Vanessa Exposed

As the clock ticked down, signaling the imminent closing of the café, only two tables remained occupied. Vanessa and Vincent lingered at one of them, engrossed in conversation.

Vanessa was the storyteller, her words flowing freely, while Vincent listened intently, his chin resting on his palm as he gazed at the floor.

Despite the dwindling time, their exchange continued, the cafe's imminent closure doing little to deter their shared moment of connection.

— "To be honest, everything was happening. The day I had gone to the brothel for the first time was the harshest thing I had ever done to myself for my family. But my responsibilities blinded me to anything except my family's happiness. I had two customers that night, and I realized my body wasn't mine anymore from that moment. With pain in my body and money in my bag, I returned home to find the most beautiful sight: my mum was getting better, even if just a little."

Vanessa took a little pause.

— "But as I continued to go to the brothel every night and found myself in increasingly dire situations, Heidi always asked me what I did, noticing my feet couldn't handle it and I couldn't walk properly. I always lied, saying I sat in a chair for 5-6 hours straight. Our financial problems had disappeared, and everything in my life seemed to be going smoothly. But then, when we went to the doctor for our mum, the doctor said she had cancer. My world stopped in front of my eyes. The reason I had chosen to become a prostitute, that reason would no longer be alive with me anymore. It's already been seven months since I joined the brothel."

Vanessa's voice trembled with emotion as she paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing

— "Those seven months, I lied to my family the most."

She confessed, her words tinged with regret.

— "But when we learned about mum's cancer, Heidi became consumed with caring for her, leaving me to carry on with my prostitution business without considering the needs of others. And then, a year had passed, each day marked by the worsening of mum's illness. I found myself constantly blaming my dad, holding him responsible for the turmoil that had engulfed our lives."

As she reminisced on those tumultuous times, Vanessa couldn't shake the weight of guilt and resentment that burdened her soul.

The memories were a painful reminder of the sacrifices made and the wounds inflicted, leaving her longing for a sense of peace and reconciliation amidst the chaos of their reality.

As Vanessa returned home that day, she was met with a sight that struck fear into her heart.

Elysia's condition had worsened significantly; she appeared dizzy and her weight seemed to have increased inexplicably.

Vanessa instinctively reached out and tightly grasped her mother's hand, trying to offer comfort in the face of uncertainty.

She could see the fear reflected in Elysia's eyes, a fear that she herself could not fully comprehend.

Desperate to ease her mother's distress, Vanessa whispered soothing words, hoping to bring a sense of calm to the room.

And then, in a moment of clarity amidst the turmoil, Elysia uttered words that would forever resonate in Vanessa's mind.

In a weak, barely audible voice, Elysia spoke words of profound wisdom, words that transcended the physical pain she endured. She said,

— "There are times in life when people cry not only for the pain they suffer, but for the sheer existence of such extreme suffering."

Vanessa sat beside her mother, her heart heavy with the weight of those words. In that moment, she realized the depth of her mother's resilience and the magnitude of the challenges they faced together. 

And as the echoes of Elysia's words lingered in the air, Vanessa knew that they would forever shape her understanding of compassion, strength, and the indomitable human spirit.

Vanessa sat in stunned silence, her mind racing as Heidi's furious outburst enveloped the room.

She remained beside her mother, tending to her needs as best she could, but the weight of Heidi's accusation hung heavy in the air.

The revelation that some men had seen her in the brothel area sent shockwaves through Vanessa's already turbulent world.

Heidi's sudden onslaught caught Vanessa off guard, her eyes wide with disbelief as her sister's grip tightened around her hand.

With a forceful tug, Heidi dragged Vanessa into the living room, her anger palpable as she demanded answers.

— "Vanessa, what do you do at night? Seriously, give me the answer."

Heidi's voice rang out with a mixture of anger and shock, her eyes blazing with emotion.

Vanessa felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she heard Heidi address her by her full name.

It was the first time she had heard such sternness in her sister's voice, and it sent a shiver down her spine. Fear gnawed at her as she contemplated the consequences of revealing her secret.

She feared that if Heidi were to discover the truth about her life as a prostitute, it would shatter the fragile semblance of normalcy they had managed to maintain, leaving devastation in its wake.

— "Heidi? Why are you screaming?"

Vanessa's voice wavered with a mix of confusion and concern, her eyes searching for a hint of understanding in her sister's fury.

Heidi's mocking retort cut through the air like a knife, her words dripping with contempt as she made her accusations known.

