Beneath The Mask

LORETTA

The office smelled faintly of disinfectant and paper, the kind of sterile atmosphere that always made my chest tighten. I sat across from Dr. Tejas, watching him shuffle through the stack of documents on his desk before finally lifting his eyes to me.

“Loretta,” he began, his voice low and heavy, “I know these past few days have been hard on you. I wish there was more we could do.”

I pressed my palm to my forehead and sighed. My body felt drained, as though the last bit of strength had been wrung out of me. Ever since Grandma’s diagnosis, life had been one long stretch of exhaustion. Blurry vision, constant fatigue, wounds that refused to heal diabetes had stolen her energy and left her fragile in a way that broke me to watch.

I looked at him, desperate. “Please, Doctor, do something, I can’t lose her now.” My voice cracked, betraying the fear lodged in my throat.

“If I told you there was still a chance, I’d be giving you false hope.” His words were gentle, but they cut all the same. “I’m truly sorry.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, pressing to be released, I swallowed hard and forced a crooked smile. “You’ve done your best, thank you.” My voice came out in a hoarse whisper. Before I broke down in front of him, I stood and hurried out of the office. Pity was the last thing I could bear right now.

Grandma’s ward was quiet when I entered. She was propped against her pillows, a nurse adjusting her IV. The moment she spotted me, her face brightened with that smile I had known all my life, the smile that had carried me through every storm. Soon, that light would be gone forever. The thought sent a sharp pang through my stomach.

Once the nurse left, I sank into the chair beside her bed, My hand found her fragile and cool hand, and I held it carefully, as though I could hold her here with just my grip and make her live forever. 

“I bet the doctor didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear,” she said softly, reading me like she always did. “Edith, you know I won’t be here forever.”

“Don’t talk like that.” I tried to smile, but my lips trembled.

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “You know what I’m craving right now? Chocolate cookies.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “You can’t have those, Grams, you are still recovering.”

“Well, I’m going to die anyway,” she teased, though her voice carried a tiredness. “Might as well enjoy what’s left.”

“Don’t say that.” My grip tightened on her hand. “Fight for me please.”

Her smile faded into something softer, sadder. “Edith, darling… I’ve stayed this long because of you. I have seen you grow from a little girl into the woman you are now. I wish I could stay longer, but my body is tired, this pain is more than I can bear.”

My tears slipped free, streaming down my cheeks as I shook my head. “I need you, Grams. I don’t know what I will do without you.”

“You are stronger than you think,” she whispered, brushing her thumb over my knuckles. “The world may feel lonely without me, but you won’t be alone for long, you will have a companion.”

I frowned, companion? What was she talking about? “Grandma, I don’t even have a job yet, what do you mean by that?”

Her expression grew serious, almost hesitant. “There’s something I need to tell you, and now is the best time.”

A knot formed in my stomach. “What is it?”

She paused, drawing in a shaky breath before meeting my gaze. “You won’t like it, in fact, you may hate me for it. But know this, I did it because I believed it was best for you.”

Suspicion prickled at me, I crossed my arms, bracing myself. “Now you’ve got me curious, what did you do?”

“You remember my friend Rhoda?” she asked carefully.

I nodded.

“Well… many years ago, when your mother had just given birth to you, Rhoda and I made a pact. We promised that our grandchildren would marry each other one day. To seal it, we signed a document. A marriage agreement.”

I blinked at her, stunned into silence. Then I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “You can’t be serious. This is a joke, right? Where’s the hidden camera?”

But her eyes didn’t waver.

“The document you signed a few weeks ago, before I was rushed here, that wasn’t just any paper, Loretta.”

My heart skipped. “What do you mean?”

“It was your marriage certificate. You are, in the eyes of the law, married to Rhoda’s grandson, Dante.”

The room spun, I stared at her, waiting for her to break into laughter, to say she was only teasing me. But her face stayed solemn.

“You mean,” my voice rose with disbelief, “you got me married to a stranger without my consent? Who does that in this century?”

“Edith….” 

“Do not call me Edith,” I snapped, cutting her off. “My name is Loretta. That’s the name my mother gave me, the only piece of her I have left. You have taken every decision for me my whole life, but not this one, not anymore.” 

She sighed, her eyes glistening. “I knew you’d be angry, that’s why I kept it from you. If I had told you earlier, you might have refused, run away, chosen someone else. But Dante… Dante is meant for you, your fates are tied.”

“This is insane!” I shot to my feet, my voice trembling. “You trapped me into a marriage with someone I don’t know? I won’t accept it!”

“You can scream all you want,” she said, her voice still gentle, though firm. “But if you break this arrangement, you lose the house and your little inheritance,I made sure of that.”

Her words hung in the air, I can’t believe my grandma had shackled me to a stranger and now I have no way out.