Her Side of the Story – A Mother's Sacrifice
Loreley
Since my first memory, it was me and my father. In fact, he is in just about every memory of my life. My mother died when I was very young, and my father never once hesitated to express his distaste for her weakness. I barely remember my mother and was never allowed to associate with her family, even when they had shown up to our home to see me.
I knew I resembled her. This was just one more thing my father never let me forget. At an early age, I learned that to please my father was the only way to feel successful and loved. If he wasn’t pleased then he was cold and harsh.
One of my biggest lessons was the day he took me to my first Iverson Charity Gala. Strictly instructed to get close to Aidan Iverson III, I was dressed in a sleek red gown, hoping it would catch young Iverson’s attention. Then came a limousine conversation, where my father distinctly instructed me to do whatever it took to get to Aidan; lie, cheat, and seduce.
At the age of fourteen, I was slightly confused by seduction. I knew the meaning of the word. I was Gideon’s daughter after all and had seen seduction at its worst. However, I had never even kissed a boy. Bringing this fact to my father's attention, I quickly learned to do his bidding without question. He slapped my face.
"That's all trivial Loreley! You will do what it takes. Kissing, touching, whatever it takes, do you understand me?"
He held my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks.
"Don’t cry it will ruin your make up." He released my face, settling back into the leather seat of the limo.
Sucking my tears in, I held them and vowed to never cry in front of him again.
That night, Aidan, barely noticed me. I was panicked at how my father would react. At one point, I grabbed Aidan’s arm and pulled him to the dance floor. He was a gentleman and danced, but he didn’t even look at me twice, all of my attempts failed.
To say the limo drive home was bad is an understatement. My father slapped me around the back seat, shook me, all while screaming.
"You can't possibly be my daughter. Your whore of a mother must've slept around with some lowlife!" He howled. "You're just like her. Except at least she knew how to bed men." He snorted.
He knew what to say and just how to say it. I sobbed. He told me I was weak. I learned quickly, pleasing him was the only way to be loved.
Thinking back now, as I'm locked away, a prisoner in his home. I realize just how foolish I've been. My father, whom I tried so hard to please, has used, abused, and locked me up. And I still didn't have any answers as to why I woke up naked, next to Aidan, and Lilli shouting.
I really didn’t know what was going on. Once Aidan threatened me and rushed out of the room, I couldn't move. Sitting along in the middle of a strange bed, holding a pillow to cover my body, my head pounded.
When the hotel room door burst open and Karl and Rashand rushed into the room, I gasped.
"Wh-what’s going on?"
Karl grabbed my arm, pulling me from the bed. Rashand appeared with the dress I'd been wearing three days ago. What happened to those three days? I wracked my brain for any glimmer of memory. Nothing.
"Get dressed!" Rashand ordered. I slipped the dress on.
Karl put a coat around my shoulders, a hat on my head, and sunglasses over my eyes. They ushered me down stairs instead of using the elevator. When I turned toward the lobby, Karl grabbed me and pulled me through another door and then another, until we reached the familiar limo parked at back of the hotel. Rashand opened the door. Karl shoved me in.
"Loreley." The smirk my father wore immediately made me shiver.
"Dad, what the hell is—?"
"You are in no position to ask questions!" He snapped. "However…" He shrugged. "I needed a warm healthy body and you’re it."
I grimaced as he referred to my body.
"I don’t understand" It came out barely above a whisper.
"You don’t need to." He spat.
The limo jerked forward and soon we were surrounded by city traffic.
The duration of the ride I felt sick and weighed down. There were so many questions, so many things he would not answer. I thought back to what Lilli had been yelling in the hotel room. I couldn’t help but sob. She would blame and hate me, assume I had purposely done this to her. Knowing my father had yet again stripped the only thing that really mattered from my life, made me sob harder.
"Seriously, Loreley, what has happened to you? You are pathetic. Stop sniveling at once. It’s highly unattractive." My father scolded.
When I couldn't hold in the sobs, he lifted his hand. I flinched back, but the hit never came. I peeked from beneath the hair that had fallen into my face to see why he had stopped. He never stopped before. All I saw was him breathing heavily and pinching the bridge of his nose.