Bewedded, Not Beloved

Dear beloved readers.

This content contains explicit violence, hate speech, sexual content, strong language, and alcohol use. Please prioritize self-care and self-comfort if you expect sensitive content.

I humbly apologize for any grammatical errors that you might encounter while reading. I assure you that I will fix them as soon as possible.

I appreciate your time and hope you enjoy my writing.

Although this may be beyond my usual scope of knowledge, it's precisely why I felt compelled to share it.

I'd love to know what you think about it (be honest, not brutal, but honest, lol). Please share your review.

I hope that it is not only engaging but also straightforward and easy to comprehend.

Don't forget to leave a comment about your favorite character or favorite moment in the story.

Please let me know if there are any grammatical errors, I beg.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Happy Reading!

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On a Friday afternoon, there is a house that has eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, a small old library, and a huge open great room with a curved wall of windows. The house also boasts curving stairways that provide a stunning view.

The library's interiors are still exquisite despite decades of neglect and haphazard maintenance, but the property is in disrepair due to the high cost of maintenance.

The house may seem abandoned, but 20-year-old Maizah Igwe and her aunt Masara Igwe live there.

In the bedroom of the young woman, the big doors are both open, leading to a medium-hung balcony that has no posts or other visible supports. There's a built-in seating with a small table.

This small balcony, partly enclosed by a railing, offers a clear view of the lush green forest. Once a well-manicured lawn adorned with vibrant flowers, it has been left untended for years.

A petite woman is sitting on top of a railing with both her hands holding onto the steel. It's not an intelligent decision to be sitting on the fence as she could fall off the balcony or on her back on the marble floor inside the balcony.

She is wearing her mother's vintage wedding gown, which has a timeless charm. The dress is adorned with lace, sequins, hand embroidery, pearls, and a footrail. It looks like it was worth a lot in its time.

She also wears a chignon hairstyle, a classic and sophisticated look that's been in fashion for centuries. This style involves twisting the hair into a knot or bun at the nape of the neck and securing it with hairpins. Also, her hair is adorned with shimmering silver and white jewels.

She looks beautiful and elegant, but her expression seems gloomy even though she's supposed to be happy on her special day. It's unclear what might be troubling her, and one can't help but wonder who could be so evil as to sadden such a young woman.

Her legs were both hanging on the other side of the ledge. Looking down from five stories above the streets of Centurion, she can't help but think about suicide. She will undoubtedly die, especially if she lands on her head on the solid concrete, but also, with her fear of heights, she will probably die before her body hits the floor.

She continues looking at the concrete ground, and she can't help but picture how her body would land. The time it would take for her heart to stop.

If she dies instantly, she probably won't feel pain. Especially if her head splits open and her brain goes everywhere, she will likely be brain dead or brain splattered. In her case, after a few seconds, her heart will stop beating, and she will depart from this world.

The worst-case scenario is to survive a fall, become paralyzed, and suffer through the pain. But is she willing to retake the risk of paralysis?

Who's going to assist her and tell her that the higher the fall, the likelier she is to die instantly because if she survives, the pain will be even greater than imaginable?

Well, no one will tell her, just like there's no one by her corner to give her the speech about cherishing life and stuff... But then again, if she is considering suicide, that means she has already cherished her life, and who is going to stop her from escaping reality, which may be more painful for her than anything else?

"If I ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there," She murmurs with her eyes closed, her head tilted upwards. After a few seconds, she releases a long, deep breath and slowly opens her eyes.

Above, the clouds are still grey but without the denseness of yesterday, allowing patches of blue to form. Gaps widen and close. One slides right under another, and as always, they change shape.

She quickly shook off those horrible suicidal thoughts, moved away from the ledge, and stepped inside the balcony. She goes out for fresh air, yet she ends up thinking about suicide.

As she steps off the railing back to the balcony, her right foot lands on top of her dress, but she doesn't notice. He's still trying to figure out what to do with her life, but one thing is sure: as long as she's still alive, she's getting married whether she wants to. It has been decided unless she can suddenly win a lottery worth millions or magically transform papers into banknotes. Still, both things are an eagle flying above clouds on a stormy day.

"Maizah! What are you doing? Stand straight. The guests are waiting for you!" Says a beautiful petite woman in her early forties as she takes long strides with her two-inch heels clicking as she walks towards the balcony.

The young woman quickly fixed her posture, but the moment she rose, the side of her dress next to her ankles ripped. Hearing the ripping sound, she looked down at the dress with a frown, but before she could do anything about it, she was dragged by the older woman back inside the bedroom.

