Chapter 3 The Convent

• EPISODE THREE.
• TITLE: THE CONVENT.
• SELAH'S POV.
• THREE DAYS LATER.
• Mom walks in with a plate containing food, her expression stern. I sigh tiredly, already spent from having to have the same conversation with her over and over again.
• I screwed up, and none of them have been having it since it happened. With the marriage canceled and Joshua still acting cocky around, my situation isn't any better at home. They question and prod me like I'm a criminal.
• "Mom, if you're here to talk me into admitting to what I didn't do, you might as well take the food back."
• Her shoulder slumps immediately and she gazes at me with a drooped expression on her face.
• "Don't you know the gravity of what you did? You ruined your marriage, reputation and...."
• "I don't need you to remind me of what happened,Mom. And it's time you stop blaming me too."I cut her off rudely, swallowing the sobs coming up my throat.
• "And who are we to blame? Joshua? That boy did nothing wrong. He loved you all his life. And you just ruined him by cheating on him before he could even put a ring on your finger." She snaps.
• Even though, I still believe that what happened the other night wasn't my fault, I pity Joshua who's the biggest victim in this. I humiliated him and the position he holds in church.
• He's refused to talk to me ever since it happened, even Ria stopped picking my calls. They just keep blaming me, and it makes my head hurt.
• "I will make things right with him, Mom. Just give me some space and let me think of the next step." I mumble, not sparing her a glance.
• "Well, you don't have to think, because your father set up a committee to look into it, and today is the hearing. Gather your stories, or lies, and get yourself out of this mess because God help me, Selah. You won't live to bear the consequences if found guilty." She threatens and walks out of the room angrily.
• I watch as she leaves the room, dazed and shocked. Dad set up a committee for me?
• God. That's just like giving me a death sentence because there's no way I can talk myself out of this.
• It happened, and I was found guilty.
• Why did he even do this in the first place?
• Fear settles in my body immediately, drenching every bit of feistiness in me. I've never been this scared in my life.
• Oh,God!
• Sobbing, I wore my clothes and wrapped a scarf around my head and walked out of the room, hoping to find Dad in a findable place.
• I couldn't ignore the condescending stares from the church members and staff, even the kids I teach ethics now grumble when they see me. I don't blame them, their mothers must have run their mouths when they were around.
• I took my mind off the words they say, they're the least of my concerns. Luckily, I found Dad in his office, reading his Bible with all seriousness.
• I've always admired how he reads the Bible with all focus, he taught me how to read and made me learn everything about the convent in this office.
• But like it's nothing, I tossed all those lessons because of my stupidity.
• "You set up a meeting because of me?"I ask the moment I stepped further into the room, closing the door behind me.
• For a moment, he didn't say a word, until he dropped his glasses and glared at me."Drop that tone when you're with me, don't force me to throw you out of the convent without giving you a chance to hear you out."
• His voice is as excruciating as a block of ice on my body, it emanates so much distaste that it makes me feel sick.
• Dad has always been a soft-spoken person, he's even more tender with me. He never scolds me since I'm the model daughter to him. But him talking to me in this manner did nothing but ruin me more.
• "Dad. I've been talking. I've been saying everything I knew about this, but you didn't hear me out." I sob.
• He fisted his hand on the table and grits his teeth, as if he's holding himself back from cursing me out.
• "Because it's plausible, Selah. You drank, it's an offense. You slept with another man, it's unheard of."
• "Cancel the meeting, Dad. They won't hear me out." I plead, my voice breaks at each sentence.
• God. This is so difficult to talk about. I never believed that I will be arraigned in the presence of those judgy men one day.
• "I have to keep my integrity as the head of the convent. They've been threatening to remove me from my position." He shook his head forlornly.
• I retreat a bit and sniffles. "You did this to keep your position?"
• "Selah, I..."
• "Dad, you didn't even care about what will happen to me. Would you have done this if it was Sarah?"
• Sarah is my older sister who's nothing but a disgrace to the family, and we never got along but Dad still puts her over me and it makes me so angry.
• But now, It doesn't only make me angry, it rips my heart. Because she's done things worse than these and he didn't do anything about it.
• "Don't you dare bring Sarah to this."He snaps, banging his fist on the wooden table.
• "Dad!"
• "If were you, I would be going straight to the hall where the meeting will hold and pray to my stars that I come out of this."He scoffs and walks out of me immediately.
• I burst into tears after he left, I can't believe my own parents see me as a whore too. This wouldn't have happened if that bastard that did this to me kept his dick into my pants.
• Now, he's living his life while I'm here trying to figure out what to do with mine.
• He better pray that the outcome of this meeting is positive, if not, I will go to the ends of the earth just to give him a taste of his medicine.