Stay With Him

Standing in front of her father with her head bowed and her scattered blond hair covering her face, Celine's right thumb kept digging into her palms, an occasional spasm passing through her.

When the glass shattered close to her feet, she jumped back in fear and raised her shaky tear filled eyes to look into the red eyes of her father.

"Answer me! Dammit!" Mr. Peters dragged his hair while Mrs. Peters glared at her daughter in the bid to force her to talk.

"I…" Celine gritted her teeth and swallowed, she was too scared to talk but when Mr. Peter took a step forward, she took two steps back.

"What have you done so far? Hmmm?" His steps towards her were slow and deliberate, she was sure he would slap the living daylight out of her if she kept cowering in fear.

"Call him!" She yelled out when he got too close.

"I have called him countless times, sent him loads of messages." She blabbered, anything to keep her from her father's madness.

"It isn't enough." This time it was her mother and Celine tried so hard not to rush over to her mother's side and take a handful of her hair into her hands.

"Don't you know what your body is capable of?" Mrs. Peters who sat with her legs crossed asked her daughter calmly.

"I … he doesn't let me…"

"I don't care. Stop being useless and think!" Mr. Peters had his index fingers hitting the sides of his head as if he would drill a hole with them.

"I swear Celine, I would make your life hell if you don't get the Davies to be our in-law." Mr. Peters threatened before going back to sit close to his wife.

"I will try my…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Celine jerked, still looking towards the floor, not daring to raise her head.

"I will make it happen, I will get Reynaldo to make me his wife." Celine promised, her voice almost breaking at the end but she held herself. She knew what would happen if she let her emotions slip.

"I need to get our company back to her feet as soon as possible." Mr. Peters' voice was calm now and Celine could guess he was talking to his wife but she still didn't look up.

She observed the broken glass a few inches away from feet and wondered what it would feel like to step on it. Would it kill her instantly? Would this gain Reynaldo's attention and make him come to visit her?

"I need to be known in my circle of friends as the in-law to the Davies as soon as possible Sweetheart, I need it to improve my social circle." Mrs. Peters declared coquettishly to her husband and Celine made herself numb.

Her stomach had twisted in a funny way after her mother's words, she was sure she would throw up after that and it would incur the wrath of her psychopathic father.

"I know Dear." Mr. Peters sighed.

Celine ached to leave them to themselves but she knew she would be doomed if she left their presence without their permission so she stood still, forced to listen to their stomach churning conversation.

"What if she goes stay with him?" Mrs. Peters suggested to her husband, in a voice overly sweet that Celine who had initially widened her eyes in horror at her suggestion, grimaced.

"Hmmm…" Mr. Peters seemed to be pondering on it and Celine held on hope that he would reject her idea.

"Celine." Her father's voice changed into that of a thunderstorm when he called her name, lacking the warmth that it held when talking to his wife.

"Father." Celine forced the word out, her jaws were locked tightly that it gave her a headache.

"You heard what your mother said, right?"

"I'm sorry father, I do not…"

"You would go over to Reynaldo's house and live with him. Make him yours and bring him to us." Her father declared.

Raising her head swiftly to meet her father's eyes, she struggled to breath, her fist tightening.

"No father, I can't!" She voiced out loudly. She could not imagine shamelessly driving over to Rey's house with the thought of moving in with him. He would embarrass her, she already felt embarrassed with the thought of carrying out her mother's ridiculous plan.

"What did you say?" Mr. Peters was on his feet at that instant.

"I can't." Celine stood her ground, her face was hot, her head felt light like she was about to fly out of the room.

"You don't know how Reynaldo is…" She gasped when her father's palm brutally met her face.

"So what is he like? Isn't he a man?" He peered into Celine's widened eyes as if daring her to make another stupid move.

"Answer me!" He yelled into her face, his spittle flying everywhere across her face.

"He … he is." Celine lowered her tear filled eyes, allowing the tears to drop.

"You will find a way to move into his house."

Celine wasn't sure if it was a statement, a command or a mistaken question but she nodded. "I will. I will." Her voice broke and more tears poured out, she hated the idea of Reynaldo.

She wished he could just vanish and not be a constant torture but she knew better. If Reynaldo was gone, her parents would find a way to get her linked to another rich heir just to make way for themselves.

"Good. Make it fast, that's the least you can do to pay us back for raising you all these years." Her father walked back to his couch.

Celine stared at his back, her eyes holding hidden hatred she had masked for so long. If she had her way, she could have rushed towards him and plunged a knife into his back, twisted it and made sure she watched him stop breathing. It wasn't her fault she was born, she didn't ask to be born.

"You can leave." It was her mother and before Celine could take herself out, her parents had started an intense make out session, ignoring her like she never existed in the first place.