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Some two hours later, Aunt Nelly and I sat in the living room gazing lazily at the TV. A movie was playing. Not that I cared anyway. My mind had coiled itself back to the euphoria of yesterday–with Ben.
Oh, Ben.
‘Everything that happened with him was a dream come true,’ I heard myself mutter beneath my breath.
The front doorbell chimed aloud cutting through my stream of thoughts. Aunt Nelly leaped to her feet and headed to get the door. There was quiet when she opened the door. Or rather, solemn. Not tranquility, no. It seemed more like a looming danger.
“Nelly,” I called out.
“Yes, dear,” Aunt Nelly replied, a bit startled.
“Is everything alright?”
Before I could finish my sentence, my dad barged into the house.
“Where is she?” he barked.
“Calm down, you’re going to startle her if you’re sounding that way,”
“I don’t care!” he hissed before seeing me get up.
“Dad, what’s the problem?” I asked.
“The problem?” His face squeezed in disgust at my question. “Why in the world would my only daughter try to disgraceour family name? Tell me. Why have you chosen to be an unreasonable child?”
“Unreasonable? Dad! how could you say that?”
“Don’t look at me like I’m the one Who’s proving to be a pain in the ass? All you had to do was a simple wedding to the man you love–”
“--but I don’t love Jack anymore, Dad!” I interjected.
“You agreed and gave your word to get married to him in the first place, Olivia. You’ve chosen the man you want to spend the rest of your life with. Why then, are you running away from your own decision.”
“Dad, Jack is not someone you want in this family, can’t you see?” I hated the way my voice trembled when I uttered that last part.
My dad paused for a second. His face still gleamed in fury like a seething wolf.
He said nothing.
“Dad, please. I can’t get married to that beast.”
“Why?” His gruff voice asked.
“Why what?”
“Why don’t you want to marry him again?”
"Dad, please understand," I implored, my voice shaking as I met my father's eyes. "I want to be with someone I love, someone that I choose, and I want to be free to do that, and bear the responsibilities that it comes with, even if that person cheats on me. But not when he cheats repeatedly, and I regret it every single day because it wasn’t my choice. No, I can’t. I don’t want that. I…"
“Over and over again? Is there something I should know here, Olivia?”
“Something you don’t know already, Dad? That Jack was a lying cheat? He cheated on me the morning of ourwedding.Don’t tell me you don’t know that at least, Dad.”
The revelation hung heavy in the air. My father's expression transformed from anger to sorrow, and he turned to glance behind him. Jack, with a remorseful look on his face, stood there, seemingly caught off guard by my confession.
Dad seemed lost for words, torn between his expectations and the pain in his daughter's eyes. I could see the struggle in his expression, and for a moment, I hoped he'd finally understand why I couldn’t go through with this marriage.
After a long silence, Dad sighed heavily. "Olivia, I never knew..."
