LOVE IN DISGUISE

t, my breath knocked out of me. Marrie

" I managed to stammer,

ander, the son of my business partner. It's a merger, Ava. A u

d in a world where I had no say. My father's wo

drum. My father's voice was low and distant, but it still sent a chill down my spine. Suddenly, I jerked

ixture of surprise and annoyance. "No?" he repea

compose myself. "I'm not getting married to him, or anyone for that matter," I said, my vo

ve a say in this? It's been concluded, and the sooner you come to accept it, the bette

ning with anxiety. I felt like I was suffocatin

a promise he had made to me, and my voice croaked as I said, "But you said I'll pursue my master's degree."

our matrimonial home, you can apply to an online school or whatever. I don't care. You didn't study business, so whatever you do with you

e door, their faces somber and guilty. "You knew too, didn't you?" I accused, my voice shaking with anger and betra

I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, with no

sphere of my home. I needed to leave, to clear my head and process the bombshell my father had just dropped on me

ts and sounds of my neighborhood, but my mind was a million miles away. I was still reeling from the news,

by bakery. I couldn't resist the temptation, so I popped in to buy a cup of the

ading straight for me. I stood still, my legs betraying me as fear froze me in p