The air in the room instantly becomes thick with tension, a suffocating weight that presses against my chest. My father's voice cuts through the silence like a jagged knife, sharp and unforgiving.
"You are such an ungrateful child! I should have strangled you the day you were born!" Each word drips with venom, fuelled by rage and disappointment. I can see his veins throbbing at his temples, a physical manifestation of his fury.
My mother stands near the door, her fingers trembling as she locks it behind her. The click echoes ominously, sealing me in this emotional storm but I am ready for it. She turns to me her expression a complex mix of concern and exasperation but even I know she is just trying to coax me.
"Sel," she begins softly but quickly falters under the weight of my father's onslaught.
"Didn't you get what you wanted?" he continues, spitting accusations like bullets, each one striking deeper than the last. "You slept with your sister's fiancé and have now married him! So what's all this fuss about?"
I feel my heart race, not from fear but from an unsettling cocktail of defiance and anger boiling beneath my skin. My mother shifts uneasily beside him, I can almost hear her thoughts churning like storm clouds above us.
Our family business hangs precariously on the precipice of this scandal, the marriage must happen for our survival, and here I am, poised to dismantle everything they have built.
"Speak to your daughter," he growls at my mother while yanking his hair back aggressively.
She takes a breath before approaching me cautiously as if stepping into quicksand that might swallow her whole. "Sel… don't make trouble." Her voice is strained yet laced with something softer. It is like a desperate plea disguised as maternal concern.
"What did you do to your hair?" she asks suddenly, touching my now-short locks with hesitant fingers as though assessing damage after a calamity had struck our home. Her gaze narrows when she catches a whiff of smoke lingering around me. It clings to my wedding gown like guilt itself.
"Did you smoke?" The accusation hangs heavy in the air between us.
I smirk despite myself. It feels rebellious and freeing all at once. I take off my other diamond earring, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "I smoked," I reply lightly, shrugging off any hint of shame that might accompany those words. "I needed it."
Her reaction is swift and shocking. Her hand connects sharply with the back of my head before I can brace myself for impact. It stings more than just physically. It's a reminder that this isn't just about me anymore, it never has been.
"You are selfish!" she hisses through clenched teeth, eyes blazing with indignation. "We gave you everything you ever wanted! But we ask you to do this one thing after you screwed up..."
"I didn't do it!" My palms press against the dresser as anger simmers just below the surface, raw and potent like molten lava threatening to erupt from its confines.
"Didn't do what? You were in bed with him! Everyone saw you. You are an embarrassment to this family!"
The laughter bubbling inside me surprises even myself. There is something wickedly delightful about their outrage that makes it hard not to chuckle softly, even if it's tinged with bitterness.
"What's so funny?" My mother demands incredulously while taking another step forward as if trying to intimidate me into submission.
"I am going to annul the marriage… today." The words leave my lips, the words I have been looking forward to saying ever since my return, and it felt good. I refuse to be their puppet in this life and the next.
For a moment, disbelief washes over both their faces before morphing into something dark. My father laughs again but falters mid-laugh upon seeing the sincerity etched across my face. Perhaps he knows deep down how serious I am beneath this façade of nonchalance.
My mother raises her hand again, intending to slap me, but this time, something shifts within me. I catch her wrist mid-air before she could hit me. My lips quirk into a sly smile watching her squirm. Since Sunny wants a villain in her happy ever after, I was going to be just that.
"How dare you!" she yells furiously while attempting futilely to jerk free from my grip.
"I said what I said," I assert firmly now feeling emboldened by adrenaline coursing through every fibre within me. My rebellion blooms brighter amid the hostility surrounding us.
"I am breaking off this marriage whether you like it or not." With those final words spoken defiantly into existence comes clarity. I harshly let go of her hand before retreating slightly away from the both of them. I savour their bewildered expressions, regretting that in my past life, I was their doormat, doing everything to please them, only to be thrown out like a dirty rag when they were done with me.
As they storm out infuriated, I take a generous sip of the champagne from the bottle. This moment feels surreal. The thrill coursing through my veins felt out of this world.
Others saw me as the little princess of the Wright family spoilt beyond measure, but I knew they would throw trinkets at me to keep me occupied and be less of a burden.
