Novel-novel oleh Nhyi

There were two main problems with this whole dinner thing. One, I could not for the life of me figure out what to wear. Don't get me wrong, I had clothes. I had packed quite a lot from my place before coming here. But now, every single article seemed inappropriate for the occasion. Too short, too showy, too casual. There was simply nothing fit to wear.The next problem was my date for the dinner. My dear husband, Nathaniel Sinclair, who for some reason I only had the privilege of meeting at the wedding and exchanging a few words with on our ride home, was not around. He disappeared and I had no idea where he went.Some husband he was.I considered calling my mum and telling her we'd have to skip dinner. Maybe I could say Nathaniel had a meeting or I had a really bad headache. But the more I pondered over it, the more I realized my excuses wouldn't stop the scolding I was bound to receive from her.I let out a deep sigh and rolled over in my bed. Maybe I should go to bed, sleep through

The last thing I expected to do today was to meet up with my mum. For starters, we never do spontaneous meetups unless there’s an agenda behind it, like when she and Dad blindsided me with the news of my upcoming wedding.Secondly, it was the weekend and if you knew my mum well enough you’d know that weekends were sacred to her. Her personal haven that she took very seriously. Whether it was a spa day or a random trip out of town, weekends were her time and hers alone. Even Dad respected that boundary.So naturally, I was curious. Why did she want to see me? And why did she sound so eager about it on the phone?“Elena! Finally, come, come, have a seat.” I took in a deep breath and joined her at the table in the dimly lit restaurant. I hadn’t been here before, so I couldn’t tell if the lack of customers at this time was a normal occurrence or not. Either way, I was grateful for the quiet space to chat.I eyed my mum warily, my breath catching in my throat out of nervousness. Something

The next morning, I woke up with a snot stain on my pillowcase and a pounding headache. I won’t lie, I’d slept soundly through the night and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was completely drained from the day before or because the new bed I found myself in was just that comfortable. Whatever the reason was, I was grateful for the well- deserved sleep. My heart felt a little lighter and even though I was still unhappy about my current marital situation, at least I could face it with a less tired look on my face.Before I could stretch my limbs and give my body the wake-up it needed, a sharp knock echoed from the other side of the door.“Come in.” I called out, voice still groggy from sleep.Velma poked her head through the doorway, offering me a polite smile. “Good morning, ma’am. I hope I didn’t wake you up?”I shook my head quickly, sitting up straighter. “No, no, you didn’t.” My eyes darted to the pillow, heat rushing to my cheeks at the thought of her spotting the stain from whe

I let out a tired sigh as I sank into the leather seat of the car that was finally taking us home. Well, not my home, Nathaniel's.The wedding reception had dragged on far longer than necessary. People kept coming up to congratulate us, most of them strangers, offering warm wishes and a happy marriage. If only they knew it was temporary, one year and it would all be over.Before we left the reception venue I'd spoken to my mum briefly. She told me she was proud of me and that she was glad I hadn't caused a scene. Not that it even crossed my mind to do that, I felt hopeless during the ceremony. And my thoughts were all over the place.I didn't know how I was supposed to be a wife to someone I barely knew. Marriage came with responsibilities I wasn't ready for. And pretending to be okay with that already felt exhausting.I leaned back further into my seat and closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. The nerves hadn't left me since morning and I didn't think they'd be going away an

I watched in silence as my mother fastened a pearl necklace around my neck. Her hands were steady and practiced, like she'd done this a thousand times before."It goes beautifully with the dress." she gushed, clapping her hands in delight. "You look absolutely stunning. I'm so glad we picked this gown."I stared at my reflection in the mirror, not bothering to hide the annoyance on my face. I hated the dress. It was too frilly, too lacy and far too much for my taste. But of course, mum thought it was perfect. And now here I was, wearing it on my wedding day.A wedding I didn't even want."I look ridiculous." I muttered.Mum frowned. "Don't be dramatic. You look beautiful, like a proper bride.""The gown is suffocating." I groaned, tugging at the neckline. "Just like this whole wedding ceremony."Mum let out a sigh as her fingers brushed the edge of my veil. "Elena, please don't start now."I turned to her, my voice coming out shakier than I expected. "How do you expect me not to? I'm

I swirled the wine in my glass, glancing around the restaurant in boredom. I'd been waiting for over thirty minutes and there was still no sign of my parents. It's funny how punctuality was one of their favorite lectures. Yet here I was, alone. While they were thirty minutes late."Elena!" I looked up to see them finally approaching. My mum wore a ridiculously over-sized hat paired with dark sunglasses, her appearance drawing a few stares from the nearby tables. My dad, thankfully, had kept it simple in a dark suit and blue tie."Hi Mum. Hi Dad.""Hi, honey." Mum replied as Dad pulled out her chair. Neither of them acknowledged their late arrival. And I didn't mention it, just took another sip of my wine and waited for my dad to settle in."Elena, have you heard from your sister?" No greeting, no small talk. Straight to the point, as expected."No, Dad. I haven't.""Are you sure?" His tone made me bite down on a snarky remark. Eleanor, my older sister, had more or less, run away. An