"I was just waiting for you, Auntie, so I thought I should get some fresh air to calm my nerves." The young woman named Maizah answers with a slight smile on her face while following Aunt Masara

"Those people will not wait any longer, My dove. Do you know Elijah.." Aunt Masara pauses, collecting her thoughts before speaking again. "Your uncle used all the money I gave him to rent a large tent for the wedding." Aunt Masara huffed in annoyance.

"Oh no! At least it's not sunny today, but what did Uncle do with the money?" Maizah answers with a frown on her face.

"That pig! bought a cow with four legs." Says Aunt Masara, pacing around the room.

"Hm! But a cow has four legs, Bambi. I don't think it's going to be a waste. besides, there are even more guests than we anticipated, so I don't think there's anything wrong with a cow." Says Maizah, trying to calm her aunt.

"A LIVE COW MAIZAH. Elijah bought a live beast." Aunt Masara answers with pure horror as if the cow chased her. "Who's going to slaughter a massive and aggressive cow? Ever since it was delivered, it chased people and then ran straight into the forest. They have been searching for it for hours now, and I don't even think that was a cow. It looked more like a Buffalo?" Says Aunt Masara in thoughts as she reminisces what she had experienced earlier when the cow was delivered.

" It can't be a Buffalo. There's no way that money grabber can get a Buffalo, but how did he get a live cow on such short notice?" Maizah asks, but her aunt's mind is still where her short legs are running away while the cow is chasing her.

"Anyhow, someone can just shoot it. It's much easier and more effective that way. Also, there's still a wire around the yard so that it won't get far," Maizah replies confidently, but the furrowed brows on her face betray her. She is confused about the situation with the Buffalo look-alike cow, and she is also worried about her guests sitting outside with no tent. Some people don't like being exposed to the sun for such a long time. What if they start leaving before the wedding even starts?

As for the 'money grabber,' Maizah refers to her Uncle Elijah. He loves money so much that he used to take Maizah's pocket money when she was a kid. Yes, there's nothing she was going to do with the money, but still, he shouldn't have taken his niece's money, but then he did. He said he was keeping it for her, but he never gave it back, so since then, Maizah has given him the nickname 'Money Grabber.'

"Let's just focus on the wedding, little dove. I will take care of that fierce beast of a cow." Aunt Masara answers with a hissing at the word 'cow,' but she gives Maizah a reassuring smile as she moves toward the veil hanging on the big mirror.

"Okay, let me put on my shoes," says Maizah, walking towards the chair next to the dressing table. She sits while taking off her plush slippers and putting on white floral lace pattern ballet shoes. They have no form but a single bow on the front. They are pretty much comfortable. It is more accessible to bend them in half or even roll them up. After finishing her shoes, she wears white gloves while her aunt helps her with a veil.

Feeling like she got everything done, she looks at her aunt with a big grin, and she surprisingly looks gorgeous and happy for someone who just had suicidal thoughts a few minutes ago.

"So, how do I look?" She asked her aunt while twirling slowly so that her aunt could get a good look at her. Aunt Masara's eyes were fixated on her face with a teary-eyed smile. Of course, she didn't notice the ripped dress at the ankles.

"My little dove. You are the most gorgeous bride the world has ever seen." Says Aunt Masara with a sparkle in the eyes. The world? Hmm!

"Oh, Bambi. Thank you so much." Maizah replies warmly as she hugs her aunt like it is the last time they see each other.

A few seconds later, Maizah picks up her bouquet and slips her free arm inside her aunt's arm, and they start walking side by side.

"Has the groom arrived?"

Everyone gathers around to get some coffee and weed. Others get popcorn and soda. Others wear their warm pajamas and get some tissues. Don't forget a bottle of wine and snacks, and read more about Maizah's past.

[ FLASHBACK]

"I'm pretty much fucked" Maizah thinks as she looks at her surroundings. The sun is gradually sinking below the horizon. It paints the sky with a breathtaking display of colors that range from brilliant reds and oranges to soft pinks and purples.

Maizah is on her way home from school. Her sister Laylah got home before her, along with everyone else who went to school with her. She doesn't even know what excuse she will give her parents for being late this time, and she already used all of her tricks. Grade 7 doesn't have extra work, and she was too busy catching up on her games to keep track of time.

Maizah has nowhere else to hide, so she has to swallow the massive lump in her throat, focus on her breathing, and focus on calming her heart that is currently beating out of her chest. She can even hear it thumping as she gets inside the gate.

