A frail heart

One of the greatest abilities anyone should want is the ability to let go of someone when they turn out to be the opposite of a blessing. People tend to use others weaknesses to control them, and that was the case for Sandra, who was in an abusive relationship but still couldn't bring herself to let go of the man that has always hurt her.

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"Sandra, I think you should end things with this guy once and for all." Vivian, Sandra's elder sister, said to her.
Sandra was lying on the bed, covered in a quilt. She made small sniffling sounds and snuggled up to the pillow beside her. Vivian stared at her for some time; she wasn't happy that her sister had been in tears all through the night.

"If it's too hard for you to do, let me do it then. I can call him and tell him that you guys are done." Vivian suggested, and after Sandra didn't respond, she picked up her phone and dialed a number, and just then, Sandra flipped the quilt off her body and snatched the phone from Vivian's hand.

"Don't call him, please." Sandra said with a weak voice.

"Who does he think he is? Why does he always have to make you look pathetic?" Vivian was enraged, and she stormed out of Sandra's room.

Sandra and Sam had been together for over two years, but it hasn't always been a good one for Sandra. Vivian always wondered if her sister was genuinely in love or perhaps she was just being stupid or probably scared of Sam.
Sandra was a beautiful lady, and Vivian was certain that other guys that were better than Sam could actually want her, but she chose to be in an abusive relationship. It pissed Vivian to always have to console her sister whenever she came back, heartbroken.

"Viv, have you been able to calm your sister?" Their mother asked Vivian.

"Mom, I don't think Sandra is in her right frame of mind anymore. Why wouldn't she just break up with this dude?" Vivian expressed her concern for her sister.

"Your sister is in love. And love can make us stupid at some point." Her mother replied.

"Mom, this isn't love. I feel she's scared of him. Do you think he might be threatening her?" Vivian asked.

"I just hope she gets better." Their mother responded and walked away.

Two days later, Sandra was still indoors. She barely ate her meals, and slowly, she was wasting away. Vivian couldn't bear watching her sister like that, so she visited Sam without his prior notice, and on getting there, she got the shock of her life as well.
Sam was with another woman when she got there, and when he saw Vivian, he couldn't come up with an excuse for his infidelity.

"What are you doing here?" He asked Vivian after dismissing the lady he had been with.

"What am I doing here?" Vivian repeated his question. She was in shock. "How dare you keep my sister in misery and still have the guts to cheat on her?" Vivian yelled at him.

"Hey Viv, keep your voice down. You can't walk into my house and raise your voice at me. I took a break from your sister, so it's not entirely cheating." Sam responded. There was arrogance in his voice.

"Can you hear yourself talk? What is it that you have on my sister that makes her endure your nonchalant behavior?" Vivian asked him.

"Well, it's not my fault that your darling sister loves me very much. I'll come and get her soon, and things will get back to the way they used to be. But for now, I need my time and space, and you're currently invading it." Sam said with a tight smile, which Vivian thought was evil.

"I see you're having fun, but let me remind you. My sister is not a pushover; she might feel she's into you and you're taking advantage of her, but trust me, I'm going to make sure that this is the last time you'll ever hurt her. You can bank on that." And with that, Vivian left the house, and Sam laughed out. It was a cynical laughter.

"She'll always come back to me." He said, still laughing.

When Vivian got home, she made her way to their mother's room, and she poured out everything to her. Vivian swore that she'd make sure her sister got over Sam.

"Hey, Sandra." Vivian greeted her as she walked into her sister's room. Sandra was still cold, even though some days had passed.

"Viv, I'm sorry for my recent attitude towards you and Mom. I just can't help it." Sandra said and sniffled. She was close to tears already. Vivian sat on the bed and hugged her closely.

"This is why they always hurt you; you're just too fragile in heart, and it's not bad, but the likes of Sam just want to take advantage of your good heart. How long are you going to allow it?" Vivian said to her sister.

"I don't know what to do." Sandra whispered. They were still for a few more minutes, and after Sandra seemed to have gotten a hold of her emotions, Vivian told her about Sam and the girl she had seen him with.

"He was with someone else?" Sandra asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yes, and he made it seem like he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it because you love him. That guy doesn't deserve you, Sandra, and you know it." The next few minutes were filled with Vivian advising Sandra and convincing her that she was better off without Sam in her life.
Just then, a message popped up on Sandra's phone. It was Sam.
Hey, babe, I know you miss me. Come downstairs; I'm at the front door.

Sandra showed Vivian the message and got up to leave.
"Sandy, you can't keep doing this. Go out there and tell that dude to leave your life and never return. I know you're hoping that he would change, but we both know that it can't happen. It'll hurt, but you're better off without him. Don't let your emotions play you." Vivian advised.

Sandra left the room without saying a word. She walked down the flight of stairs and opened the front door. Sam stood there with flowers in his hand. He held a tight smile, and Sandra couldn't help but wonder if she could heed Vivian's advice.

"Hey, babe, how have you been?" Sam asked her. Sandra just stood there and said nothing. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Why don't we start by inviting in? You seem a bit lost." Sam said and tried to walk past her, but she didn't let him.

"No, you can't come in, as there would be no need for that. Sam, I've decided that we aren't meant to be together." Sandra stuttered.

"What are you talking about? You love me, remember? Don't let your sister sway your mind." Sam said.

"Yes, I love you, but I can't be a fool anymore. You've done nothing but hurt me and humiliate me. I'm done." Sandra said to him. She shook all over as she spoke. She knew she had to end things, and she tried not to let her emotions betray her.

"You can't be serious, Sandra. You can't break up with me. You know you love me; if I walk out of here, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." Sam threatened, and Sandra went quiet. She stood there, biting her lips and utterly failing to keep tears from pouring out of her eyes.
Vivian was tired of watching them, so she came to the door and shielded her sister with her back, then she stared at Sam with her hands akimbo.

"Who do you think you are to throw threats at my sister?" She asked him.

"Viv, let me handle this." Sandra whispered in between her tears.

"No, that's enough. Sam, you need to leave right now. My sister is done with you." She said to him.

"Vivian, no one invited you for a chat. I need to speak with your sister." Sam said. There was a deep frown on his face.

"No, you need to leave her alone. Stop messing with her head and just go to hell." Vivian snapped at him.

It must've been a lot for Sam to listen to all the vile words that Vivian said to him. He raised his hands to hit her, but Sandra was quick enough to pull her sister away, and his hands hit her instead.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean for that to happen." Sam stammered.

"Leave now." Sandra yelled and pushed him off the porch. She slammed the door shut, and with heavy sobs, she ran up to her room and shut her door.

Source

Vivian heaved a sigh. She knew Sandra would lock herself in for another period of time, but she was glad she had taken the bold step to speak up. She felt bad for Sandra. It was indeed bad that she had a fragile heart; thus, people tend to take advantage of it. She hoped her sister would find a man who would be different from the likes of Sam.

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