain everything we lost. But, that game included certain terms and conditions. The bet was on Aaron's mom, her beauty caught eyes of the wealthy merchant. If we lost, she had to agree to spend a night with him", I exactly knew where the conversation was going.
"We lost the bet, the game, and also Emily. She at first didn't agree to spend a night with the merchant but we all forced her to, tried dominating her emotionally by using the name of her child. We didn't want to lose everything or let go off a chance through which we could reacquire everything".
"Emily cried a lot that night. I tried convincing her along with his husband. I felt bad for her but at the same time couldn't do anything about it too. She was the only person who could make everything normal and right, at the cost of her body. Her statement yet revolves around my mind, it was 'If being a whore can protect my child's future then I will be one' "
"All she did and everything she did was for her child. She wanted to provide them with a proper lifestyle because we were literally bankrupt and insolvent. No house, no car, no money to pay school fees, we couldn't even bless our stomach with proper food. One bad habit of ours cost us one big life, cost an innocent child her mother"
"Emily saved us all. As agreed, she sacrificed herself. The following morning, everything felt right. Emily's behavior was weird. She seemed happy for a change. She took her kids for a small picnic and left them at her mother's place whilst returning. We couldn't thank her enough so I went towards her, in her room to console her. Deep within, I felt bad for her"
"I took your father along with me but our eyes encountered a view, a devastating view. Emily neck was surrounded by a rope, tightly strangled against it. Her body turned pale white. Your father ran away, considering the fact that it was a police case. I tried giving her body some support through my shoulders. I called her husband too but no one showed up. I succeeded on my attempt to free her but she was dead anyways. She wasn't breathing anymore"
"There was a small note below her pillow. It read 'To Aaron'. I knew it had the other reason which leaded her to suicide. When my curiosity hit no limits, I read the note before transferring it to her son. The real reason wasn't just the night stand, it was deeper. The merchant wasn't the only person who had sex with her. She was raped by 3 other men along with the merchant, my husband included"
"The merchant was not only a businessman but also a porn recording artist. He had the tapes, their love making tapes. Emily came to know about it. She couldn't face herself in the mirror or her son so she just gave up on her life"
"I later came to know that your father knew about everything since the beginning and was also involved in the merchant's cheap act. He kept his personal interest over a woman's interest. He collaborated with those cheap men in order to acquire some extra money through the cheap act. This was one of the major reasons of leaving your father", Mom's eyes were heavy. Her voice shivered as she talked and water kept flowing through her eyes. She seemed guilty, she truly did.
"I feel so sorry and guilty. So, I decided to raise my children all by myself. You guys were very small."
I consoled mom whilst pulling her close to me and engulfing her into a hug. "It's okay"
"I am not a bad mother Amanda. I hope you don't consider me substandard after today", she hugged me back. I rubbed her back continuously as an attempt to console her. She was my mother. Even if I tried, I couldn't think bad or negative about her. No matter she was involved in a wrongdoing back then.
Everything seemed to fall back in its proper place. It felt like I found out the missing piece of the jigsaw of why he got my sister pregnant, why he got the sex tape recorded and why he was so harsh with me. I had every answer of mine. If I was in his place then I would've did something similar or maybe even worse. My father deserved to be in the jail along with his father. He didn't just protect me every time I was in trouble but also saved my life. Mr. Reynolds had a golden heart no matter how much he tried to show it metallic.
"We had a talk about it"
"We...?" I interrogated
"Me and Aaron", she answered.
"He didn't mention anything about it", I stated the truth.
"I requested him to keep this story of the past as a secret, because I didn't want to lower my image in front of your eyes. He agreed to my request and swore that he won't release a single word from his mouth"
Damn you Mr. Reynolds. All those days I wandered that he was protecting his own self but he was actually protecting my mother. I would've hugged him tightly if he was any close to me but to my discontent he wasn't. He was definitely working his ass off in the office. My feelings for him were multiplying in an innumerable rate and maybe now was the time that I had to confess about it.
Samarrah showed up in the room again within a while. She and mom sat with me for some more time, gave my gifts to me, hugged me one last time and left the room.
****
I thought about a ship name.
#Amaron or #Aaranda (The second one is actually very funny.
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