Mate by Fate Bound by Love

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Lena's Pov

"Lena! Get down here this instant!" I heard the voice of my Uncle's wife calling me.

My heart began to beat irrationally as I started to think what I must have done wrong this time around. I began to make a mental note of all the things that I was supposed to do and check them in my mind.

(I had washed the clothes, fetched water, scrubbed and cleaned the bathroom, I had mopped the floor and was in the kitchen making breakfast.) 

It came as a surprise to me to hear my Uncle's wife calling me in such a manner.

With haste and without thinking about anything else, I quickly dropped the spoon that was in my hand that I was using to stir the pot of stew on the fire and dashed out of the Kitchen. 

The sight that greeted me when I got to where my Uncle's wife was made me gasped in horror. All the clothes that I had just finished washing and hanging on the line were lying on the floor, wet and dirty. It was as if someone had deliberately dragged them out of the rope and threw them on the floor, then the person went ahead to step on them with his or her feet. 

"What happened?" I asked in shock with my hands covering my mouth. 

"Really? Are you the one that is supposed to be asking me that question or I should be the one asking you?" My Uncle's wife asked.

"But, I washed these clothes and hung them to dry some few minutes ago before I went to the kitchen to make breakfast." I explained as I went to the clothes and started raising them one by one. 

I was heartbroken. Just when I thought that I was almost done with my work for that morning, someone had deliberately decided to be wicked to me. I sniffled as I struggled to fight back the tears that were already gathered in my eyes and were threatening to spill out.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" A loud scream came. 

I could recognise the owner of the voice and I raised my head to see my cousin Lauren running towards me.

"You wrench!" She cursed at me as she gave me a dirty slap. 

Shocked by the unexpected assault, I held the spot where she had slapped me. She had slapped me with so much force that I had to struggle to keep my balance and in the process the clothes I had picked up fell to the ground again. 

She stooped down to pick a white dress from the floor and showed it to her mother.

"Look mother, see what this useless wrench had done to my white dress that I was going to wear to the mating ceremony tomorrow!" She screamed.

"Ah, what have you done?!" My Uncle's wife asked. 

I was not surprised to hear them blaming me. It was not my fault and the rope did not cut, it was still standing strong so someone must have deliberately removed the clothes from the rope and threw them on the floor. 

"But it's not my fault ma, this is the handwork of someone who hates me, someone deliberately did this." I cried out.

"You good for nothing child! I always knew that you were jealous of my daughter, but I never knew it was up to this extent. I will make sure to teach you a lesson today!" My Uncle's wife said in anger.