*Unedited*
I'm so sorry, I'm ashamed :'(
@Queenread @kendallblacc Thank you for calling me out lol
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Maadwoa
I whimper as my body is slammed against the hard, stone wall. My body slides down the wall as I hold my hips in pain; this has got to be the tenth time in the past three days. Slowly, I get up again, still holding onto my bruised hip.
"What did you say to me?" Anita barks at me, inching towards me with a scowl on her face. I look up at her with pure fear all over my face.
"I-I'm sorry but I can't share my food with you. I'm... hungry." I stutter out.
That made her angrier and she pushes me against the wall again. My eyes water as I am forced to stare into her dark brown eyes. Her hands grip the collar of my raggedy shirt as she glares daggers at me. She opens her mouth to speak but before she can get anything out, a voice from behind interrupts.
"Anita, just let the girl go!" Gina exclaims exasperatedly. This makes Anita let go of my shirt and she immediately whips her head around to Gina.
"And what does this have to do with you?" she retorts intimidatingly.
"You don't scare me. We barely get food around here and now that we do, you want to take it away from her. Just leave her alone." Gina defends, stuffing a spoonful of the burnt rice in her mouth.
It's been three days since I was thrown in this hell. Three days of torture and pain. The first day was the worst; all I did was cry and get yelled at by everyone around me. When Anita woke up from her nap that day, she interrogated me as if she was an officer, and she didn't forget to threaten to 'bust my head open' if I didn't stop crying. Me being so emotional, I didn't stop crying and so she kicked me on my hip. That shut me up really quickly. I refused any food (not like they offered me some anyway) and just kept to myself, as if they would somehow pity me and let me go.
The second day, I begged to call my friends but they wouldn't let me. The wards told me that the King banned me from having any visitors or contacting anyone; it was part of my punishment. That made me feel even worse; it felt like salt rubbed in the wound. To make it even worse, Anita was bored and thought I was a dummy, so she started practicing karate moves on me. Needless to say, she really hurt me. I have a swollen cheek and broken leg. I wasn't even given a meal yesterday so that was two days in a row that I didn't eat. I hadn't slept properly because I had no pillow or blanket, just the hard ground. I was cold and uncomfortable, especially being in a cell with two intimidating strangers.
Today, I was finally given food (a small portion burnt white rice and tasteless stew) but I was so hungry that I accepted it. But it turns out Gina was hungrier than me because she finished hers and demanded mine, but I said 'no' because my stomach was growling. That's why we are in this situation right now .
"Oh, I don't scare you, huh?" Anita echoes, advancing towards Gina, who was sitting on the floor with the bowl in her hands.
"I believe that's what I just said." she responds with a bored look on her face. If I wasn't scared out of my mind, I would have laughed. But I'm not always stupid, so I kept my mouth shut.
Anita got closer to Gina and I saw her lift her foot up as if she was going to step on her but a loud voice grasps our attention.
"Anita, back away!" the female ward, whose name I found out was Kate, shouts, shooting daggers with her eyes.
Surprisingly, Anita obeyed and backed away from Gina with an annoyed eyeroll. She glares at the ward but goes back to her corner of the cell, leaning her head against the wall as she mutters some colorful words. I guess everyone is scared of someone.
I let out a quiet breath of relief, knowing that Anita would leave me alone if the ward was watching us. The ward points at me, causing me to gesture to myself in confusion.
"Come with me." she mutters, taking keys out of her pocket to unlock the cell gate.
A little joy fills my heart. "Am I being released?"
She glances up at me with an annoyed look on her face. "That was a stupid question. No, you're not being released. Have you forgotten you've been sentenced here for life?"
The joy fades away and the hopeful smile disappears from my face. I was so filled with sadness ever since I got here that I forgot I was damned here for life. Hearing someone say it just made it seem more real.
The ward opens the gate enough for me to slip out and she stares down Anita and Gina, as if threatening them to stay put. Once I'm out, she closes and locks the gate again. She grabs my hands and throws the handcuffs on my wrists, keeping my arms cuffed in front of me. Harshly, she grabs my arm and drags me along with her.
I sadly sigh, my head dropping in disappointment. "Where are we going?"
Kate groans as she drags me through a dark, narrow hall. "For some reason, you have a visitor. Although I don't know why, you're so annoying."
