The Traps of Black Swan

[WARNING: Depressing chapter ahead. Read at your own risk.]

In the morning, the complete strangers, Shane Kelly and Maisie Burnett woke up next to each other without proper recovery of their memory from the previous night other than knowing they lost control over themselves the previous night.

Both blamed each other and argued for a long time in the hotel before deciding to mind their own path without taking any precautions for the things they did. Both hid everything about the night from the family and friends to bury it down forever.

It was after a month, Maisie didn't get her menses and the pregnancy morning sickness started, then she ended up knowing she was pregnant for four weeks and the father of it was a stranger.

Twenty-one year old, a young and beautiful girl stood in front of the gynec department holding the test reports crying her eyes out.Â

At her age, her dream to rule the entertainment industry, and her life as a celebrity, she wasn't ready to stake them due to one mistake.

For her dreams, goals, and her own life, all she could care about was only her but not the life growing in her womb. She can't let anybody know she is pregnant with a child of an unknown man, her family would abandon her, her friends will laugh at her, her image of a delicate well-bred lady would fade.

She didn't have the courage to live alone or be a single parent, she wasn't brave enough to talk to her family to come up with a solution.Â

She didn't bother to take time to think or ask for suggestions. In an hour she went back to the same doctor, "I want to abort." She was decisive that she didn't want a child but to save herself from misery.

However, the doctor called her family without her knowledge asking her to wait. She was preparing for abortion when her grandfather stroke across her cheeks and dragged her away from the hospital.

The Burnett family wasn't only angry for knowing her pregnant out of wedlock but also for grasping that she was aborting the innocent life.Â

Maisie tried to kill her child when her family searched for the man. She had tried to get aborting medicines from the medical shop but failed. She drank medicine herbs that could kill the fetus but ended up in the bed and heard the fetus was fine.

In less than a week later, the Burnett family and Kelly family sat for the talk. The families were fine with each other due to the same status but not the ones who have to get married. The duo fought in front of everyone but the elders didn't care.

After numerous warnings, threatening, scolding, intimidating, Maisie and Shane tied a knot without unknotting their relationship.

The newly wedded couple got a magnificent villa as a wedding gift from two families but it was a battleground every day. Just the sight of each other, they argued like archenemies and lived like strangers without a bother of the little life they created.

Despite being warned, Maisie had been admitted to hospital at various times whenever she tried to kill the baby that led the two families to threaten her again. The Burnett family informed her they wouldn't take her to the family if she kills the baby, the Kelly family patriarch announced he would throw her out of the family.Â

The threats and helplessness riled up Maisie more. As a result, she drank alcohol almost every day, cursed Shane and the baby endlessly.

....

While the bystander called it a miracle to see the baby born weak but healthy, the mother had kicked the baby's crib and left the hospital without care and the father never went to see the baby.

The baby was named 'Ava Kelly' by her grandfather Hayden Kelly.Â

Ava never got a mother's care or mother's milk. She lived like an orphan under a nurse's care who fed her baby formula milk powder and took care of her.

It was a sensitive time of Industrialization, the Burnett family faced strong competitors facing too much loss, the business Shane Kelly invested in lost again, Maisie lost her amazing curvy figure after giving birth. Hence the innocent newborn baby, Ava Kelly became a jinx in their eyes.

Shane didn't see his baby's face for a year, her mother had beaten her till she choked in her cry and fell unconscious. That's how the life of Ava Kelly began.

Hayden Kelly thought she could bring the parents near hence he avoided meddling between them leaving her with heartless people who didn't care about her other than appointing a nanny to feed her and change her diaper.

There was nobody to make her smile, none to play with her other than laying in the crib aimlessly. Nobody tried to talk to her or teach her to speak, none tried to leave her on the floor to see if she could crawl, none held her hand to help her walk.

Cried in the night, beaten her to shut. Cried in the day, closed the door shut. Bad mood, removed the frustration on her. A big Loss, blamed it on her.

Well, it was just the beginning of her hurtful days.

Between the fights and disgust towards each other, Shane Kelly probed to enter the clothing industry which picked Maisie's interest. Both of their new journeys in the business kicked off well and they got along earning praises.

That's when Jose Kelly was born. Blooming business and a son. It brought happiness and formed a little happy family while the little three-year-old Ava stood at the door like an outcast without knowing who they are, what is her relationship with them.

She only knew two-person, one, her nanny and another was her grandfather who hardly met her. The parents were foreign to her.

Hearing the baby cry and all trying to coax, Ava went to the baby, heard everyone calling the baby, and tried to say, "Ba-by'¦"

What did she earn in return? A kick from her mother to push her aside and yelled, "Go away."

Ava fell down, hurt her knees and the pain brought the tears. It didn't end there, s strong slap across her little face and a shove to the ground, "Go to your room. Don't jinx my son." He shunned her mercilessly.

Her nanny had become Jose's nanny and the maid rushed her to the vast bedroom where she didn't know what to do other than sitting with lifeless dolls.Â

Probably, the life of an orphan is better than her.

---

She was sent to the playschool where all the kids were talking non-stop and lively but she knew only a handful of words. All laughed at her without knowing she wasn't dumb but none taught her.

That was the day she learned there are a mother and father to each child. The mother is a female and the father is a male. 'Who are my parents? What is their name?' She didn't know. She only knew one thing, her name is 'Ava Kelly.'

Probably she wouldn't have got to know her name if her Nanny wasn't calling her name.

A new word entitled on her first day at playschool, 'Dumbass.' Ridiculous thing was she didn't know why all were laughing at her and what is the meaning of dumbass.Â

She had asked in her home about who were her parents and what were the names. Then a maid taught her the names and helped her talk and pronounce. Then every day she used to run behind the young maid who would clean the house and teach her daily.

Even though she started very late, she was a swift learner in everything, so the dumbass was soon replaced with smart, intelligent, brilliant.

But one thing she always failed, that's when it's about her parents who never spoke to her.Â

Jose's milestone was celebrated without her presence or locking her in the room. 100th day of birth, when he said Mamma and dada, when he walked on his feet, and the first birthday.

Ava didn't know any of that and her birthday was never ever celebrated.

She wasn't allowed to go near Jose's room and even they forbid her from seeing him. She had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the vast dining table without anybody.

She had a family but there were none to call her own. She had a place called home but she was all alone there.

Whenever she used to see other children's parents being affectionate, she would go to her parents whenever her teacher praised her. She wanted just a pat or smile but each time, every bloody single time she returned with tears, swollen cheeks, red eyes, knees hurt, and many times with bleeding lips.

----

She was seven when she had hopefully asked her grandfather, "Grandfather, why Mom and Dad don't like me as they like my little brother?"

Probably her grandfather should have said the truth. He didn't want to hurt the little girl's heart hence he had lied, "Who said they don't like you? They like you a lot. It's just that, your little brother is too small and slow so they give extra care."

Little Ava took the words seriously and did as she was told every time even if she was hurt.