Megan woke up blinking sleepily, stretching her arms overhead, then rolled over to find Aiden's side of the bed empty. Her heart quickened at the absence; the warmth of his body was a comfort she was still getting used to.
A smile crept across her face as she thought of him.
Sitting up, she threw the covers aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her toes grazing the cool tied floor,as she walked down the stairs,the smell of something sumptuous wafting through the air, she followed the aroma to the kitchen. There, she found a note propped up against a plate on the table.
Megan's heart raced as she approached, picking up the note. In Aiden's familiar scrawl, it reads
*"Hey, love! I didn't want to disturb your sleep because you looked so peaceful. Plus, I was running late for work. I made breakfast already—enjoy! I'll see you later."*
Megan's cheeks flushed deep crimson. The sweetness of the note combined with the thoughtfulness of his actions made her heart swell. Breakfast? He'd made breakfast just for her? A wide grin spread across her face as she looked over the delicacies before her.
"Wow, Aiden," she breathed, her heart fluttering. Megan took a seat at the table and poured herself a cup of coffee,She felt so happy she had someone like Aiden in her life, someone who made the little things feel extraordinary.
Once she'd poured some syrup over her pancakes, she took a bite, letting the sweetness melt on her tongue. "Hmmm, this is good" she exclaimed savouring the taste.
After having her breakfast,she quickly grabbed her things dashing out,she had to get home quick because she was already late for work.
After some minutes of driving, she finally pulled into the driveway of the house.
Stepping out from the car she walked in swinging the door opened.
But the sight that next welcomed her left her frozen.
She hesitated in the doorway, her heart sinking as she took in the scene.
Seated comfortably on the family couch was a handsome young man, casually leaning against the armrest, a charming smile playing on his lips. Beside him sat an older couple, the woman with silver hair making her classy.
"Megan, sweetheart! You're home!" her mother called out, her voice light as she stood from her spot in the dining,a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"This is Megan, my daughter!" Nelson, announced with pride, his voice booming through the room as though he were introducing a celebrity.
Megan felt herself freeze, her hand still gripping the doorframe. Suddenly, all the warm feelings she'd had just moments ago evaporated. **What was going on? Who were these people?**
"Hi there!" her mother gushed, hastily beckoning her over.
Megan forced a smile, though a knot tightened in her stomach. "Um, hi," she managed to say, glancing from her father to the strangers.
The handsome young man stood and extended his hand. "I'm Eric," he said, his voice smooth and warm. "These are my parents, Carol and Frank. We've heard so much about you!"
Her father beamed as if he had just formed the perfect surprise party. "You'll love Eric! He's a great guy. Just graduated, works at a tech startup. We think he'd be a wonderful influence on you."
Megan's heart sank further. Her instincts screamed that this was a setup, a well-planned matchmaking endeavor formulated by her parents. "Of course you do," she thought bitterly.
"Thanks, I guess?" Megan replied, her voice barely concealing her discomfort as she shook Eric's hand. His grip was firm, the smile on his face disarmingly confident. She felt as if she were in a moment where time stopped.
"So, Megan," Carol began, her tone far too friendly, "we were just talking about family vacations! Eric's takes the most wonderful trips. Maybe you could join him next time!"
Just as Megan was about to protest, her father cut her off. "Oh, she used to love travelling! Right, Megan? We went to Mexico in her senior year. Remember?"
Megan gritted her teeth, trying to summon a polite smile through her building frustration. "Yeah, it was a long time ago," she replied, her voice trailing off.
Eric jumped in with an easy laugh. "Mexico sounds awesome! I'm actually planning a trip to Guatemala next month. Maybe we could all go together sometime?"
Her heart raced even faster at the thought. Why was her family suddenly so keen on merging lives? This was not how she envisioned her morning to go—she had thought she would be getting prepared for work.
"Right, yes, that sounds…nice," she forced out, trying desperately to sound agreeable, but her mind raced. **What were they doing? Why did they think this was a good idea?**
"You're going to love Eric," her mother chimed in again, enthusiasm spilling from her lips. "He's studying computer science and wants to start his own company someday. Isn't that impressive?"
"Very impressive," Megan replied, her tone more sarcastic than she intended. The last thing she wanted was to listen to her parents gush over someone she barely knew while they planned her love life without her consent.
"So, Megan," Eric continued, tilting his head slightly, his gaze curious, "what do you do? I heard you're a professional Artist"
Megan paused, contemplating whether to share her real ambitions or just nod and agree to whatever her parents said "Yes, I run my own Art studio" she said finally,
"Ah, excuse me" Megan said abruptly standing up from her sit she stormed upstairs walking to her bedroom, her footsteps echoing loudly.The door slammed behind her revealing the frustrated energy she could no longer contain. She threw herself on her bed, burying her face in the pillows.
**How could they not understand?** she thought, feeling the kettle of suppressed anger within her threaten to boil over again. Her parents had been hammering away at her about "what they want for her" while all she wanted was to make her own choices and explore her feelings for Aiden. The weight of their expectations felt unbearable.
Suddenly, the door creaked open just a bit, and she heard her father, Nelson's, voice cutting through her thoughts. "Megan? Can I come in?"
