(continued from yesterday’s Betrayal Knows No Limits)
Leah trembled beneath the white sheet. Her sister’s words burned her ears and heart. She couldn’t bring herself to look Rachel in the eye.Not after what she’d done. Tears pricked her eyelids. How could I have gone along with Daddy’s plan? I’m so stupid.
She heard her sister storm out of the room the door slamming behind her. Jacob’s footsteps approached the bed and whoosh, the sheet was ripped from her, revealing her shame and nakedness. There was no where to hide. The truth of her betrayal spoke without words.
When she’d mentioned her Dad, Jacob had stormed out of the room too. Leah scrambled to the floor to find the sheet. She wrapped it around her body. The tears started as a trickle and became a roaring river down her face. Her head throbbed from the alcohol consumption the night before.
How could I have gone along with Daddy’s plan? I’ve ruined everyone’s lives now. Why couldn’t Daddy just leave well enough alone? Rachel and Jacob were happy and now we’ve ruined everything.
Leah curled up on the bed pounding her fists into the pillow. Angry sobs racked her body. When she’d exhausted herself, she rolled onto her back and thought about how her father had convinced her to trick Jacob into marrying her.
“Leah, your sister is beautiful, she could have any man she wanted. This could be your last chance to marry and have children.” Laban said. “You do want to have children don’t you, Leah?”
“Yes, of course I do, Daddy but this isn’t how I wanted to go about it.” Leah sighed. Her father was right about one thing. Every man around wanted to marry Rachel. The men would be lined up the second they found out Rachel was single again.
“Leah, don’t you deserve some happiness too?” Laban questioned. He patted her back like he used to do to comfort her as a child. Leah sighed.
Yeah, I do deserve to be happy for once. The thought scared and excited Leah. Rachel treated Jacob like dirt, so demanding. She was always complaining about something Jacob hadn’t done for her.
It drove Leah nuts that Rachel didn’t appreciate the man she had in Jacob. But Leah did. Leah appreciated everything about Jacob. His work ethic, tan skin, rippling muscles and sea green eyes. Yes, I do deserve to be happy and I have loved Jacob from afar for too long. I can make him happy. I won’t be a demanding sneering wife like Rachel.
“Okay, Daddy. I’m listening. What’s your plan?” Leah’s heart raced with excitement. She was going to marry Jacob one way or another…
** To be continued **
This is a modern day story of Leah, Rachel, and Jacob from Genesis 29-30
Have you ever done anything like what Leah is about to do? Scheming to get what you want? Pride certainly has a way of allowing us to tell ourselves that we are justified in doing something terrible but the consequences are never good. Does desperation ever cause us to make good choices?
