Web of Lies

"Enough!" Naomi's father, Mr. Luke, finally yelled, his anger spilling over as it echoed through the room. His face was flushed with frustration, and his tone left no room for further argument. "Naomi will marry him."

"What? That's impossible…" Anna's voice came out in a low whisper, her body trembling as she struggled to comprehend the situation.

Naomi turned to her father in utter shock. Her sister had just revealed to a complete stranger that she wasn't a virgin. To Naomi, it felt as though her sister might as well have posted it on Hellogram for the whole world to see. But despite the embarrassment and the betrayal, the most shocking thing was her father's words. His decision was so final, so cold, as if nothing else mattered but his own reputation. Her father only cared about himself—about his precious public image.

Naomi turned to Zylan, her heart pounding in her chest, hoping that this was all some kind of cruel joke. But Zylan's expression remained unreadable, his eyes locked on hers, silently observing. He didn't say a word, his gaze cool and detached, as if the chaos in the room barely concerned him.

Her heart sank further. This was the same man who had threatened to throw her off the first floor that night. His silence only solidified her fear—there was no escaping this.

"Mr. Johnson's son will marry you instead," her father added, turning to Anna, his tone firm and final.

"N-no," Anna stammered, shaking her head in disbelief, her face paling with every passing second. She glanced around the room, searching for some sort of support, but found none.

Their mother, who had remained quiet throughout the tense exchange, finally found her voice. It was timid and hesitant, barely audible. "B-but, Mr. Zylan," she stammered, wringing her hands, "she is… impure."

Naomi could only roll her eyes, her mind swimming with sarcastic thoughts. 'Oh, great. Why don't they just broadcast to the entire country that I've lost my virginity?' It seemed as though her family had no boundaries when it came to humiliating her.

But before anyone could respond, Zylan spoke, his deep voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "About that…"

Just as he began to speak, the door creaked open, and a woman stepped into the room.

"Hello, Miss Anna and Miss Naomi. Please follow me. I will be conducting your virginity tests."

"N-no need for that, ma'am," Anna stammered, her voice trembling as much as her body. "W-we already have the virginity results with us."

But before she could say more, Mr. Luke cut in, his voice firm and unyielding. "Let her do it."

Naomi remained frozen in place, her mind racing. Was there really a need for this? They had already gone through this humiliation once. She wasn't a virgin, and she had accepted that long ago, even though she still had no memory of what had happened that night. Must they continue to rub it in her face?

Beside her, Anna stood trembling, clearly terrified. Naomi couldn't help but scoff internally at the absurdity of it all. Anna, always the dramatic one, seemed more concerned about the test itself than the consequences of her actions.

"I hope it doesn't hurt," Anna whispered, her voice barely audible.

Naomi glanced at her sister in surprise. Seriously? After everything that had happened, this was what Anna was worried about?

"Let's go," Naomi said with a sigh, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. "It's not like this is the first time we're doing this."

"What did you say?" Anna asked, her eyes wide with shock.

Naomi stared at her, exasperated. At this point, anyone who didn't know them would think Anna was the older sister, not Naomi. But Anna wasn't, and Naomi wasn't about to let her act like she was.

"You heard me, pretender," Naomi snapped, her voice dripping with bitterness. The frustration she had kept bottled up for so long was finally starting to spill out.

Anna's face flushed red as she tried to hide her anger, especially with Zylan watching closely. Her gaze flickered nervously between him and Naomi, as if carefully choosing her words. "I don't know why you hate me so much, sis," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Is it because I'm prettier than you?"

Naomi didn't even bother responding. Instead, she rolled her eyes and turned away, following the lady into the examination room. At this point, she was tired—tired of Anna's constant need for attention, tired of the endless comparisons, and most of all, tired of the drama.

As the door closed behind them, sealing off the chaos for a brief moment, Naomi could finally take a deep breath. But that calm didn't last long.

