Between Three Hearts

"I am not getting married," I screamed out loud as tears dropped and escaped from my eyes. Everyone in the room kept their eyes on me as I said those words.

My parents were known as the perfect couple, but they were quite the opposite. Growing up, I was always locked up in the basement, with just a piece of a torch as my source of energy. Darkness and I rolled head to head each passing night, and they did nothing concerning it. My father had called me imperfect, separating me from my three junior siblings, whom he called the ultimate perfection.

Three square meals aren't an option when you aren't perfect. I was treated more like a slave; I couldn't show my face to anyone who visited, and my friends weren't allowed to see me. I didn't have friends to begin with anyway.

I could only talk whenever I was spoken to, and I could only smear a smile whenever I was asked to. My siblings treated me like trash, and I didn't care since I had no other option than to adhere. I had no emotion or will of my own till I turned 18.

Staying in the darkness tuned my beauty to the max, and I ended up getting more respect from outsiders than from my own family. After a while, my family recognized my beauty and made me theirs again, giving me the perfect treatment taking me out, and introducing me as their daughter. Little did I know I was going to be sold out to an unknown billionaire, who they claimed owned multiple penthouses with an elite hospital for the wealthy and was to get married the next day. Who does that?

"Taylor Reed, do you know you are talking to your father?" My mother tumbled out of the room with her gown as elegant as ever. The billionaire didn't feel hurt by my words as he laughed his butt out at the words I spat out. He moved towards me, not letting my parents settle their scores with me. His right index finger made contact with my chin, bringing my face up to meet him. "No one has ever rejected me before. Maybe I made the right choice picking you," he said before withdrawing home with his men.

"You're getting married to him no matter what. Show some respect, Taylor, and be useful." Those words hurt more than any others I've felt. They didn't understand me, and they never did; they only did what they wanted and not what needed to be done. This wasn't how I planned it; this wasn't the plan I had for myself.

"Love is useless in situations like this; get a life, sister," Christabel my immediate younger sister, said before returning with my other siblings. What a wonderful stunt they played!

With rage, I walked out of the house. Taking my car keys and driving out of the house. The bar was the only way for me to clear my head, and I was going with it after all, I was to get married the next day. Within minutes, I was at the bar, taking alcohol into my system and trying to drown my sorrows. The life of being on the sidelines was pretty devastating, and I was a pretty devastated creature.

As toxic as it looked, I was into it, and it was going into my system at a rapid rate. My emotions poured out under the influence of alcohol, and I ended up taking up a bottle of brewed beer and breaking it on a petty man's head. He was as drunk as me definitely and he was also much crazy. A battle of bottles broke out in the bar, and the bartender had to run for his dear life, locking his shop and taking his hard-earned money away.

The battle got bloody, and I ended up unhurt somehow and in the hands of some stranger. He had a handsome look, and his blue eyes were pretty much calling for a girl like me. That was impossible, though; I was to be married the next day. What a pushover!

"Let me get you to a hotel room. You're better off there than here," he said, lifting me off the floor and onto his back before walking to the closest hotel room. Before reaching the room, I got a little uncomfortable and vomited on his back. Thank goodness we were there already. I was still a little bit conscious to see the people in the room gazing at me with pitiful eyes, or maybe it was him.

The smile on the receptionist's face felt mischievous; I couldn't hear anything since I was still not in shape. She handed him the keys to a room, and in the blink of an eye, we were in a room worth talking about. Forget the fancy lights; it has the best beds one could ever wish for. Though I slept on a rumpy old bed till I turned 18, I still rather enjoy some cozy and warm bedtime. With one move, I was off his back and onto the bed. He grunted a little bit after dropping me as he bent to get his backbones in good shape.

I was sweating profusely for no reason, and he could tell. He moved around, turning on the air conditioners in the room, before taking off my shoe. He was a pretty nice stranger. I started by buttoning my T-shirt, revealing my blouse. I didn't care if he was looking or not; I needed something cool enough to fill me. I took off my blouse the next minute and sent it flying the next moment.

He chuckled a bit before taking the sheets and covering me. As I was about to leave, I tugged at his shirt, bringing him towards me and kissing his lips. He looked at me with a shocked expression and expressed his disapproval, but I didn't care. It was only for tonight.

