Everything Changed

Sia sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the test in her hand. Positive.

She couldn't believe it. She was expecting a baby. Sia felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She had been planning her escape from Daniel's house for weeks, but now everything had changed. She couldn't leave with a baby. She didn't know what to do.

She was devastated. She thought:

"Daniel! You rascal! You stole the last glimmer of hope I had of my independence. I hate you!"

She threw the test at the door of the bedroom. Unfortunately, Daniel entered at the same moment and saw the test. He picked it up and realized the good news. He was on cloud nine and hugged Sia. She shrugged and he let go of her. He made her sit on the bed. He sat on the floor and said while having her hand in his:

"Sia, you don't know how happy I am! I promise you that I will take care of you and our baby for the rest of my life."

Sia reacted as if she was not interested. Daniel continued:

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this."

He pointed at her. Sia felt uneasy.

"Please go outside.", Sia demanded.

"Why?"

"If you don't want me to go mad. GO OUTSIDE!!!!"

"Okay, Okay. Relax."

Daniel went outside. Sia sat on the bed and started to think. In the end, she made a difficult decision. She would stay with Daniel, for the sake of her child. She would try to make the best of the situation and hope for the best.

She started focussing on herself. Daniel was pleased to see her happy, and he started to treat her better. He gave her more freedom and allowed her to use the phone and the internet. Sia felt a glimmer of hope. But she knew it was just a façade. She couldn't forget who Daniel really was, and what he had done. She couldn't let her guard down, not even for a moment.

One day, at breakfast time, Sia sat nervously in front of Daniel, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "Daniel," she said quietly, "I want to go meet my parents. I want to see them."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Your parents? You know I can't allow that. They don't like me. They'll never accept us."

Sia took a deep breath. "I know. But I want to see them. I want to make things right if I can."

Daniel considered her request for a moment. "Fine," he said finally. "You can go see them. But you have to take three of my bodyguards with you. And you have to promise me that you'll be careful."

Sia nodded, relieved. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but it was a start.

She wore a yellow long full-sleeved floral dress. She put on makeup, just to conceal her sadness from her parents. She was told by the maid that the car was waiting for her. She went outside and got in the car. She arrived at her parents' house, flanked by three burly bodyguards. She felt ridiculous, but she knew it was necessary. She knocked on the door and waited anxiously for her parents to answer.

When they opened the door, Sia's heart leaped. Memona stood there with tears in her eyes. "Sia!" she said, "my baby. Come here!"

Sia ran into her mother's arms and hugged her tightly. She felt a wave of emotion wash over her. She had missed her mother so much. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

But when she looked up, she saw that her father, Fiano, was not happy to see her. He scowled at her and said, "What are you doing here? You know we don't want anything to do with that man you married."

Sia felt a pang of guilt. She had married Daniel without her parent's consent, and she knew it had hurt them deeply. But she couldn't change the past. All she could do was try to make things right. Sia sat with her mother, talking and catching up on lost time. She felt happy and content, for the first time in a long time. But her father's anger hung over her like a dark cloud.

As the evening wore on, Sia sat with her mother and talked about old times. She felt happy and relaxed, for the first time in a long time. But there was still something weighing on her mind.

"Mama," she said finally, "I have to ask you something. When I left home to marry Daniel, you and Papa cursed me. You said that I would never be happy and that I would regret my decision. Did those curses come true?"

Memona replied, "Baby, we had never cursed you. It was just for the time being. You are our life, Sia. How can we say something like that? We are contented that you are happy."

She wanted to tell her mother about Daniel's truth but did not do so as she knew what he would do to them. She smiled and hugged her again.

It was night when Sia hugged her mother one last time before standing up to leave. As she walked towards the door, she could feel the weight of her father's gaze following her every step of the way. She reached the door and turned around to see her parents standing in the doorway, their eyes red and filled with tears. She could see the love in their eyes, the same love that she had felt for them since childhood.

Just as she stepped out of the door, her phone rang. It was Daniel. She knew that she had to go back to him, but the thought of leaving her parents behind again made her heart ache. She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks, but she wiped them away before her parents could see.

Sia took a deep breath and composed herself before turning to face her parents one last time. She saw her father walking towards her, his eyes filled with regret and sadness. He hugged her tightly, and she could feel his tears on her shoulder.

"I am sorry, baby," Fiano said, his voice shaking with emotion. "I was rude to you."

Sia hugged him back and whispered, "It's okay, Papa. I forgive you."

As she stepped back, she saw her mother standing in the doorway with a small smile on her face. Sia walked up to her and hugged her once again. Her mother stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, whispering words of love and encouragement.

"Don't worry, my child," Memona said, wiping away Sia's tears. "We are always here for you, no matter what."

Sia hugged her mother tightly, knowing that these would be the last moments of happiness and comfort that she would have for a while. She stood up, said her goodbyes, and walked toward the car that was waiting for her.

As the car pulled away from her childhood home, Sia watched her parents getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. She knew that she would miss them terribly, but she also knew that she had to go back to Daniel.

As the car reached its destination, Sia stepped out and saw Daniel waiting for her. He was smiling, but she could see the darkness lurking behind his eyes. She knew that she had to be careful around him, but she also knew that she had to keep her baby safe.