CHAPTER 26

Dinner was taken in silence, everyone minding their own plates. After dinner that’s when the talk began. Their parents had found another match and it seemed she was the one who was going to be matched.
She had someone she loved though she never got to tell the person and an arranged marriage wasn’t something she wanted. She wanted to be free like Haven.
Haven smiled when she heard the news and looked at her with the eye questioning her, what will you do? To be honest she didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t good at saying no to her parents. She wanted to be loved by them. She had seen the consequences of saying no on Haven.
Everything about the man sounded good but she wasn’t into him. Heart wouldn’t save her since she was the same like her and Haven wouldn’t bother after what she did to her.
“Mother, I don’t think that’s wise,” Haven broke the silence and everyone stared at her.
“I wasn’t talking to you.”
“I know but mother I think you should stop taking your children as meal tickets. Whoever has money you want to marry your daughter to? Aren’t you ashamed of doing that?”
“What’s wrong with me trying to make a good future for my kids?”
“Everything is especially when the benefits fall mostly on you. Can’t you even tell she doesn’t like the idea of being married to anyone? Why won’t you for once let your children do what they want?”
“And become like you? You disgraced this family ever since you were a child. You couldn’t even finish school because you got into a lot of fights and to make matters worse, you even date women. Just how crazy are you? Aren’t you ashamed of using her for money?” their mother asked looking at Amber who looked very angry at their mother and not Haven.
What was going on there?
Haven just laughed and looked anther mother before saying, “is that so? Just because I dint ant to do what you wanted me to, I became a disgrace. Did you even asked why I got expelled from school? Why I had to fight that day?
No, you never bothered at all, but it didn’t bother me because that is the way all of you are. You want to be a perfect family when you are now and dating women is my choice. Don’t talk that way to Amber. Even if I use her money so what? It’s hers and not yours.”
“How dare you talk back to your mother?” father finally cut in.
“I thought you were going to change, which is why I dressed up and came to this dinner but you are all the same. I’m very ashamed and hurt that Haven is a White. You don’t even consider her as a part of the family and yet you don’t even bother to look up on your daughter.
Who told you she is spending my money? Haven is the richest among all of us in this house. Of course, you don’t know because you never bothered to sit down and ask her but always harass and frame her daily,” Amber said very furiously.
It was the first time Helen was seeing someone standing up for Haven and she saw why she fell for her. Amber gave Haven all that she missed when she grew up and she was happy for her.
“I even know the reason why she got expelled and I wonder why you never heard of it. Just because of your lovely daughters that you love so much, Haven got expelled. Because she stood up for her sisters who hated her so much she ended up in a fight to protect their dignity and got expelled. No one listened but there are those who still know the story,” Amber said and Helen was shocked.
She began to remember how one second these guys kept harassing them and then Haven got into a bloody fight, the guys were beaten so badly that Haven got expelled but they never thought it was because of that issue. Haven got in many fights so it was a usual thing. What did they do?
Bothe Helen and Heart looked at Haven who was now on her feet, taking out a cigarette and leaving the room.
“Haven!!”
“Let her be. If you go after her right now, I’m afraid there will be another bloody bath,” Amber warned and followed after Haven.
Helen watched her mother looking down. Her mother knew something.
“Did you know about this mother?” Helen asked.
“Why are you asking mom that question? Why she knows the reason and if she did would she have done that to Haven?”
“She is our mother, which is why I believe she is capable of doing that,” Helen said looking at her.
Her mother was so cruel; it was just a good thing that the cruelty was never directed at her and her other siblings except Haven.
“I knew about it,” she confessed.
“What?” her father asked, he seemed to be in shock.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. Since Haven was the bad one I thought it was the best to just continue that way. My babies were going to enter that competition and I didn’t want anything in their way,” she said.
“Haven is also your baby Maria! How could you be ruthless as a mother?”
“I’m sorry okay. I didn’t know it would reach that level.”
“It did. We never gave our child the love se deserved, we never even bothered to check if she was eating or sleeping well; whether she had work or not. All you ever cared about was to compare and make sure you never lose. Now look what you have done!” father was very furious and it was the first time she had seen him like that.