I perk up, suddenly interested in this little walk. "Really? B-but I thought I was banned from having visitors?"
"The King made a special exception for this one."
We finally stop in front of a dark grey door. I couldn't help but feel a little hope in me. What if it was Danny coming to see me? What if he was coming to rescue me?
"Who is it?" I question as she puts her hand on the knob.
"See for yourself."
Kate opens the door and excitedly, I peek my head in, hoping to see a loved one but my face quickly freezes when I see the person sitting at the table.
"What are you doing here?" I spit at her, not taking a step into the room.
She shoots me a sweet smile and flips her hair off her shoulder. "I wanted to check on you."
I scoff. "Well I don't need you to check on me, Afia. Leave."
Honestly, I wouldn't have even been as surprised if I saw Nana sitting at the table instead. Afia of all people? Why is she acting like she cares about me?
"But I came all this way to speak to you." she responds with a fake look of sadness on her face.
"Kate, I don't want to see her. Take me back to my cell please." I beg, looking up at Kate for help.
She shakes her head. "Ms. Nelson requested to see you."
"Well I'm requesting to not see her." I fight back, turning around to leave, but Afia cuts in.
"The King wouldn't be too happy to hear that you refused to speak with his daughter-in-law."
My jaw clenches in frustration as I stop in my spot. I didn't want to admit how scared I was of the King; if he could throw me in jail for life, imagine what else he could do. Of course she was happy to gloat about her relationship with Danny. I bet they are doing just fine knowing that I'm stuck in this hell.
Reluctantly, I turn back around and walk into the small room. Kate guides me to the seat across from Afia and sits me down. After, Kate stands behind us, waiting for one of us to speak.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Afia speaks to Kate with a polite tone. Oh please.
"Yes, Ms. Nelson?"
"I know you want to protect me from this criminal and I appreciate it, but I would like to speak to her privately."
"But--"
"She's handcuffed, is she not?" Afia questions, cocking her head.
"Yes, she is. But it's my job to--"
"Are you challenging me? Because King Forson wouldn't--"
Kate holds her hands up in defense. "Okay, I'll leave you two to talk."
Afia smirks to herself as Kate leaves and closes the room behind her. I rest my handcuffed hands in my lap, sending Afia a nasty glare.
"What do you want?"
She holds a hand to her chest in fake hurt. "I'm shocked. Where's your usual kindness?"
"I asked you a question." I speak briskly, my nose flaring in frustration. I'm not stupid and I know that Afia had a role in me being jailed. I don't know exactly how she did it or what she did, but I know that all of this is not a coincidence.
She hums, leaning forward on the table. "Wow, this place has really changed you. It's only been three days."
I plaster a fake smile on my face. "Aw, look who's counting. I bet you've missed me so much in those three days."
She scoffs, raising an eyebrow. "Don't flatter yourself. I've only been counting how many days it's been since Danny has finally come to his senses and forgotten about you."
The fake smile vanishes from my face and I inhale a sharp breath. She notices the sudden discomfort and cocks her head.
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?"
I guess her and Danny have been happy since I've been put away. I saw the way he looked at me that day I was brought to the palace; he looked completely disgusted and disappointed in me. I wouldn't be surprised if him and Afia were celebrating right now.
"What do you want?" I quietly ask, avoiding eye contact with her.
She smiles and starts twirling the tips of her braids. "Oh, I just wanted to thank you. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
I glance at her, not saying anything. Knowing Afia, this is not genuine. This girl is sick in the head.
"For what?"
"For allowing Danny and I to finally be free of you. It's only been three days but we're already really happy together. It took you a while but you finally showed your true colors by stealing that crown--"
"I did not steal the King's crown!" I interrupt, raising my voice and leaning forward in annoyance.
"--and now Danny knows that you were nothing but a deceitful liar. He hates you and he has every right to because you were only using him--"
"I was never using him. I care about him so much."
"-- for his money and your actions have showed him that you were never the right person for him. He's come to the realization that I have always been there for him and he's even more in love with me than he was before. So thank you, really." she finally finishes, giving me a grateful nod.
I ignore the hurt I feel in my heart and muster up the courage to speak.