As Maizah climbs the steps to the front door, she can hear murmuring inside, and there are not only three people but more. Her parents couldn't have possibly called the whole neighborhood thinking she was missing or anything like that, or did they?

At the front porch, Maizah takes a few seconds at the door to brace herself for hundreds of questions that are about to come the moment she steps foot inside the house. Maizah looked around and noticed many cars, which she did pass, but somehow, she didn't even notice them. Maizah was too caught up in her head to see the vehicles, and by cars, it meant it was not only the neighbors but probably her uncles and aunts from both her father's and mother's sides.

"It's about to get ugly." Maizah thinks as she turns the nob on the door and slightly pushes the door open. Everyone inside the house stops whatever they are doing and looks at her.

Maizah feels embarrassed, exposed, and shy. It's like they caught her walking around naked with the way they are looking at her. It's like she is a thief who walked into the wrong house naked, and they are wondering about her next move.

"I know it's rude not to greet guests, but I don't want to be in the same room with them any longer." Maizah thinks as she struggles to maintain eye contact with everyone in the room.

She puts her head down and walks straight into her bedroom, pressing herself on the door as soon as she enters my room, just in case someone follows her.

Fortunately for her, no one is following her.

Everyone in the living room was too stunned to speak, and some understood the little girl's attitude. They thought she already heard the news, so she acted like that.

Her aunt Masara knew she had to talk to her niece.

Maizah sigh as she tosses her school bag on the floor, takes off her school uniform, and changes into her pajamas.

Knock! Knock! A knock on the door interrupted Maizah from her thoughts, and instead of answering who was at the door. She looked at the closed door as if she would suddenly get X-ray powers and see through the door.

She knew she was in resounding hell, and today is finally the day her parents put her up for adoption or, worse, kick her out.

"Little dove! Can I come in?." A voice called outside the door.

"There's only one person who calls me by that nickname, it's Bambi! What is she doing here? My parents are done with me, and now they sent Aunt Masara. At least I like her, though," Maizah thinks as she fixes herself and prepares for her punishment.

"Yes, you can come in," She replies, her voice cracking. Her aunt enters with a warm smile on her face. Her big brown eyes look a little glassy and puffy, which confuses Maizah, but she decides not to ask because after getting punished by her parents, it will be her looking like that.

"We were waiting for you to come back for a while now. Where were you?." Aunt asks softly. She walks towards Maizah and sits at the corner of the bed.

"Everywhere but nowhere," She murmurs so low, but her aunt hears her because she decides not to ask again.

"Do you know why everyone is here?." Aunt Masara asks. Maizah's heart starts beating faster, and she has a pretty good idea of why they are here.

"Yes, I do," She replies as she feels hot tears forming in her big eyes that look exactly like her aunt. Maizah looks down, trying to stop her tears from falling, but that is the dumbest mistake because they keep falling like rain with no sound coming from her mouth.

"Oh, Maizah. I'm so sorry. We thought it should be the family to tell you that. You didn't deserve to hear it outside. How are you holding up?." Aunt Masara asks awkwardly, patting Maizah on the back.

"I will miss them," Maizah replies, crying softly.

"It's not like anything else will go wrong just because my parents decided to kick me out at the age of 9 years. I have been a bad daughter; I can live with that, and it's not like they are sending me away to live out on the streets. Aunt Mascara is my father's sister; she's family, but I will surely miss them." Maizah thinks as she stops herself from pouring rain out of her eyes.

"Oh my dear, you're taking this better than your sister. She fainted two times." Says Aunt Masara.

If Maizah weren't in this situation at the moment, she would have laughed her ass off but hearing that her sister was also getting kicked out, she stopped laughing and looked at her aunt with wide eyes.

"Wait? What did Birdy do? She's an angel!" Maizah says as she voices her thoughts. "They are also kicking my sister out? She didn't do anything. Why are they kicking her out, too? I need to talk to them. Did they call the whole neighborhood to kick both of their children out? I always knew something was wrong with me, but now I understand it's not me. It's the tree! Of course, it's the tree!." She says, moving towards the door to find her parents and tell them everything on her mind.

"They are already kicking me out, and there's nothing else they can do to me." That's what Maizah thinks, but she's wrong. Though they may spank her, hit her with a wooden spoon or with slippers, or chase her with a wet towel, no one is going to argue with her mind.

