Isadora's life has been a series of unfortunate events. Raised in the presence of an abusive father and tragically losing her mother due to the resulting trauma, Isadora finds solace in distancing herself from her once cherished religious beliefs.
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I sat in front of the large mirror, staring at the reflection that stared back at me with blank eyes. The make-up artists and hair stylists buzzed around me, their hands moving swiftly as they tried to transform me into the perfect bride. But no amount of make-up or hair styling could hide the sorrow in my eyes.
This day was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, the day every girl dreams of since she's a little girl. The day where she gets to marry her Prince Charming, surrounded by her loved ones, and start a new chapter of her life filled with love and happiness. But for me, it was a dreadful day, a day I dreaded with every fiber of my being.
There was nothing exciting about getting married to a man twice my age, with an older son that was my age, a daughter, a younger son, and a wife who was still very much alive.
How sick can people get because of greed, power, and status? My stomach churned just thinking about it.
I took a deep breath and tried to push away the negative thoughts that threatened to consume me. I needed all the motivation I could get from within my soul. This was going to be a long ride, a tough battle that I had no choice but to endure. For now, I had to put on a brave face and go through with this charade.
As the make-up artist applied the eye shadow, I shut my eyes and let my mind wander. I thought about my mother, who was no longer alive to witness this day.
My mother, Theodora, was a fighter, just like Leonel, she never tolerated any shit from my father and she would have never allowed me to be trapped in this loveless marriage. But unfortunately, she wasn't here anymore.
My thoughts wandered around the possible facts that, she may have been murdered, but my evil father made it seem she died because of an accident. I felt my heart twist in my chest at the sudden possibility.
Slowly, my mind then drifted to my young step sister, who is unaware of the reason I made this decision. Despite my reckless behavior, and sinful life, there's no doubt that she loves me very much and looks up to me. I couldn't watch an underage young lady, get married to a man old enough to be her father, even grandfather, that's sick. Astra, is still pure, whereas I wasn't, my purity and innocence was gone, so it was a little bit easy making this decision.
Tears started to sting my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away before anyone could notice. I couldn't afford to show any vulnerability today. I needed to be strong, for myself and for my sister.
Finally, when the make-up artist was satisfied with her work, she gestured for me to open my eyes. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I almost didn't recognize myself. The heavy makeup and elaborate bridal hairstyle did look good but it wasn't beautiful to me, the most important feature was missing, happiness.
I stood in front of a tall mirror, the beauticians bustling around me, fixing my jewelries, shoes and doing the final touches on my face. They helped me get into the expensive bridal ball dress, and fixed my veils.