"Shhhhhhh, I want you in me."

I woke up to the beautiful fragrance of hot ginseng tea. My body was filled with immense peace and joy. The stranger was gone, though, but he left a beautiful message.

I didn't regret the rump with the stranger last night. I didn't want to lose my pride to some man I didn't know before, but I just did to some other man I also didn't know before. I am just so perplexed.

I returned home to the unyielding chatter. My parents were fuming, and surprisingly, they welcomed me with open arms. Maybe they thought I ran away before because of some parents I have. I got to my room to find a sparkling white Cinderella wedding gown on my bed with some letters. They were well wishes from the neighbors, and they were so touching that I thought I was going to cry. The next minute, I was in the shower, cleansing off the bad things I had done in a single night. It wasn't easy to forget a rumor like that; if the billionaire turned out well, I'd have myself to blame.

As I walked into my house, my parents took me by surprise. I thought I was going to get a huge scolding, but surprisingly, they just checked if I was alright. Maybe they thought I ran away-such pushovers. After a while, I ran to my room to get prepared. People were coming to this wedding, and I couldn't help but be anxious as to how they knew about it. Maybe I was the only one left to find out a day before the big day.

Upon opening the door, the sight of a brand new Cinderella wedding gown crossed my mind. It was beautiful and expensive, judging from the material used. There were a lot of letters on the bed; all were from the neighbors who I had helped out. They were busy and weren't able to come, so they passed their regards through the letters. Their words were so touching that tears escaped from my eyes. They also sent money to me for upkeep and all that.

After washing up and having my makeup done, I was off to the event center. The billionaire had brought the Pope to the center instead of us going to the church. What a rich man he is. With a dry and witty smile, I entered the car sitting behind my mother, who kept showing off her face to everyone on her social media with the hashtag The young shall grow.

The event center was beautiful, but surprisingly, it was the perfect color I had in mind. Maybe my mom knew a little too much about me than she should. My dad was prepared to take me to the alter, holding out his hands for me to grab onto. Am I fit for this kind of thing?

I looked around, witnessing the happy faces of the people there. They were all dressed in expensive clothes, and their jewelry was off the chart. Pretty tempting, I'd say. Avery had finished his walk to the alter and was waiting for my father to bring me up to meet him. I looked at my father, who spoke to me with his eyes alone. From the look he begged me to play along, he begged me to take his hands and walk up to the damn alter and get married to the damn billionaire I just met yesterday.

"Let's go, Father," I spat out, positioning my arms in his while holding the white and red flowers my mom had passed me. Usually, flowers are too white for weddings, but this man had a strange taste. Keeping up the fake smile, I could see various men and women all happy that I was getting married, or was it the billionaire they were cheering for?

The altar felt like a stage to me. My father left me at the altar with the charming billionaire Avery, who was staring at me like I was some chick he was going to have in his bed for dinner. Or maybe he was? The Pope kept on checking the period and finally commenced the vow-tying ritual.

He was still staring at me like I was some prized possession he wanted to keep in his house to add to his collection. I started to rethink. What if he maltreated me? Was I going to be a full-time housewife? Was money going to give me the happiness I deserved? Is love really necessary to get married?

I froze as they asked me to take the sapphire ring out of the case. "Are you alright?" he asked, bringing me back to reality. "I'm fine," I said, taking the ring. The Pope didn't care about my reactions; judging from his behavior, he had been hired for this moment to continue regardless. Somehow, he was.

"Will you, Avery Brooks, take Miss Taylor Reed as your wife? in health and wealth, in times of sickness and stress, and situations of life and death?" the pope declared.

"Yes, I do," he replied, taking my hands and wearing the ring on them. This was wrong for me. I was going out of my comfort zone to impress my parents, who did nothing but keep me in the darkness all my life. I would be a fool to accept such a request, though I was forced to.

"Will you, Taylor Reed, take Sir Avery Brooks as your husband, in health and wealth, in times of sickness and stress, and situations of life and death?" the Pope said, looking at me. I looked at my parents, who gave me a thumbs up, indicating a positive reply. The guests were anxious; they were in suspense. What would be my next move? Will I make it, or will I break it?

