FATE

Jessica's pov

All my life I've been searching, aching ,really for love,real love- the kind that wraps you up and makes you feel safe, wanted. I know I have my dad but he's far from what a father should be,he is cold, detached, a devil in the flesh. If I had a chance I would have run far from here, escaped this cage that feels like it's closing in on me a little more everyday but I can't, not yet ,somewhere out there, i know there is a world better than this, a world waiting for me to find it, where I can breathe again. I am only 16 but sometimes I feel older. Losing my mom when I was so young did that to me. Now as if that wasn't enough, they are forcing me to marry a man I have not even met. Can you believe that? My own father, the one person who should protect me, is willing to trade me off like I'm nothing more than a commodity. For what? money and for my brother Godfrey . My little brother is sick with thyroid cancer.  I didn't even know until my father told me casually dropping it into conversation like it was some after thought he only told me because he needed a reason for me to go through with this marriage. It feels like a cruel twist of fame. How could the one person I still considered family do this to me?My dad, the man who is supposed to love me, shields me from harm but no.. he cares about one thing: getting my brother Godfrey treated. It's like I have become invincible in his eyes. It stings but what can I do?

Oh I should probably explain I live with my stepmother too-an ice Queen, if you ask me her smiles are only for show, a facade she puts on for the village ,behind closed doors I'm just a burden she tolerates and now I have to pack my life away and marry some stranger. I don't even know his name. I miss my mom so much, none of this would be happening if she were still alive. She would have fought for me, protected me. she would have never let them hand me over like this but she's gone. she left me here, in this cold loveless place.

“Jessie! Are you done with your packing?” my father's voice shattered the silence like glass breaking.

I flinched, oh no… I'd been lost in my thoughts for so long I'd forgotten to finish packing. I wiped the tears from my cheeks quickly trying to steady my breath before he came barging in. My heart raced as I scrambled to stuff the last of my belongings into the suitcase, my hands shaking as I shoved clothes, shoes anything, I could grab into the bag. When I was nearly done my eyes landed on something-my mom's picture lying on the corner of my study table. A tear welled up in my eye again as the memories came rushing back.

Flashback

“Sweetie, come on don't you want to cut your cake?” My mom's voice was sweet, playful as she knelt down to my level, holding out her arms.

“Mommy, I want a hug first," I'd insisted, my little voice filled with the kind of stubbornness  only a child could have. She laughed, that warm laugh that filled me up with joy. She knelt beside me and I kissed her cheek as she wrapped me up in her arms. A flash went off-it was the last picture we ever took together. We were so happy then.

Flashback ends.

I snapped back into reality staring at the photo. I could barely breathe as I thought about that day- the last day I remember feeling pure happiness. The last day I was really truly loved. I hesitated, should I take the photo with me? How long would I be gone? weeks? months? forever? My fingers brushed against the frame. This picture was the only thing I had left of her, the only momento of the life I once had, the love I once felt. Another tear slipped down my cheek, I wiped it away quickly but it didn't stop the ache in my chest. Would taking this picture of my mom with me make it any easier? Would it make leaving this place feel less like I was walking away from everything I knew, from the small part of me that still believed I could be loved again? I gently picked up the frame and pressed it against my chest, holding it close as if my mom could somehow give me strength through it. I didn't know what the future held but this- this picture-was all I had left to remind me of who I was and who I still wanted to be.

Robert’s POV

We don’t have much time. Each second we spend dawdling here costs us life. I love her—God, I do—but she can’t know that yet. Not now. She’s still young, still too innocent to understand the storm ahead. Someday, I hope she will forgive me. Right now, though, she probably hates me. I wouldn’t blame her. Ever since her mother died, I haven’t been the father she deserved. I’ve been cold, distant—like a stranger wearing her father’s face. But what choice do I have? My hands are tied.

It’s been an hour since I told her to pack, and she still hasn’t come down. My patience is wearing thin.

“Jessie, are you done with your packing?” I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. But it came out cold—sharper than I intended, like the slap of an icy wind.

This trip is important. I’ve been stalling, telling myself we could hold on just a little longer, but time has finally caught up with us. We’re going to meet the Forresters today. The marriage arrangement must go forward—there’s no turning back now.

They live in Gaborone, just a two-hour drive from Mahalapye. The Forrester family is powerful. Rich. The kind of people who have politicians on speed dial and can make miracles happen with a single phone call. And then there’s us. We used to be comfortable—happy, even—but things changed the moment Amanda came into our lives.

My phone rang, yanking me out of my thoughts. Amanda’s name flashed across the screen. A knot of irritation twisted in my chest. I didn’t want to answer, but I knew better than to ignore her.

I picked up the call. Before I could even say hello, her voice blasted through the speaker.

“What’s taking you so long? I know you’ve been stalling, Robert. Not today. Get that spoiled brat here now! We’re running out of time!” she snapped, her words sharp and unforgiving.

Before I could respond, the line went dead.

I cursed under my breath, gripping the phone tighter than I should have. How did I let things get this far? Why did I remarry?

Just as I was about to fall deeper into regret, Jessie appeared in the doorway, dragging her suitcase behind her. She looked... beautiful. Like her mother. But there was sadness in her eyes, mixed with a stubborn anger I couldn’t ignore.

“I’m done,” she muttered flatly.

I took the suitcase from her without a word, placed it in the trunk of the car, and we set off.

The drive was suffocating, wrapped in a silence that felt heavier with each passing mile. I wanted to say something—anything—but the words wouldn’t come. There had been a brief moment last week when Amanda left to visit her son, and I thought Jessie and I might finally have some time to connect. A chance to explain everything, to tell her the truth about why I was doing this. But that chance slipped through my fingers like sand.

How could I explain that I love her too much to let her see me break?

Jessie’s POV

I don’t know where we’re going, but for once, I’m glad to be out of that house. I’ve spent my whole life in Mahalapye, trapped inside those walls, watching the world pass me by. My friends have sleepovers, road trips, picnics, and movie nights—things I could only dream about. Whenever I asked to join them, the answer was always no.

I was a prisoner, trapped between household chores and schoolwork. And now, out of nowhere, I’m being taken on a trip with my father.

The car ride has been long—an hour and a half, maybe more—but I can’t sleep. The scenery outside keeps pulling my attention. For the first time in a long while, I let myself dream. I imagine a life outside Mahalapye. A life where I could laugh with friends, explore new places, and live without feeling trapped.

It’s quiet inside the car. Too quiet. I glance over at my father, but his eyes are fixed on the road, his jaw clenched. I wonder what’s going through his mind. He looks... tired. Like he’s carrying the weight of something heavy and painful. But it’s hard to care. I’ve spent so long resenting him for being distant, for shutting me out when I needed him the most.

The car begins to slow, and soon, we pull up in front of the largest house I’ve ever seen.

The Forrester mansion.

It’s massive—almost like a castle, with high walls and sprawling lawns. But it feels empty, lifeless. There’s not a single soul in sight, and the silence around the place is unsettling.

“So, this is what the suburbs look like,” I whisper to myself, half in awe, half in dread.

My excitement at seeing a new place begins to fade as the reality of the situation sinks in. This isn’t just a road trip. This is something else. Something much bigger.

And deep down, I know that whatever happens today will change my life forever.