Chapter 5 THE DECISION

NAYA'S P O V

Witnessing our fight, I noticed Kelly rub her temples in frustration before she turned to us with a contemptuous look. ''Stop your drama, you two!'' she yelled, pointing at us with her index finger. ''You, Naya! You should fix yourself! The last thing I want is for you to get married to Raphael Stewart when you have bruises and kiss marks all over your body!''

''But I don't want to marry him!'' I will never change my mind. They can't force me to marry that ugly man!

''Oh, sure, my dear! Don't try to test me!'' I didn't realize that my stepmother was the one holding me now, and not Clover. ''I'll set up a meeting for you both to see and get to know each other first...'' she gloatingly suggested as she released my arm with a hard push.

''No! I am not doing it!'' I shook my head, narrowing my eyes into splits. The decision that I had made remained unaltered

''Really?'' Kelly scoffed before she pulled out her phone from her pocket. ''You're causing too much trouble! I'll call the hospital right now and tell them to stop treating your nephew!'' she threatened, but before she could dial the number, Clover snatched the phone away from her hand.

''Let me do it, mom!'' she said, smirking evilly at me. ''Let's see how long you last...''

I stared at her stunned, as tears started to well up in my eyes. How unlucky I am to have a family like them in my life. If only I had enough money to pay for Nico's medical expenses, I wouldn't be here, tolerating them blackmailing me. I wouldn't be here suffering in their hands.

I couldn't just let Nico die. Diane was the one who protected me when these two wicked witches arrived at the house. Aside from the fact that I was able to repay my sister's generosity by taking care of her son, I had a great deal of affection for Nico, and I really wished that something terrible would not happen to him because he's the only family left with me.

''Stop crying!'' Kelly shouted furiously. ''I'm sick and tired with all of your drama! Just tell me your decision now!'' When I reluctantly nodded, she raised her hand to stop Clover from calling the hospital's number. ''Hold on, pumpkin. Let us listen to what Naya has decided...''

Not wanting to be stuck with these two greedy witches anymore, I made my decision as I wiped off my tears.

I took a deep breath, and with chin lifted high, I answered, ''Okay. I will marry Raphael Stewart...''

I didn't give a damn anymore about whom the man was, or what my life would be after marrying him. My only concern was for Nico to be treated. He's more important to me than my life right now.

But I was still wondering why Clover didn't want to marry him anymore.

Maybe because of the rumor that he was ugly? Or maybe because she was already carrying my ex-boyfriend's baby?

Well, I don't care. As long as Kelly fulfills her promise to continue Nico's treatment, I'll marry that ugly man.

..............**********................

There was no emotion on my face as I stared at my own reflection. The white dress I was wearing was one of Clover's old collections of designer dresses. They didn't want to spend a penny of extra money on me---telling me that the man I was going to marry was a monstrous one, and the wedding would surely not be luxurious and grand. They claimed that Raphael Stewart wasn't only ugly, but also a poor man.

I never in a million years would have imagined that I would end up getting married to someone I had never even met before. But I couldn't help but feel anxious about the situation. What if Raphael finds out that I'm not Clover? Imagine that, in addition to being unattractive, he was also a murderer. And in the event that he discovers that I was his fictitious wife, he will kill me.

My mind was filled with a plethora of thoughts, which only served to heighten my sense of unease. The mirror in front of me now reflected different emotions on my face. Fear, remorse, nervousness, dread.

'No, no. Don't think something like that, Naya...'

I took a few deep breaths and composed myself. This was the only way to save Nico, and to be completely free from my stepmother and stepsister's evilness towards me. I would no longer stay here in this house and tolerate their bad attitude after the wedding.

''Naya, it's time!'' I heard my stepmother calling me from the outside of my room. I heaved a heavy sigh before I stood up from being seated for almost an hour in front of my vanity mirror.

As I followed Kelly and Clover down the stairs, I couldn't help but frown at how my stepsister looked. It seemed as though she was the one who would be getting married because of how elegant and stunning she looked. She was wearing a beautiful off-the-shoulder gown in peach color, adorned with diamonds all over the garment. She even hired a make-up artist to paint her face, while I only applied face powder and a very light coat of lipstick on my lips.

I heaved another deep sigh as I continued to walk towards the main door, only to be taken aback when I saw a fleet of cars lined up behind a white limousine with a guard waiting next to it.

Is this the car that I'm going to use in getting to the venue? I thought Raphael Stewart was a poor man? Then how could he afford to provide me with these luxury cars?

As I turned my head to look at Kelly and Clover, I noticed that they had the same reaction as mine. Their eyes were wide, and their mouths gaped open. ''Mom! What's this?'' Clover exclaimed dramatically, stomping her feet on the ground. ''You said Raphael is poor!''

''He is! I don't know about this, sweetie. Let's go and find out. I know that these cars don't belong to Raphael. Let's witness how poor and lousy their wedding appeared to be. C'mon, sweetheart!'' she grabbed Clover's hand and pulled towards the limousine.

The guard immediately assisted them, who might have been under the impression that Clover was the bride and not me.

When I got closer to the limousine where Kelly and Clover were in, the guard stopped me from getting inside. ''I'm sorry, Miss, but the cars at the back are for the guests...'' he said politely, motioning his hand at the cars behind the limousine.

I nodded and didn't say a word as I moved, seeing the two women laughing annoyingly as they watched me get inside the car behind them.