It was truly a miracle I grew up without a princess syndrome. This I was aware of, but it wasn't until I read that story that I realised that it went deeper than that. It was even more sinister than I thought.
They raised me to be useless and crippled without the ability to stand on my own feet so they could find a useful marriage for me and further boost their status.
While they weren't looking I made something of myself and no longer needed them. But after that unfortunate night, they guilted me into marrying Roan all for the sake of the family. When they got the funds promised by the Kingsley family, they carried on living their lavish lives, leaving me to live a miserable life.
When the funds were all spent and their businesses bleeding, they began to pressure me to have a child, and as before, they would say it was all for the family. In the end... I died for it.
A twisted smile crept up my face as I downed the rest of the champagne. Seeing that the bottle is now empty, I open the a drawer and take out another one. I stand before the dresser, my fingers trembling slightly as I pop it open. This is the first time I defied my parents and I am a little shaken.
The cork releases with a satisfying pop, echoing in the stillness like a promise for a better future. Warm bubbles fizz and rise, but I don't care. It's not about the temperature of the champagne , it's about my liberation.
I gulp down the golden liquid, feeling it cascade down my throat my heart warming up. As I set the bottle on the dresser with a slight bam, I can almost hear my past life shattering into pieces around me.
One by one, I begin to remove my makeup, the thick layers that have masked not just my skin but also my identity for far too long.
With each stroke of the cotton pad soaked in remover, it's as if I'm peeling away years of expectations and disappointments. Today feels different, today is my rebirth.
As I wipe the lipstick off my face, I hear the door handle turn, but it stops when the person realises it's locked. I know who it is without thinking, but I don't panic. I continue removing my makeup, taking my time. Five minutes later, a key is inserted into the keyhole, and the door opens.
Roan walks in, his cold eyes fixed on me. I put on an air of nonchalance, continuing to take off my makeup with a cotton pad soaked in remover. Leaning casually against the console table with arms crossed over his chest, he studies me with an inscrutable expression that does little to mask his irritation or perhaps disappointment.
"I didn't expect you to come this early... or tonight for that matter," I say coolly while wiping makeup off my forehead, refusing to let his presence disrupt this momentous occasion for me.
A heavy silence settles between us until finally, he speaks, a slow drawl tinged with disbelief, "Is this what it is? A cry for attention?"
I chuckle softly at how ridiculous he sounds. The way he assumes I am so desperately vying for him when all I have ever wanted was freedom from him and his family. "You think highly of yourself… it's cute," I reply lightly but firmly.
His demeanour shifts then. His anger flares behind those icy hazel eyes as he steps closer, his aura overwhelming in intensity and asks pointedly, "What is this about? What do you want now? You were supposed to be at the wedding reception… as the bride. But instead, you have made me lose face in front of everyone."
At his words, fury simmers beneath my surface, a bubbling rage fuelled by memories too fresh and raw to ignore any longer. "I made you lose face?" I retort sharply as our gazes clash fiercely. They are like two storms colliding head-on in an unyielding sky. "And what have you done to me these past two months?"
He advances again until there's barely space left between us, his towering figure casting shadows over mine and looks down at me condescendingly,
"You wanted this! This is what you climbed into my bed for! So why are you complaining after getting what you wanted? You have always been jealous of Sunny, taking everything that belongs to her and more… Now you have the guts to act out."
Each word feels like a stab to my chest, seeing him defend his precious white moonlight with such passion. I chuckle sinisterly before my smile vanishes abruptly.
"Do you honestly believe," I say through clenched teeth, "I, a carefree person who does whatever I want whenever I want, would be dying to be with the most stringent and cold man on earth? That I would jeopardize everything I have built to be with you and be in the presence of your family that despises me? Now that is the most delusional thing I have ever heard. Why would I envy Sunny when all her life she was told to be perfect?"
As tension coils tighter around us like a vice grip. I take off the rings on my finger and say, "I am guessing my parents haven't told you yet? I want to annul this marriage. Here."
I offer him the rings, but he doesn't touch them, a gloomy cloud hanging over his head. I place them on the dresser. "I don't want anything from you. Call me when it's time to sign the papers."
I turn away and take off my necklace, saying dismissively, "You may leave. Our conversation is over."
Roan's burning gaze lingers on me for a while before he turns to leave, shutting the door with a bang.