In the other room, the tension continued to simmer. As soon as the door clicked shut, Mr. Luke turned to Reverend James, trying to defuse the situation. "I'm really sorry, Reverend James. As you can see, my daughter is about to get married, so the reverend's school won't be necessary."

Reverend James, clearly relieved to be escaping the awkward tension, nodded graciously. "It's not a problem," he said, his voice calm and composed. "Bless you all."

"Thank you, Reverend. Bless you," Mr. Luke repeated, practically ushering the man out the door.

As Reverend James turned to leave, his eyes met Zylan's. Zylan gave him a cold, unreadable look, his expression as calm as ever. A shiver ran down the Reverend's spine, and he quickly bowed his head respectfully before making his exit.

Meanwhile, Naomi's mother leaned in toward her husband, whispering urgently, "I don't think there's any need for this fertility test. We already have the results."

Mr. Luke sighed, his voice lowered but firm. "I'm sure Mr. Zylan has his reasons. Let him proceed. The results will be the same."

Mrs. Luke hesitated but eventually nodded in agreement.

Moments later, Naomi re-entered the room, her face a mask of forced composure. She sat down without a word, but her mind was in turmoil. Anna followed her, trembling visibly, her discomfort obvious to everyone.

"Anna, are you okay?" their mother asked, rushing to her side.

Anna gave a weak smile, though her face was as pale as a sheet. "Yes, Mom, I just have some pain in my stomach."

Naomi inwardly rolled her eyes. 'How convenient,'she thought. The timing of Anna's discomfort was far too suspicious for her to believe.

Finally, the doctor returned, carrying the results in her hand. The tension in the room thickened as everyone waited for her to speak.

"The tests have been completed," the doctor began, her voice steady and professional. "It has been confirmed that Miss Anna is… not a virgin."

A collective gasp echoed through the room as Anna's face crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"And as for Miss Naomi…" The doctor paused, glancing at Naomi before continuing. "It appears Miss Naomi is a virgin."

"What?!" Naomi blurted out, unable to control her shock. How could that be? She wasn't a virgin. The last test had clearly shown she wasn't. She had woken up one morning covered in blood, with no memory of what had happened. So how could the results be different now?

Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation. Was the previous test wrong? Or had something else happened that she wasn't aware of?

As she stood there, frozen in disbelief, Anna's sobs grew louder. Her father turned to her, his voice low and threatening. "What is this, Anna? Explain yourself."

Anna collapsed to the floor, clutching her mother's leg as she cried, "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Naomi could only watch in stunned silence as the scene unfolded. "What's happening?" she finally asked, her voice shaky with confusion.

Tears streamed down Anna's face as she sobbed, "We had no choice. We promised to keep it a secret."

Mr. Luke's eyes narrowed. "What secret?"

Anna's voice came out in broken sobs. "Mom said she would fix it… When I found out I wasn't a virgin, she said we could exchange the tests—use Naomi's name instead."

Naomi's heart sank as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. All this time, she had been mocked and ridiculed because of a lie. Her own mother and sister had betrayed her, and she had suffered the consequences alone.

Her father's face darkened as he turned to Zylan. "I'm truly sorry about all of this, Mr. Zylan. Naomi will marry you, as promised." His voice was tight, filled with an undercurrent of desperation to maintain his reputation.

"And as for Anna," Mr. Luke's voice grew cold, his gaze filled with the first hint of genuine disdain for his youngest daughter, "You will be sent to a reverend school."

Zylan sat, completely unbothered, as if he were enjoying the drama unfolding before him. His gaze remained steady, observing the chaos with a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. While everyone around him was consumed by tension, guilt, and fear, he appeared calm, detached from the emotional storm that had overtaken the room. It was as though the scene before him was nothing more than a mere spectacle for his amusement. His lack of reaction only heightened the tension, making it clear that whatever happened next, Zylan was unaffected and in control.

"No!" Anna cried, shaking her head violently as tears streamed down her face. "Please, Mom! Help me! You promised to help me if I didn't tell Dad about…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked up at her mother, pleading with her eyes.

"Your affair with his brother"