I needed to make my decision now, in front of the population. In front of his parents, my parents, and their most blissful friends. I have no other choice.

"I refuse".

There was an uproar in the room. They were in disbelief, knowing no girl would ever come this far with a man of his status, only to reject him on the altar. What a mess I'd created with my own hands! My parents were disappointed as always, giving me the terrible look that gave me sleepless nights. No one wanted that to happen, definitely; it wasn't supposed to happen if I had given in to their will.

"I am sorry, I just can't marry someone I don't know," I said, throwing his ring at him before leaving the event center with tears in my eyes. My parents followed suit, but I was faster, taking out the car keys I had hidden and driving away.

I clasped my hands as I rushed into my room, taking all my valuables and loading them into the car. The letters weren't an exception since they were my most prized possession. Loading it all into the car, I took a quick look at the house I had lived in for years and the horrible memories that came with it before taking my position behind the wheel.

No one is ever going to stop me from doing what I want now. I am never going to be a burden to be sold off, nor am I going to be in the dark ever again.

The hotel wasn't the best option for me, judging they had connections with every hotel in the city. My only resource to live in silence was to get myself a small house where I could live in the shadows and not be found. Avery was going to help them look either way, judging that he wanted me for either himself or for the damage I just caused.

All the housing agents claimed small buildings were quite expensive due to the number of immigrants coming in. I had to get one just good enough to fit me, and the only perfect one available was a little bit above my total budget. Paying for it would mean choosing housing over food.

The only way to do both was to get another means today. My parents definitely couldn't help me out; I was all alone in this. The only solution I had now was to sell off my car, which I just got a few months ago.

The car seller was quite mysterious, but he helped. I got to sell the car at a perfect rate and was able to get the perfect apartment I needed. Though after I had sold the car to him, he was arrested for some illegal transactions, which was scary seeing the way he was pulled into their vehicle.

After a while, I met Jordan Lane, a man of very few words. He was hot and charming at the same time. The perfect definition of a hot CEO. He had made me his assistant in the textile industry and had kept me by his side throughout work. Though I heard men were pretty petty, this man was the complete opposite. We were both single, which is amusing.

Though he was feared in the office as a hard-core CEO, he was pretty nice. His back story is a pretty terrible one, judging by the way he became CEO at the age of 15 and had been left to manage it up until now.

Days passed, and I could finally feel the pressure of being independent. The bills just kept coming, and my earnings moved along with them. It wasn't what I expected, but it was perfect. I had more determination to earn more and be the best at what I was doing.

I needed to be the best at work while hiding from my parents and Avery Brooks. A potential risk, as I'd call it, was what made it fun. My time working with Jordan was fun; he was a cool guy and gave the impression of being perfect, which my father wanted. My thoughts kept rolling on bringing him home as my husband, but each time I recalled that we were just workers, I'd call it a day.

One business morning, I woke up ready to go to work. As I reached for my bag, I felt a certain surge in my stomach, making me run to the toilet at full speed. My meal came pouring out with every mouth-opening I made. I was sure I was healthy since no symptoms of sickness appeared throughout my stay in my apartment.

My eyes began to go awry on me, getting blurry all of a sudden. I managed to get to the living room, reaching for my phone and calling Jordan, before falling to the ground unconscious. Jordan sensed danger coming after several unreturned phone calls. He reached my apartment, clogged up in fear and he threw the door open. He rushes towards me after seeing me unconscious on the floor. With a breath, he lifts me up and into his car, locking my apartment and then driving towards the hospital.

The doctors, in their dire perception, took me in on a stretcher and rushed me to a ward. They knew who Jordan Lane was, and they showed their respect to the fullest, trying to revive me and taking tests on me.

I opened my eyes to the caring glance Jordan sent to me. I could see the change in his face from being bothered to happy when I woke up. The bond of an employee to her employer, he called it.

The doctor came in with a short book in his hands. He had a more worried face than a happy one. From his looks, I could tell he had something bad to report.

"Uhm, are you her guardian?" he asks, looking at Jordan.

"Yes, yes, I am," Jordan says, not caring about the impression he was about to give out.

"I just want to say congratulations to both of you. Mrs. Taylor Reed here is a month and one week pregnant."