"Honey, what are you talking about? Your parents passed away at noon." Aunt Masara replies, but somehow Maizah doubts her, and she believes her at the same time. Her aunt is old enough to know not to joke about that. Maizah stands in the doorway, mouth gaping for a full minute, not knowing what to do, what to say, and how to react.

"Both of them?." She asks softly as the tears start forming in her eyes again, making it hard for her to be able to see her aunt's expression.

"Yes." Her aunt answered calmly. She had already cried the whole day because her one and only brother died, but the last thing she needed was to cry in front of her niece.

"How did both of them die at the same time?." Maizah murmured, confused, but Aunt didn't hear her, so she asked her again."How did they die?."

"I'm so sorry, little dove. They got into an accident." Aunt answers honestly. No one knows how the accident happened to the Igwe couple, and they don't even know where they are going.

Maizah's ears stop listening when her aunt says accident, so someone out there just had enough and decided to drink and drive and hit her parents, or was it a truck driver? Bus driver?

"Were they hit by a truck?" Maizah softly whispers to her aunt. It's always the truck driver.

"No, little dove. A drunk teenage boy hit them. He was not injured, so after the collision, he ran away from the scene, leaving a few witnesses who saw what happened, but no one could identify the boy's face. Also, the police say the car was reported stolen this morning."

"So they don't have a lead on the kid?" Maizah asks

"They don't." Aunt Masara answers with her head tilted upwards to stop the tears from falling from her eyes.

They talked almost all night until Maizah fell asleep, hugging her aunt tightly like she would lose her too.

Just like that, the next day, Maizah woke up paralyzed!

Yes! That's right, the little girl became paralyzed, like she could not walk or do anything at all. Her aunt and all of her doctors took it as a temporary illness. She didn't have any symptoms or had any accidents in the past. Everything seemed great with her records, but they could not explain why the little girl was paralyzed.

The only person who had the slightest idea about the cause was her therapist. The therapist believed that Maizah was traumatized and Aunt Masara was like "...."

Maizah's sister blamed herself for her sister's health, and she knew how she was not close with her parents. Her parents always gave Laylah attention more than Maizah. But that's not even close to the reason. Maizah was happy with the fact that her parents were not paying too much attention to her. Layla was always told by her parents how to act, how to walk, how to sit, how to eat, and how to breathe. Yes, how to breathe. Laylah developed a tendency to breathe heavily, so they taught her how to breathe calmly and sophisticated like a lady. Damn! That's one of the reasons that made Maizah not care about how she was treated.

The therapist, well, let's call him by his name. Dr. Zohair believed that after Maizah heard about her parents' death, Her brain tricked her into believing that she was also in the car accident, and now all those negative thoughts led her to think that they were real.

On top of that, once she realized that she survived the so-called accident, her energy was depleted. The brain allocated whatever was left to "normalize" her system, dismissing everything else since it would consider it not necessary anymore, like remembering everything she used to do daily, including getting the hell out of bed.

So Doctor Zohair continued by saying that trauma caused her body to suffer from a series of alterations that can cause damage to several of her processes, parts of her body, functions, and behavior. Some of that damage can be permanent, and some can be cured.

After Aunt Masara heard the cure part, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least there was hope for her little dove.

And just like that, Maizah was thrown into different interventions like attachment interventions, AEDP, mindfulness, Narrative therapy, Schema therapy, DBT, NFB, hypnosis, mindfulness, and many others.

But did it help, though? No!

Years passed by with no progress, three years to be precise. Everything was exhausting and heartbreaking for Maizah and everyone else who cared about the sisters and their aunt.

How could a young, healthy, respectful, and loving kid just commit suicide with no suicide note explaining her reason unless there's something sinister behind her death? Some villagers still haven't gotten over the fact that a mysterious kid killed the Igwe couple, and no one was arrested for their death. Nothing was done. Everyone just continued living their lives. Some people were in shock about Laylah's sudden death, but some were in doubt, thinking there was something sinister going on in that house.

Others couldn't help but blame the poor Masara since she was currently running the Igwe family business; some people knew it was her family business, and there was nothing wrong with that. Some were curious how was a 'woman' able to run a business. There had been speculation and murmurs about how Masara killed the couple to inherit the company and how her niece (Laylah) was so clever and found that Masara killed her parents, so Masara had nothing else to do but also to kill her niece to hide that.

