I woke up, again.
But this time in a white room , there was a window through which I could see the other building faraway , the bed was a hospital bed , and by the low and hollow sound of people talking , I figured out that it was a hospital ward.
My hand had been pierced with intravenous, and the back of my head was tingling little bit.
As I sat up straight and a mild light-headed feeling caught me off guard making me take a huff sound and holding my temple.
I touched the back of my head after my recovery from the light-headedness ,
And felt that my hair were sticking in a knots due to the dried blood , the area where I got hurt was still open but the difference I felt was , a hard covering over wound that had become small.
As I saw the bell beside my bed, I reached out to ring it twice, and as soon as I did , two nurses came rushing inside the room.

"I hope you're feeling better? Let's check the recovery and your BP."
She had deep grey eyes with ash brown hair secured in a bun , If you could see , she had a tan which made her look beautiful.
On the other hand the other nurse, with a warm honey skin , big doe eyes that were light brown and freckles decorated her nose and cheeks , came to Me and started checking on my wound behind my head.

"Seems to be in a pretty good state. I think you're good to go home after we run some tests ."
The honey skinned girl said.

As they were about to turn around, I asked,

"How many hours did I not wake up?"

......
They looked at eachother ,

"You've been out for 2 days ."

Shock eminent on my face.

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"You've already lost a lot , and now when you're like a leaf with no tree, you're negotiating ? No words! Hand her over to me willingly at the Cosa nostra ball or else you'll know the outcome of your business. "

His threat stood fresh and abundant, his words were all like the dripping venom from a cobra but his actions would be worse than a lion ripping apart its prey into pieces .
His eyes had laid on her , and he knew he couldn't let her go , because of a secret he kept hidden for the past 6 years. He was always in search of this girl , only if he had known what she'd look like before he hit her hard with his gunstock at her father's mansion, he would have picked her up in his arms and carried her away from this mess.

But he didn't let the thought slip away that where he walked was and will be a mess.

After having received a nod, Kaden Esposito stood up while buttoning his navy blue dress coats buttons and then giving her father a slight tap on his cheek with a devilish smirk that made her father look the other way in fear.

"Pack him up , eyes on everything he does."
He announced before climbing back into his Mercedes and roaring it to life to rush back to attend a few other businesses.

_______________________________________

The door to my ward opened up to reveal hafta and my mother , dressed up in sleek black jeans and a leather jacket , hafta rushed towards me while mom stood near the sofa kept for the attendants.

"Oh my dear goodness! Neffré how are you feeling? Are you okay? We got a call from your father , saying that we need to pick you up from the hospital. "
She was out of breath as she spoke rapidly.

"I- I'm fine. But how did I get here?"
I asked, nervous.

"I don't know?"
Hafta replied making my eyes wide with shock.

That man! That man brought me here?

" don't think much let's take you home. Hm?"
Hafta said.

~

After some paper work and a few check ups, we left . My mother's BMW infront of the entrance of the hospital.

I walked towards the other side while , mother walked towards the driver's seat.
She looked cold and distant , though we exchanged no words, I could sense the tension she was holding inside her head.
Hafta had traveled in another car brought for mother's safety .

She started the engine and we took off.

A few minutes after mother spoke with a straight voice while her eyes never left the road.

"Get ready for the Cosa nostra ball, it's going to start at nine. We're leaving at seven halfway."

My eyes went wide like saucers.

Was this women crazy!? We had just been encountered with the Kaden Esposito's mafia and I had just recovered from a deadly smack to my head that might have deranged my brain for a few moments and this women wanted to celebrate!?

"Wha-"
And before I could continue she spoke again with a monotone.

"We have fixed you with Kaden Esposito. You're getting married to him. He has demanded a bride , and that to a bride that is only you. "
My mouth went dry, my eyes turned glassy and my brain was haywire.

"Wh- why would you do that? I know I was just a huge bruise to your life, but you could have easily disposed me rather than killing me everyday while I'm alive, you could have kicked me out of your womb right when you knew I was a girl! Then why now!? What did I do to you all that you're treating me like I'm an ornament! Why don't you understand I have a dream of my own ! Why don't you understand 'mother's that I also need love ! Not from any other person but from my mother ! I want my mother to hug me , to put her warm-loving hands on my cheeks , i-i my mother to embrace me when I'm not alright! All I ever asked for was a simple show of affection which I could never get ! You all are killing me everyday !"

My sudden outburst made my mother look at me wide eyed, but in her eyes I could see pain in her eyes. A wound so deep inside her eyes that was hurting her inside of her memory.

I'm sorry.
My mind said .

How could I forget that my mother was also a victim of this mafiatic insanity .
Infact all the women were.
How could I forget that the one withholding emmence pain and misery was my mother, who got married to a man with no respect for women, who was to highly pleased inside his own ego , a man who was only bothered about how much profit he made while gambling and while mobbing. My mother was a survivor of 'rape', a victim of 'gender discrimination ', victim of 'violence', victim of ' My father '.

"I'm sorry- ahh!"
I was about to continue when my mother unexpectedly increased the cars speed and took off onto another route that I didn't know.

After a good 30 minutes we arrived at an old utility storage room, we had come to the outskirts of the city. Infront of the huge room was , a small cottage , old with vines all around it.

" I was born here."
My mother spoke after we got out of the car , my mothers eyes roaming all around the cottage , her mind replaying all the good memories infront of her eyes.

" My father was a small mill owner, who would work for bigger company's. Unfortunately that company turned out to one of your grandfathers branch.
We were okay, my father would earn enough to feed us three times a day. We were living in our livelihoods, all happy, just me my mother and my father. I had loving parents who adored me , as a single child they provided me the best. But all the good things went to slumber when my father came home drunk, he never was an alcohol, maybe once or twice, drinking wasn't bad but then he started coming home drunk all the time, everyday.
My mother and father fought , verbal fights turned to physical ones , when words would be deep enough, my father would raise a hand on my mother , I would always hide inside my bath tub, it would break me apart to listen to them fight, once a happy family was now a broken abyss of misery. My father had hit a beer bottle on my mother's head which caused her to acquire a brain Hemorrhage. She died a few minutes after, and stunned my father started crying out of frustration while I saw everything, I was just 14 though and my birthday was the next day. (Scoffs) what a good gift for it. My father slowly joined hand with your grandfather and he demanded my father to marry me off to his son. I was forced , tried to run, but they found me , almost killed me, but I was married. And then what? He had his ways and got me pregnant with your brothers , at just 16. And then you came, after all the males that I'd see walking around the mansion thier male chauvinistic ego, I would handle a girl after along time.
I was excited for u to be Born but the only problem stood that your father didn't want a girl , so he tried to kill you, but I didn't let that happen, I begged and begged for him to let you live , and his condition applied , he wanted you to be like the men in Training , he wanted me to stay away from you, so that my affection wouldn't make you feel that you have a heart , but I'm sorry , I said yes , I followed everything he said because my whole life was taken away from my hands and I was afraid he would take you away from me too."

Tears spiked her eyes and she wiped her eyes with her fingers.

Listening to her story made me feel miserable, I didn't want anyone to hurt my mother , but she was hurt futhermore because of me.

" I saw you grow up behind the walls and I wanted to treat you like a daughter and not a soldier, and now that I can see the exact same thing happening to you I cannot help myself from telling you the truth . That I hadn't been there , but I wish I was , I-I-I could show a little more courage, but I couldn't. I'm sorry ."

We shared our moments of comfort, and came back before evening before we get a call from father.

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Vote pls