"Do whatever you want!" she shouted, her voice muffled by the pillow. The last thing she wanted was to have a calm conversation with her father about why this was all so infuriating.
The door opened wider, and her father stepped inside.
"What have you guys done?" she asked, his tone more cautious than accusatory.
Megan lifted her head, her frustration spilling over as she fixed her gaze on him. "What have *you* done?" she asked again rising to sit cross-legged on her bed. "You don't understand anything. You think you know what's best for me, but you don't! I'm not some prize to be won in an arranged marriage!"
"Megan, that's not—" Nelson began, but she cut him off, her emotions pouring out rapidly.
"Not what? Not what I want? You really think I'm going to walk down the aisle with someone you choose for me? With someone I barely know? And stop pretending that you think Aiden is not the right guy for me just because you hate him!" She glared at him, her heart racing with the intensity of the discussion.
"Hey, listen, Megan," he replied, his voice steady but firm. "I just don't want you to get married to Aiden. He's not the kind of man I pictured for you. He's charming and all, but what do you really know about him?"
Megan felt her heart sink at his words. "Why does it matter what you think? This is my life! Aiden makes me happy. He understands me better than anyone else! You don't get to decide who I spend my life with, just like you don't get to decide if I get married at all!"
Her father sighed, rubbing his temples as if trying to ease a headache that had just begun swirling around in the chaos of his thoughts. "Megan, as your father, it's my job to guide you. I just want you to be safe. Arranged marriages have their place, and families are meant to support the people they love."
"But that's not what I want! I don't want some marriage setup,! I want to choose my future, my partner! Aiden is real, and he respects me! And you have to trust that I can make this decision for myself!" She rose to her feet, clenching her fists at her sides, fueled by a mix of desperation and rage.
"Megan," he replied "This is the world we come from. And you can't just throw it all away because you feel something for him. I get that you like him, but this isn't just about feelings. You need to think practically about your future."
"Practically?" she scoffed, her eyes flashing with indignation. "You think I haven't thought about this? I've thought about it day and night! I might not know everything about the future, but Aiden brings out the best in me, and I want to explore that!"
"No, you don't have anything with him from now on, focus on Eric, he's your fiance now" he retorted angrily.
Megan ran a hand through her hair, the weight of her father's worries heavy on her shoulders. "Why can't you see? I don't need you to protect me from it! You're suffocating me with these expectations!"
A silence fell between them, thick and loaded. Nelson took a step closer, his expression softening. "Megan, I want what's best for you. I truly love you and only want to see you happy. Can't you understand that?"
"Aiden is not the guy, speaking about Aiden,he did this right, that bastard" her father shouted pointing to the bruises on her neck.
Immediately Megan arranged her scarf, trying to hide it.
"This is not the first time, he's hitting you, and I will kill that son of a bastard" Nelson cursed gritting his teeth.
"This time I'll have him Lock up and rot in jail for assault" he continued
"Dad, Stop it, Aiden is not like that,he truly loves me" Megan pleaded.
"I love Aiden, Dad!" she shouted, her voice raw with emotion. "And you see that guy downstairs? Tell his family to kiss hell! This is my life, not some game you can play!"
"Megan, this isn't just about you!" Nelson's face hardened, the fatherly warmth she had always known now replaced by a steely determination. "If you keep this up, I swear I will rip everything from you if you dare mess things up. Do you understand me? You think you're in love, but this is a decision you're making without thinking of the consequences."
Megan felt the panic and anger bubbling up inside her. "Today marks the end of you seeing Aiden!" her father continued with a cold voice "Your engagement is in two weeks. Get prepared." he said finally walking away.
"No, Dad, please don't do this,I'm old enough to make decisions for myself!" Megan sobbed.
_______________
Pa-Pa
Two heavy slap landed on Diego face,he held his face but no words seems to come out.
"You imbecile! How dare you treat her coldly!" his dad shouted, his voice booming through the small house.
Diego flinched at the sharp tone, the disappointment evident in his father's glare.
Diego touched his cheek, the heat stinging beneath his skin.
"This whole stuff was never my thing, Dad! Don't force her on me, I never asked for this"
"i clearly warned you not to mess things up Diego" he warned.
"I don't want to get engaged !" Diego retorted, his own voice rising to meet his father's fiery intensity.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have arranged this, when I have a girlfriend already !" Diego shot back
His father's expectations felt like chains binding him to a life he had never chosen.
Diego took a step back, his heart pounding wildly against his ribcage. "You've never respected my choices or my feelings. You only care about your illusion of success and what others think!"
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room, both men breathing heavily as the tension escalated.
"i don't care, you're getting married to Lucia and that's final" his father declared.
"Diego don't think about pulling a crazy stunt, cause if you do,you're going to regret it," his father continued, his voice chilling.
"I will cut you out of from the family lineage, just so you know if you choose to disrespect me ."
"Cut me out then!" Diego shouted, " I'll be better off without your toxicity. I won't live a life full of choices I didn't make!"
"This isn't just about you, Diego. I'm trying to protect you,you have no right to blame me when I clearly gave you the chance to bring a woman over, but you failed, now erase every feelings you had for her and concentrate on Lucia, this is the last warning" his dad said storming out he closed the door with a loud noise