"Life's going great for you, isn't it?" I question with a sad smile.
She nods. "Of course. I have the love of my life, I'm going to be a princess, and you're locked up forever. What more could I want in life?"
"Yeah, but isn't this whole thing just... fishy?" I ask, narrowing my eyes,
"Well I wasn't going to mention it but your clothes do smell very fishy. Don't they allow you guys to shower around here?" she says, holding her nose in disgust but a smirk still evident on her face.
I scoff, a crazy smile appearing on my face. "Okay Afia. Pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about."
"I'm sorry, is there something you want to say to me?" she asks, raising her perfectly arched brow.
I lay my cuffed hands on the table, leaning even closer to her. "No but I just...still can't figure out how the King's crown ended up in my bedroom."
She shrugs. "You stole it--"
"Especially since the King and Queen practically banned me from the castle. There's no way I would have been able to get in there with all the security guards and security cameras watching me."
Again, she shrugs with a smirk. "I don't know how your criminal mind works, maybe you--"
"But then I got to thinking and it hit me. Who has unlimited access to the castle, hates my guts, would love to see me suffer, and also happens to know where I live?" I question her, gazing into her light brown eyes.
Her face hardens and she leans forward, not breaking her gaze away from me.
"Who?" she questions in a daring tone.
I smile. "You."
She blinks at me, not saying a word. I could have sworn I saw some fear flash in her eyes, but she quickly recomposes herself.
"I'm not quite familiar with jail talk. Please, use English to explain what you're implying."
"You stole the King's crown." I bluntly say, not wasting any time. I didn't even know if it was true or not, but I know I definitely didn't, and she definitely had motive to.
She stares at me in silence for a second before she giggles to herself.
"Maadwoa. You're delusional."
I hum. "Am I really?"
"Yes. Yes, you are."
"So, you didn't steal the crown and frame me so that I would be thrown in jail and out of your way?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at her.
"I really feel bad for you. The guilt you feel for stealing the crown is eating you up so much to the extent that you're creating ridiculous scenarios in your head. Accept the fact that you're a thief and you're paying for your actions." she shrugs, giving me a smirk.
I lean back in the seat. "Fine. The truth will come out and I can't wait to see your face when I'm vindicated."
"And I can't wait to see your face when Danny and I get married two months from now." she responds with a sweet smile, only making the confident smirk on my face disappear. She fakes a surprised gasp, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Oh my gosh, I didn't tell you. Our wedding was moved up to 8 weeks from now. We didn't want any desperate criminals to try and ruin our future together again. I would totally invite you but you're kinda stuck here for life, so I guess that's one less party guest." she finishes, narrowing her eyes at me.
Even though I was close to breaking down, I wouldn't let her see it. I kept the stoic look on my face. "And I guess that's one less pathetic fairy-tale wedding I have to see."
Shut up, Maadwoa. You wish you were the bride in that 'pathetic' fairy-tale wedding.
I tell my inner voice to shut up right before Afia speaks again.
"Well then I'm sure you know that fairy-tale weddings are a result of true love between two people. And you're probably waiting for him to come rescue you because you still believe he loves you, but the truth is he never did and he never will. So yeah, I guess that is pretty pathetic."
I hate myself for letting her words get to me. I already knew Danny didn't love me; I knew it when he admitted being engaged to Afia; I knew it when he accused me of stealing his father's crown. So why does it hurt so much to hear it from Afia?
I bite my quivering lip and look up at her. "I think you've overstayed your visit."
Just as I said that, Kate opens the door. She peeks her head in and glances at Afia.
"Ms. Nelson, visiting time is over."
Afia stands up with a smile. "I'll be leaving now. If I stay here for too long, I might become a criminal too."
Before she walks away, she glances at me again, holding her hand out to shake.
"Bye, my friend." she says before glancing at my cuffed hands and faking another gasp. "Oh right, criminals get handcuffed. My bad."
I ignore the taunting tone of her voice as she brushes past Kate and leaves the room. Kate walks over to me and grabs my arm again, leading me out of my room again.
Afia was right; I am a criminal. But the only crime I committed was falling for someone that I knew would never be mine.
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Song: Mr. Drew, Krymi ft. Sarkodie - Dw3
(I'm not even going to mention the next time I will update😬)