— "I am screaming, yes I am. How can you lie to me, Vanessa? And how could you stoop so low as to sell your body?"

Vanessa met Heidi's gaze head-on, her expression a mixture of resignation and discomfort. Despite the tension in the room, her voice remained calm as she attempted to plead her case.

— "Heidi, hear me out..."

But Heidi's anger refused to be quelled, her tirade continuing with unchecked ferocity.

— "That's enough, Vanessa, that's totally enough. I've heard everything over this past year. I believed in you, I supported you through everything. But to choose to become a prostitute, to sleep with different men every night? How could you sink so low, Vanessa? I can't believe you're willing to do this."

Vanessa's heart sank at the realization of the depth of Heidi's disappointment and betrayal. Despite her attempts to explain herself, she knew that the damage had been done.

The once unbreakable bond between sisters now lay fractured, shattered by the harsh reality of Vanessa's choices.

Vanessa was overwhelmed with shame, her eyes fixed on the floor as tears welled up within them.

She had never anticipated Heidi's reaction, never fathomed that her sister would react with such anger and disappointment upon learning about her life as a prostitute.

— "Didn't you care about our reputation? We lived in a holy society and you? You really think to spend nights with distinct man? How people will think about you and mum? How she will feel after hearing that her daughter is prostitute? And me, I am feeling shame to call you my sister, who didn't care about her pride. You totally changed, Vanessa. I can't believe, that the old Vanessa isn't the one anymore. If you need sex this much, just at least said to me, I will throw you at brothel with my own hands."

As Heidi's tirade continued, Vanessa felt a mixture of pain, anger, and sadness wash over her. She knew she had let her family down, had betrayed their trust and tarnished their reputation.

But amidst the chaos of her emotions, she also felt a flicker of defiance ignite within her.

The weight of Heidi's words hung heavy in the air, bringing everything to a standstill.

Vanessa stood there, her emotions laid bare in the teardrops that welled in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on her sister.

It felt as though her entire world had crumbled within a matter of moments. As Vanessa grappled with the crushing weight of Heidi's judgment, she couldn't help but feel a profound sense of betrayal.

She had embarked on this path with the purest intentions, sacrificing her own dignity for the sake of her family's well-being.

Yet Heidi's words cut deep, revealing a focus on societal reputation rather than familial solidarity.

In that moment of heartbreaking clarity, Vanessa questioned the true motives behind her sacrifices. Whose happiness had she truly sought to preserve? Whose needs had she prioritized above her own?

As she searched for answers in Heidi's eyes, she found only disbelief and sorrow, unable to reconcile the stark contrast between her intentions and her sister's perception.

Discovering a different side of someone you love, one you never wanted to acknowledge, feels like a betrayal of your own heart.

You cling to the image of who you thought they were, only to have it shattered by the harsh light of reality.

Vanessa grappled with this painful revelation, struggling to reconcile the person she knew with the one standing before her.

Yet beneath it all, there lingered a faint glimmer of understanding—a realization that perhaps the person she thought she knew was just a figment of her imagination.

Locked in a tense exchange of gazes, Vanessa and Heidi confronted each other with a raw intensity they had never experienced before.

It was a moment frozen in time, a silent battle of wills that laid bare the complexities of their relationship.

In that fleeting instant, they shared a silent exchange of truths, unspoken yet palpable in the charged air between them.

For the first time, Vanessa and Heidi locked eyes in a silent clash of emotions.

Heidi's gaze bore into Vanessa's soul with an intensity fueled by hatred, criticism, and seething anger.

In return, Vanessa felt a wave of betrayal wash over her, an unfathomable disbelief at witnessing the transformation of someone she once held dear.

The accusation pierced her to the core, leaving her feeling exposed and vulnerable. It was as if Heidi had unearthed a long-buried truth, one that Vanessa herself had been unable to face.

— "Actually you are a prostitute by birth. Is it physically or mentally from everywhere, otherwise why won't you feel anything after dad and Ryn died? Prostitution was made for you, Vanessa."

With each word, Vanessa felt the weight of Heidi's condemnation crushing down on her.

The realization dawned on her that, in Heidi's eyes, she was nothing more than a lost cause—a mere pawn in life's cruel game.

In that moment, Vanessa understood the power of words to wound deeply, to leave scars that may never fully heal.

Heidi's accusation echoed in her mind, a constant reminder of the harsh reality she now found herself in.

And as the silence stretched between them, Vanessa couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to Heidi's damning words.