A Man To Marry

CHAPTER 1

(POINT OF VIEW : CARLA WILLAR)

-Finally, Franck, are you crazy for hurting your daughters ?

_Kids I never wanted, never loved, and never will, he says, his eyes full of hatred.

At only twenty-seven, Carla Willar feels like life has beaten her down. She's exhausted-mentally, physically, emotionally. Since she was a little girl, she has only known pain. First came the abandonment-her mother walked away the day she was born. Then came the neglect-her father, an alcoholic, never gave her a second of love or care. And as if fate wasn't done playing cruel games, she ended up married to a man who turned out to be the most disgusting human being she has ever encountered : Franck.

Now she stands in front of him, the man who once vowed to protect her, watching him tear her world apart again.

Carla is a cleaning lady. A beautiful one-with long, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and a natural elegance that not even her simple clothes or long hours of labor can hide. She works endlessly, scrubbing floors, washing linens, and taking on any job she can, all to provide for her twin girls. She refuses-absolutely refuses-to let them have the same traumatic childhood she did.

Her biggest regret ? Marrying Franck. Without hesitation.

She isn't formally educated, but she's sharp-smarter than most people give her credit for. Since the age of ten, she's been working non-stop. She's washed laundry, cleaned houses, and worked as a waitress in restaurants, just to survive.

She meets Franck when she's twenty, serving tables in a small restaurant. She's innocent then-clueless about love. Growing up without a mother's advice or a father's protection, she doesn't recognize the red flags. Franck appears so responsible, so serious, so charming. And when he shows interest in her, she doesn't hesitate to fall for him-hard.

Two years later, they're married. They move in together, and for a short while, things seem okay. But that illusion shatters quickly. Franck starts staying out late, drinking, and eventually... he turns violent.

At first, she lies to herself. She believes he's just stressed. That he'll change. But he never does.

She uses her own savings to pay the rent, to buy food, to cover all the household expenses. Franck does nothing-he contributes nothing. He simply drinks, disappears for days, and returns only to curse her or hit her.

The day she tells him she's pregnant is the day he throws her out into the street. Spits on her. Tells her he never loved her-all because she refused to abort their babies.

She spends five years raising her girls alone. No help. No support. Just her and her daughters against the world. And somehow, despite the odds, they find joy. They smile. They laugh. Carla works, they go to school, they dance in the kitchen, they fall asleep in each other's arms. Life is hard-but it's peaceful.

Until today.

Now Franck is back. And he's taken her daughters from her.

If you never loved them, give them back to me, please. They're all I have, she begs, her voice cracking with desperation.

Then you'll have to do what I tell you first, he replies coldly.

She shakes her head, unable to process how she ever shared a bed with someone like him.

How could I have been so blind ?

Only after he kicked her out did she learn the truth. Franck is a thug. He doesn't have a real job-he never has. He steals. He attacks people. He spends his nights gambling and getting into fights. He lives off chaos.

They're your daughters, for God's sake ! Don't you have a heart ?! she cries, the pain in her chest unbearable.