“What were you expecting? I just weigh about 50 kg. It’s not a big deal, Willow.”
“It is a big deal.” She firmly uttered. “You are just 20 years old. You need to take it easy.”
“I’m taking it easy. Ash is in the facility. Of course, I’m taking it easy.”
“You are taking it easy, but it is difficult for you. I can see that.”
I took a slice from the cake beside the cup with a fork and shove it inside my mouth.
“Have you heard from the others too?!”
“The others?” I got confused as hell. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about Storm, Jinx and Anderson.” I replied.
“Oh. Yeah!” She rolled her eyes. “No, I haven’t heard from any of them except for Anderson. I don’t know what he’s being up to lately.” She responded and swallowed from her tea after picking up the cup again. “What about them? What happened?” She asked.
“Nothing of any sort. I just wanted to know if you’ve met them.”
“Nope! I haven’t.”
I sneezed a little.
“They are probably catching up to a lot of things they’ve missed out in life. You know they just got out of their parent’s prison.”
“Yeah!” I nodded.
“I’ve heard the rumors about you and James. You are getting married, right?”
“Why do you think I am getting married to James?” I questioned. “Will you like it if I get married to James?”
I’ve heard the rumors too.
I hate it when something about me comes out to the open when I hate it the most. I don’t know why people like to feed on rumors.
Gosh, I loathe it so much and I wish I could shut the mouth of how people talk.
“Why wouldn’t I like it? It will be nice to be married. But do you truly love him?”
“Huh!” Her question took me aback. Why will she ask me something like that? No one has ever asked me if I truly love James?
“Why are you asking me that sort of question?” I clenched my cup with both hands to not cry in front of Willow.
“Because you don’t seem to like the idea of getting married to James. You seem downcast and distant from him somehow. And your eyes look unhappy.”
“You are the first to ask me such a question since Ash went into a coma.” I commented.
“Violet, I don’t know what is going on right now. But I’m here for you. Please.”
“You’ve heard-”
“Your mother is telling everyone that you don’t wanna get married to James. She’s spreading false lies about you. Trying so hard to manipulate you. What is happening, Violet?”
“I don’t want to get married to anyone.” A soft sob escaped my lips, tears streaming down my face. My lips trembled as I tried to speak.
I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore, choking on the sobs that followed.
I’ve been sucking it in for the past three years. Suffering alongside someone who doesn’t know what is going on around him. Who doesn’t know what I went through for no one to give up on him? How I have tried for three years to get over him. The pressure to abandon him, see my parents fight between themselves every day, be the perfect Alpha, and get married to James.
It is overwhelming, and I feel like losing it. I just wish Ash would wake up and pull everyone’s shit together.
Willow held my hands and squeezed it. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was a little stained. Her breath shook as she tried to speak, but I could tell she was also in her emotions.
She just wasn’t crying like me, but she was.
“I’m sorry.” She repeated these words and added. “I wish I was there with you. My father kept I and Anderson inside the mansion for three years. I kept trying to keep talking to you. I know it was hard to keep in contact with you, but I didn’t give up on you. Now that I’m out. We will never be apart from each other again. I miss you so much, Violet. I love you so much. Let’s do this together.”
I nodded and wiped off my tears, and Willow did the same thing.
“I don’t want to get married to James because I don’t love him.”
Willow’s eyes grew in surprise. “What!” She gasped. “I thought you guys loved each other. That’s why you are dating up till now. And I thought you didn’t want to get married early because Ash is in a coma. I thought that’s one reason you seem so unhappy.”
“I’ve never been in love with him.” I revealed. “Just dated him because he wanted me to be his girlfriend. Thought after all these years, we will come to love each other or something, but I guess I was wrong for thinking like that. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t never have started this with him.”
Of course, I’m having so many regrets, but on second thought, he has been there for me and I just wish I could get through it alone.
Now it feels like I’m indebted to him because of what he has done for me.
And my mother wants me to get married to him without asking for what I truly want in my life because she wants to protect her seat by replacing me with Ash.
Nobody cried for Ash. Nobody noticed me and cared to know how I was doing.
I guess I’m destined to never be happy, why is my life such a mess?
If I hadn’t dated him, my life would have been different.
If I hadn’t dated him because I wanted to get my heart away from Ash, I wonder what kind of path I would have been on.
If he hadn’t been by my side, I don’t know how I would have survived it. Still, I’m thankful to him for always being there for me when no one else did.
“You had another reason for agreeing to date him, isn’t it, Violet?” Willow blankly questioned, along with a sigh.
“What are you talking about? What makes you think I have other reasons?”
Why does she think I have other reasons for dating James?
Is there something she knows and I don’t?
“Because I know you. You are a strong willed Alpha who does whatever she wants. You are difficult to manipulate. Or to control. You do whatever you like and get away with it. But sometimes you hold back because of Ash. I know it and I sense it. Whenever you do something you don’t feel like doing, it’s always related to Ash. You love him. I get it. You guys are close, so you always have to do something for Ash to protect him. I’ve been with you since we were all kids. I definitely know what you can do. If you dated James out of inconvenience, you did it for a particular reason.”