371: VEILED VOWS
ARIEL’S POV
Here I was in my room, sitting down, thinking about all the moments that I had spent with my family. My father, who I thought would be my hero, turned out to be a villain in my
story.
I was crushed, realizing they had to go to such lengths because they wanted to keep the business stable. I thought we were going to fight together; I thought we were going to get through all the terrible situations together. But it seemed like I was wrong. They had broken trust, and the hope they craved was no longer present.
They carried out this without informing me first. Why? Because they knew I would never agree to that. They knew I would never follow their conditions, letting them decide the person that I would spend my life with.
It all made sense now–my father asked me about my relationship life when we were going to the party. I was really confused right now about whether I should follow through with their terms or not. But there was no way I was going to get married to someone I didn’t love, someone I had no feelings for, someone I barely knew.
My mother walked inside my room, her eyes scanning me as I sat silently. My eyes filled with tears, with a look that flaunted how shattered I was.
“Ariel, please, you need to eat. It’s been two days now, and you haven’t eaten anything. Come on, something bad might happen to you.”
I stared at my mother, her voice echoing in my ears like a distant plea. But the turmoil inside me was too intense to heed her words. “I can’t, Mom,” I whispered. “I can’t eat.‘
”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I met her gaze, hoping she would understand the depth of my despair. “I won’t do it, Mom. I won’t marry Luke. I won’t sacrifice my happiness for business deals.”
Her eyes widened in alarm, and she rushed to my side, taking my hands in hers. “Ariel, darling, please don’t say that. You can’t do this. You can’t do this to yourself.”
I shook my head, pulling away from her touch. “You don’t understand, Mom. You and Dad have already made your decision. The two of you don’t care about what I want. You only care about your precious business.”
Anguish twisted her features as she reached out to wipe away my tears. “But you can’t give up on life, Ariel. There’s so much to live for ahead of you.”
I swallowed hard, with my throat tight. “Not If it means living a life I didn’t choose for myself.“Not if it means being trapped in a loveless marriage.”
She took a deep breath. “I know it’s hard, sweetheart. But please, try to eat something for
me and for us.”
I shook my head defiantly, my resolve hardening with each passing moment. “No, Mom. I won’t eat. I won’t comply with you and your father’s demands. I’d rather die than marry Luke,”
Her gasp of horror pierced the silence, but I remained resolute, knowing that my decision was the only way to reclaim control over my own life. But would they listen?
“I hope you and Dad are happy now. You guys have ruined my life. I hope you are happy.”
“Ariel, please don’t say that. Getting married to The Reynolds isn’t actually going to be a
bad idea.”
“Of course it isn’t.“Why would it be, since you guys are going to get all the money you need?
“Ariel, you have to understand that this is the only way to bring our business back to life.”
I stared at my mother incredulously, unable to believe her words. “So, what? My happiness doesn’t matter. Our family’s business is more important than my own life.”
She reached out to touch my shoulder. “Ariel, please try to see the bigger picture here. We’re doing this for the entire family’s sake, not just for the business.”
I shrugged off her touch, a surge of anger rising within me. “Well,. don’t care about the family reputation or the business! I care about my own happiness and my own future.”
She recoiled as if she were struck. “How can you say that? How can you be so selfish?”
Selfish? The word stung, but I held my ground.”
Selfish? You and Dad are the ones making decisions about my life without even considering what I want. How is that not selfish?”
Her voice quivered as she spoke; desperation was evident in every word. “Ariel, please don’t do this. Don’t throw everything away because of one disagreement.”
“One disagreement?” I.scoffed bitterly. “This isn’t just a disagreement, Mom. This is about my autonomy, my right to choose my own path.”
She sank onto the edge of my bed. “I know we’ve made mistakes, Ariel. But we’re only trying to do what we think is best for you.”
I shook my head, frustration boiling over. “Your idea of ‘best‘ is suffocating me, Mom.“I can’t live the life you’ve planned for me. I won’t.”
Silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the sound of our ragged breathing. I could see the pain etched into every line of my mother’s face, but I couldn’t back down. Not now.
Finally, she spoke, her voice barely a whisper. “What do you want us to do, Ariel? Tell me, and I’ll do it. Just please, don’t shut us out like this.”
Torn between anger and sorrow, I searched her eyes for any sign of understanding. “I want you to respect my choices, Mom. I want you to trust me enough to let me live my own life, even if it’s not the life you imagined for me.”
Her gaze faltered. “I don’t know if I can do that, Ariel. But I’ll try. For you, I’ll try.”
I turned to her. “Why on earth would you select that individual as my spouse?”
“Because that’s what his grandfather wants. The owner of The Reynolds likes you so much, Ariel. He wants you to be a part of his family.”
“Well, you all should have taken permission from me first before you did anything.”
My mother looked down, her hands clasped tightly together. “I know, Ariel. I know we should have talked to you about it first. But your father and I thought we were doing what was best for the family.”
I shook my head, feeling a mix of frustration and betrayal. “And what about what’s best for me, Mom?“What about my happiness?”
She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “I underst..
that you’re upset, Ariel.
I wish things could be different. But sometimes, we have to make sacrifices for the greater good.”
I scoffed, unable to contain my disbelief. “Sacrifices? Is that what you call it? Sacrificing my happiness for the sake of some business deal?”
“It’s not just a business deal, Ariel. It’s about securing our future and ensuring stability and security. You and I both know how things have been ever since Simon and his family sabotaged our business.”
“But seriously, mom? Are you people seriously going to do this? You’re going to betray me and take away my happiness because of a business going down.”
