My Daughter Isn’t Married.

Imogen

I had always dreamed of marrying the man I truly loved someday, but I guess those were nothing more than childish fantasies because real life was far crueler than the fairytales I created inside my head.

I still could not believe I was about to marry someone I did not love, all because of the few things I had left of my mother.

The fact that my father could stoop so low as to blackmail me with her belongings simply because he knew how precious my mother’s memory was to me made me hate this entire situation even more.

I hated everything about it.

But despite how much I hated it, I still had no choice but to comply.

Maybe the Philips family would turn out to be better than the people living inside this house.

Who knows?

Still, the fact that I would never get to marry for love would continue haunting me because that was one of the promises I made to my mother before she died.

And honestly, I think I finally understood the true meaning behind her words after her death, especially when my father brought his mistress into this house barely five months later and shamelessly told me to address her as my mother.

Five months.

That was all it took for him to replace her completely.

He wiped away almost every trace of my mother from this house as though she had never existed here in the first place, leaving behind only the few things I begged him to keep so her memory would not completely disappear from my life.

Back then, I truly believed my parents were deeply in love with each other, but it turned out I had been completely wrong.

No wonder my mother always told me to marry only for love.

When Silvia and Lyra first stepped into this house years ago, I had been shocked beyond words after discovering that Lyra was actually my father’s biological daughter.

And the worst part?

She resembled him far more than I ever did despite being only two years younger than me.

Meaning my father had been cheating on my mother for years.

There was absolutely no doubt about that.

And honestly, deep down, I believed my mother probably knew about Silvia all along.

Whenever my father left for his so-called business trips, my mother would always become strangely quiet and sad, and the moment he returned home, she would do everything possible to make him happy again.

Back then, I never understood why she behaved that way.

But now I do.

Perhaps she thought loving him harder would somehow make him stop cheating.

But in the end, she still died loving a man who never truly loved her back.

Even though their marriage had originally been arranged, she still ended up falling completely in love with him while he spent all those years never truly reciprocating those feelings.

And because of that, I promised myself long ago that if I was ever going to get married someday, it would only be to someone I truly loved and who loved me just as deeply in return.

Just then, a knock suddenly sounded against my door.

Immediately, I got up from the bed to answer it, but before I could even reach the door properly, it swung open and Lyra walked in casually.

Honestly, why exactly did she even bother knocking in the first place?

The smug look resting on her face already told me she came here for one reason alone.

To mock me.

Which honestly happened to be the thing she knew how to do best.

She folded her arms across her chest while staring at me with those familiar green eyes.

The same eyes she had been looking at me with ever since she and her mother moved into this house years ago.

Eyes that always silently screamed “This was supposed to be my place as the legitimate daughter, but you stole it.”

As though any of that was somehow my fault.

“The future Mrs. Philips,” she mocked slowly. “Wife of a complete dimwit.”

I simply stared at her tiredly.

“What exactly did you come here for?” I asked calmly.

She dismissed my question with a wave of her hand.

“You see, Imogen,” she began mockingly, “I truly pity your situation and the fact that there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.”

Then she smiled smugly.

“Anyway, I only came to tell you that father wants you downstairs.”

And with that, she turned around dramatically while twirling her hair as she walked away.

Immediately after she left, I remained standing there while anger boiled violently inside me.

I bit down hard against my lower lip while trying to calm myself.

Why exactly did I have to pay for this family’s recklessness?

Why weren’t the people who caused the problem in the first place the ones being forced to fix it?

I was not the one constantly bragging to friends about how wealthy my father was.

I was not the one spending money recklessly and living lavishly without care.

So why exactly was I the one being sacrificed for all of this?

Quickly, I wiped away the tears spilling from my eyes before forcing myself to calm down enough to head downstairs.

When I arrived, my father was seated comfortably while reading through a newspaper as though nothing important was happening around him.

The moment he noticed me, he immediately spoke.

“We’ll be visiting your future husband’s family this evening.”

The instant those words left his mouth, my stomach twisted painfully while fresh anger bloomed inside me all over again.

“We do not want to create a shabby impression in front of the Philips family,” he continued coldly. “So make sure you wear your best dress. Your mother and sister have just gone shopping, that’s all I needed to tell you.”

And with that, he got up to leave while I remained standing there staring at him silently.

There were countless things I wanted to say to him in that moment.

But I knew if I opened my mouth, I would completely break down.

So instead, I swallowed everything painfully while watching him walk out of the living room.

So Silvia and Lyra will get to wear brand new dresses to impress the Philips family while I, the supposed fiancée, had to wear whatever old dress I already owned.

What a joke.

A bitter scoff escaped my lips, but it carried nothing except despair.