But then again, that's just some mean people, and mean people who spread rumors want attention and approval. They think life is a popularity contest, and they are shallow individuals who are very insecure and need people to pay attention to them or to be famous to validate their self-worth. They don't know how to form genuine friendships or improve themselves as individuals, and they don't have goals either. Their whole existence is to pit people against one person and to have that person mentally destroyed so they can feel better themselves, and that's precisely what happened with Masara if God and her ancestors turned away from her.

Laylah committed suicide after she got her grade 12 results and found out that she had failed the class. The police said that might be the reason since she didn't talk to anyone that day, and they didn't see a foul place where she was found, so, just like the case was also closed.

Things didn't stop there for the Igwes. There was heavy rainfall for three months straight that led to flooding, which washed away soil nutrients and damaged all of the crops. Masara's business went downhill, and just like that, she was drowning in debt with a disabled 16-year-old girl at home.

She was mourning her niece and her business, and on the other side, Maizah was all gloomy. Smiles ceased to happen, or if they did, they looked so dead. There wasn't any shine in her eyes when she smiled. It was like a plastic doll, eyes in a daze, distant. It was as if she was always somewhere else. Her head, perhaps? Or maybe a whole different world.

She didn't talk much anymore, either. She gradually became more reserved, distancing herself from others and fumbling for her words. It was as if she was afraid to utter a word. As if doing so would lead to punishment. She seemed unsure of herself and insecure.

She preferred to be alone, isolating herself in her room. She didn't talk to her therapist or aunt much anymore. She didn't dream her dreams anymore. She dreamed of being like Batman and finding the Joker kid who killed her parent, but how would she do that now?

She didn't want anything anymore. She didn't participate in her old hobbies anymore. Nothing mattered because she felt hopeless. And the shine in her eyes was long gone; the little smiles she gave were not alive.

"Little Dove, you have been in this room for three years. I think it's time to go back to school," Said Masara, appalled at the sight of her niece; she used to be a chubby little girl, but now she was a skeleton look-alike. Her niece was lying on the bed; if her head were under the covers, she would have been easily missed. Masara's heart broke at the sight of her niece.

Masara had failed her brother; she had failed to protect his kids. She had failed to protect his business. She failed in everything, and there's nothing else she can do; she doesn't even know how to help the one and only person she's left with. She doesn't know what words to use; hell, she doesn't even know if she is in the right state of mind to help anyone, and the rumors she hears about herself don't help either.

"Just leave me alone," Maizah said, shaking her head. "Just... go." Her voice was soft, almost fragile, as if she and her heart would break any minute. Perhaps her heart was already broken.

"I'm sorry, my love, but I have been giving you space for some time now." Said Masar as she walked around trying to find the bedroom bench, which is usually next to the bed, but somehow, it was hidden by a massive pile of tissues. Her maid had just cleaned the room two hours ago, but it looked like it hadn't been cleaned for over a month.

Maizah had been crying, so her voice still cracked and caught in her throat. "There's no point in leaving this room; what for the sun? There's nothing I'm going to do outside except sit in the sun. My whole family is gone. I'm paralyzed. I'm already left behind in school, and there's pain everywhere in my body." Said Maizah. Masara bit her tongue, trying to control herself from saying the wrong words to her niece.

"You can't continue living like this. I am not saying you stop thinking about them, which you must. But you need to follow your routine to get better. There's still hope; you might be able to walk again. You have a responsibility to yourself. I am sure you will come out of the phase that you are still struggling into that it is a reality that could not be helped out and averted. But I ask you to be again brave, my little dove, be positive, be strong, and fight for yourself; I am sure your parents and sister all wanted and expected this from you. Fulfill their wishes and dreams!" As Masara spoke, her voice started sharp, but then, she broke down, and before Maizah knew it, Masara was on the verge of tears, trying desperately to hide it and keep her face and words straight and stern. Her words broke up, and all she could say were stuttering sounds. Hot tears streamed down her face, and she squeezed her eyelids shut in the hope her tears would stop. Her choppy breathing and watery eyes remained for quite some time, and she sat there on the bedroom bench, unmoving.

Maizah noticed her aunt's silent cries. She slowly lifted her head to look at her, but her aunt had her back facing Maizah, and she could see her shoulders shaking as she silently cried. Maizah just wanted to rise from the bed and slowly crawl down next to her aunt and engulf her in a tight hug like how they always do before everything came crushing on their lives like a tornado.

Sadly, the only thing she could do was watch her aunt crying her lungs out. She silently prayed, "If you're listening up there, please help us. If you're busy, just send one of your angels, but if they are also busy, send the devil himself. Please, just anyone. In Jesus's name, Amen."