Marriage with His Uncle!

The family dinner

My cries must have reached outside because the next thing I knew, Nash walked into the changing room and started consoling me. Desperate to grasp the last remnants of our relationship, I hugged him tightly, seeking the connection I had felt just a couple of days ago.

“Please… please… please,” I whimpered into his neck, begging the gods to help me feel that spark again. Deep down, I knew I had already lost him, but I couldn't accept it. Letting go of my love for eight years felt too cruel.

“What happened, sweet potato?” Nash asked worriedly, but I continued to hold on to him. Seeing that I wasn’t ready to let go, he picked me up and walked out of the shop. I must have looked funny in my wedding gown, crying like a child, but that was the last thing on my mind. Throughout the ride home, Nash whispered sweet nothings into my ear, trying to calm me down.

When he saw his words weren’t making a difference, he called Kylie and asked her to come to my house.

By the time we arrived, my family had gathered in the living room, clearly concerned about what had happened. My father panicked when he saw me crying. He hurried over and asked, “What happened?”

Nash, equally confused, shook his head. Kylie, however, growled at Nash, urging him to take me to my room. I could feel her holding back her anger toward her brother as we walked.

Once we reached my room, Kylie ushered Nash out.

“Girl, what happened? Did Nash do anything? Did he say something hurtful again?” Kylie asked, worry etched on her face. All I could do was shake my head. When I remained silent, she understood that all I wanted was comfort, and that’s exactly what she gave me.

She silently consoled me while I cried on her shoulders. After what felt like forever, I managed to calm down and finally explained what had happened. Kylie teared up as I struggled to articulate the turmoil inside me. I was overwhelmed with conflicting feelings, but one thought remained clear: I needed to gather my self-respect and walk away from the marriage.

“Prepare for the kidnapping as soon as possible. No, do it on the wedding day. Make it look like a murder. I want to escape this,” I said to Kylie.

“No, no, you can't run away forever. The kidnapping idea might sound good at first, but if we go through with it, both families will use all their resources to hunt down the abductor. It won’t end well for us, and our plan will be exposed. It would just create chaos,” Kylie pointed out. She had a valid argument. From the beginning, our kidnapping plan was doomed to fail. Our families would never let the abductor go; they had all the resources to uncover the truth, while we had none to hide it.

“You're right. We have no way out,” I said dejectedly.

“For now, but I will find a way out. If it comes to that, I will swap the bride. I won't let that jerk marry you,” Kylie promised me. Her determination moved me. She loved her brother, but she was willing to stand against him for my sake.

“Thank you for supporting me, Kylie. I don't know what I would do without you as my pillar of support,” I said, grateful for her presence.

“Hey, we're ride or die, babe. If I don't support you, then what kind of friends are we? You will always have my support, through thick and thin. Always!” She kissed my forehead.

“It’s almost dinner time. Do you want me to bring you dinner here? Nash will probably stay for dinner,” Kylie suggested. My heart ached at the thought of facing Nash again, but I gathered the courage I had left, not wanting to alarm my family. It would lead to disaster if anyone suspected something was wrong.

“No, that would just create unnecessary drama,” I said. “Let me collect myself, and then we can go downstairs.”

“Okay.”

I quickly freshened up and then we both headed to the living area, where everyone was waiting for us. As I entered the living room, I forced a cheerful smile and greeted everyone.

“I’m really sorry for scaring you like that,” I said beside Nash, turning to face him. “The marriage is weak, and my nerves are on edge. I never thought I would feel this nervous. I was caught off guard, and it made me emotional.”

“It’s okay to feel nervous, so don’t apologize. I just wish you were really with me during times like this so that I can be there for you,” Nash said, stroking my hair. I took a deep breath, calmed my emotions, and managed to smile back.

“If you feel overwhelmed again, come to me. As your father, it’s my job to take care of your mental health,” Dad said, beckoning me over. I jumped into his arms, seizing the moment to escape from Nash.

As the wedding date approached, sticking close to Dad would keep anyone from suspecting anything, and I wanted to take full advantage of that.

“You know you can rely on me too, right? As your mother, I will always be here for you,” my stepmother Layla said, her smile dripping with insincerity. At her words, my expression fell.

As you can tell, I don’t like my stepmother, and there’s a reason for that, but that’s a story for another day.

“Yes, I know,” I replied, giving her a weak smile to maintain the “familial bond.” I never liked unnecessary drama, which is why I always got along with my stepmother—only superficially, though. We had an unspoken agreement to never cross each other, and for years, we maintained that balance for the sake of peace.

Nothing good would come from us standing against each other or starting a fight, and we both knew that well.

“You can rely on me too,” my half-sister Leola, my sweet little pumpkin, said. She was nine years younger than me, so we bonded more like an aunt and niece than like sisters.

“Leave the adult matters to the adults,” I joked, knowing that she disliked the age difference between us.

“Hey, I’m 20 years old! Stop treating me like I’m five!” she sassily rolled her eyes at me and turned to Dad. “Dad, she keeps making fun of my age. How is it my fault that she is nine years older than me?”

“That’s between you and your sister; I won’t comment on that,” Dad chuckled. Being with my family helped ease my nerves to some extent, and I managed to get through dinner with Nash without having another meltdown.

With my nerves relaxed, I indulged in the peaceful dinner, unaware that all the turning points in my life were approaching at full speed and that trouble was about to hit.

~•~