*****CHAPTER 48

MAE’S POV

The journey home was silent. Pearl wasn't the talkative self that she always is. After Snow had called to inform us about the situation at home, she became quiet and looked tense like she was going to fall sick. We left the castle and headed for the village almost immediately and we were close to home.

“She is going to be fine, Pearl,” I assured my sister, reaching for her hair and rubbing against it lightly.

She answered with a nod and we faced the road, concentrating on our trip home.

…

Snow was in the house when we got home but Mother was at the physician's ward. Snow came to get a few items for Mother.

“How is she doing?” I asked Snow, who for the first time since I had grown to know her, looked so concerned about mother's health.

“She is getting worse and we need money to continue her treatment." She answered with a short sniff. Her eyes looked red and swollen and I could tell she had been crying.

“The treatments are not cheap Mae. And we have no money and absolutely no idea where to get any money from." She added, shaking her head in disappointment. I knew it was her way of saying there was no hope. Mother could die from this because we couldn't afford her treatments.

What I hated the most about my family crisis was the financial issue. I could live with my father's predicament but being poor is the worst of all as everything in our society was regarded as money. Unfortunately for us, we didn't have any.

Now we needed to pay for mother’s treatment and I was sure it wasn't going to be an easy task. The little I gathered from working as a servant would barely pay for her medication.

“Get these things to mother,” Snow said to me, pushing a pack of food wrapped in a small basket towards me. “Take Pearl with you also.”

“Where are you going?” I asked Snow with furrowed brows

“Just do what I say for once Mae and let me be.” She said, sounding really stressed and it sounded like she was about to lose her temper anytime soon.

“Where are you going to be?” I asked, ignoring her expression. I was more than curious this time.

“Leave Mae, mother awaits you.” She yelled to me, losing it this time.

Giving her one long final look, I decided to let her be. I grabbed the bag and headed out with Pearl following me closely from behind. I knew something was wrong with Snow. Mother's illness aside, I could see that Snow was not herself and I was keen on finding out what was going on with her. Snow wasn't always the ideal big sister she was supposed to be but she was always there. Even though she was annoying and got on my nerves all the time, she always cooked for us whenever mother's illness skyrocketed.

“Take this bag and go straight to the physician,” I ordered Pearl as soon as we were a few distance away from our house.

Her eyes widened and it was her turn to ask me now; “Where are you going to?”

“I have to handle something important but I'll be there soon, don't worry”

“But Snow asked us to go together." She maintained, rather stubbornly.

“I'll talk to Snow, you don't worry,” I assured her. “Just go straight to the physician’s okay?”

After a few minutes of Pearl debating whether to go or argue with me, she finally let out a deep exhale and her shoulders slacked in surrender.

“Fine. But try to be there on time Mae, mother will ask of you”

“I will” I answered and watched as Pearl turned her back against me and walked ahead. After she had gone a reasonable distance and was out of sight, I turned on my heels, heading back to the house to confirm what was really going on with Snow.

Something was wrong with her. I could feel it.

…….

“What the fuck Snow,” My eyes widened both in shock and rage as I walked in on her getting naked with a stranger in our room. The man, huge and tall, looked like a street thug but I didn't give a fuck. This was our house and our room. I wasn't afraid of him or her.

“You fucking, unrepentant whore! Of all the time in the world to fuck some random man, you choose to do that now?”

I knew something was wrong with her but I was surprised at the whole thing unfolding in front of my eyes. She was choosing pleasure over our mother's health? Just when I thought she was beginning to care and act like a big sister for once?

“What am I paying you for here?” the stranger said, looking from me to Snow, his glare bitter and cold. “You better get started before I leave. You are not even worth that much money” he spat.

I was confused about why Snow was sleeping with a random dude and he just said he was paying her. Paying her! What a community whore!

“Are you about to lay with this stranger for money?” I asked, alarmed.

“Firstly, I told you to go to the physician to meet Mother but you never listen, Mae, do you?” She had the guts to raise her brow at me and throw me a glare. “Secondly, he is about to pay me, and I will use the money to clear mother's treatment,” she said.

My heart broke as she said those last words.

Snow was willing to sleep with a random guy for money. Money to afford mother's treatment. I didn't know whether to believe her or not, knowing the kind of person she was. But either way, I had to stop her. I had to stop her from committing such a felony while our mother was on her sick bed, close to dying.

“Fuck you little whores for wasting my time!” The man impatiently flung Snow off his body and got up to slip into his trousers. As soon as he was fully dressed, he glared at us again in one final round of hatred before storming out the house.

“Come back, come back,” Snow cried out, trying to stop him from leaving but I stopped her from going after him.

“I will get the money for mother Snow, I promise.” I held her by the wrist and said, locking eye contact with her and meaning every single word I said.

“It has to be tomorrow,” Snow's eyes had turned glazy and she was close to crying now. I had never seen her this vulnerable and weak before.

Then and there, I promised myself to do whatever I could to spare my family this pain. No matter what it was.