Milo's father grabbed his wife's shoulders, shaking her gently but firmly. "Honey, please come back to your senses. Do you even know what you said?"
Milo's mother, still in shock and seeming to have lost all sense of reason, stammered, "He... he is our elder son. It's his duty to take us out of danger. Am I wrong?"
Milo's father shouted at her, his voice filled with desperation and fury. "Stop! He is not a thing that you can sell. He is our son. Our own flesh and blood!"
From the floor, Nuea, still groaning in pain, managed to speak. "Mom, please don't say anything that you will regret for your whole life. Please."
Kiet watched the scene with a cold, amused expression. He stepped closer to Milo, who stood paralyzed by the chaos around him. "Well, Milo? What will it be?" Kiet asked, his voice low and menacing.
Milo looked around, seeing the destruction, the fear in his parents' eyes, his brother's pain, and his friends' worry. His heart pounded with fear and confusion. He felt trapped, with no way out.
"What if I say no?" Milo whispered, his voice barely audible.
Kiet smirked, leaning back and taking another drag from his cigarette. "If you say no, everyone here, including you, will die. Right now."
Milo's eyes widened with shock. He remembered the cold brutality he had seen in Kiet before, and he knew this was not an empty threat. His choice was clear, even if it was heartbreaking.
"I will marry you," Milo said, his voice breaking with sorrow and resignation.
Kiet's smirk widened. He dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his shoe as he walked towards Milo. "Very well, let's get going then," he said, grabbing Milo's hand.
Milo's father tried to reach out again, his voice desperate. "Please don't take him away. My wife spoke without thinking. She didn't mean it. Please don't take her words seriously."
Kiet looked at Milo's mother, who seemed to be in a daze, and then back at Milo. "Should I really not take seriously a word from a lady who has lost her senses?" He turned back to Milo, his eyes narrowing. "I will ask you again. Will you marry me?"
Kiet tightened his grip on Milo's hand and pulled him towards the door. Som and Waan rushed to Milo, their faces pale with fear and concern.
"Milo, do you understand what you're doing?" Waan asked, his voice trembling.
Kiet, growing impatient, yanked Milo's hand harder. "We are getting late," he said sharply.
Milo turned to look at his parents and friends one last time, tears blurring his vision. His father's desperate pleas and his brother's groans echoed in his ears as he was dragged out of the house. His heart ached with the weight of his decision, knowing he was stepping into a living nightmare to save the people he loved.
***
Comments (6)
See all