These people were humiliating me openly to my face.

Honestly, I should have gotten used to it by now.

But somehow, it still hurt every single time, and I hated myself for still allowing it to hurt.

That evening, we finally arrived at the Philips mansion.

While Silvia and Lyra looked absolutely magnificent in their expensive outfits, I simply looked like… myself.

Still, I had worn one of my nicest dresses because regardless of everything happening, if I truly was going to marry their son, then at the very least, I did not want my future mother-in-law finding fault in me immediately.

“Just try not to embarrass us in front of these people,” Silvia remarked coldly while stepping out of the car.

The mansion was enormous.

At least five times larger than ours.

Luxury practically screamed from every corner of the place, and immediately I began feeling completely out of place there.

“I still can’t believe they’re this wealthy,” Silvia whispered excitedly while holding Lyra proudly. “And they promised to find a suitable husband for my precious daughter.”

“Unlike someone,” Lyra added mockingly.

Then both of them burst into laughter.

My father said absolutely nothing despite hearing every insult they threw at me openly.

The only time he finally spoke was when the butler approached us.

“Welcome,” the butler greeted politely. “My master is waiting for you inside.”

Immediately, I bit the inside of my cheek nervously.

Here we go.

Today, my fate would officially be decided.

My chest ached painfully as I silently apologized to my mother in my heart because the promise I made to her was one I could no longer fulfill.

And honestly, that hurt more than anything else.

Once we got inside, we were led toward a massive sitting room, and immediately we stepped in, my eyes landed on the people already seated there.

A graceful woman with streaks of grey hair sat elegantly on one of the sofas while beside her was a man whose presence alone made it obvious he was used to commanding people naturally.

Then finally, my gaze landed on the young man seated not too far from them.

I guessed that was Dante.

The moment they saw us, warm smiles immediately appeared on their faces as though they had genuinely been waiting eagerly for our arrival.

“Oh welcome,” Mrs. Philips said warmly. “I hope the place was not too difficult to find?”

“Oh not at all,” Silvia answered quickly before anyone else could speak. “But I must say, your home is absolutely exquisite.”

Honestly, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole from embarrassment.

I simply wanted tonight to end already.

Just then, I suddenly noticed Mrs. Philips staring directly at me, and immediately it dawned on me that they already knew exactly which daughter was supposed to marry their son.

She gave me a small nod politely, and awkwardly, I returned one too before quickly looking elsewhere.

Big mistake.

Because the moment I turned my face slightly, I caught Dante staring directly at me.

Immediately, I looked away again.

Honestly, he was not bad-looking at all.

In fact, he looked incredibly beautiful in a soft kind of way, almost like a younger male version of his mother with his shiny blond hair and striking blue eyes.

Still…

He was not exactly my type.

I preferred masculine-looking men with sharper features and stronger facial structures.

Someone like Malcolm Grayson.

Although unfortunately, that man was already married.

Honestly, I was so jealous of the woman lucky enough to have him.

The first time I ever saw him online, I instantly became his biggest fan without even realizing it.

And strangely enough, it all started because of a single picture of his hands.

I never even knew I had a hand fetish until I saw Malcolm Grayson.

“Oh, you must be Imogen.”

Mrs. Philips’ voice immediately snapped me out of my thoughts, and quickly I turned toward her.

“Oh yes, she is,” Silvia answered immediately before I could even open my mouth, as though the question had somehow been directed toward her instead.

“Nice to meet you,” I greeted politely with a small smile.

Mrs. Philips nodded slowly while her eyes carefully observed me before briefly shifting toward Lyra, who immediately smiled sweetly.

“Hi, I’m Lyra,” she introduced herself softly.

Mr. Philips suddenly cleared his throat then.

“Well then,” he began calmly, “why don’t we continue getting to know one another properly over dinner?”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” my father chimed in shamelessly.

And throughout all of it, I could still feel Dante’s gaze resting on me repeatedly.

Once dinner started, the staring somehow became even more intense, and honestly, it took all my self-control not to become uncomfortable under it.

I understand he was probably trying to get familiar with me since we were supposedly going to marry soon, but honestly, did he really need to stare at me as though it was his full-time job?

“Oh, Imogen,” Mrs. Philips suddenly called softly.

Immediately, I looked up from my food.

“Your father mentioned that you graduated quite early and even finished top of your class,” she said pleasantly. “That’s honestly very impressive.”

Quickly, I reached for my glass of water before answering politely.

“Oh… yes, I did,” I replied while nodding lightly.

“Marketing, right?” Mr. Philips suddenly asked. “Why exactly did you choose that course?”

Immediately, nervousness crept into me because somehow the entire dinner suddenly began feeling less like family bonding and more like a formal interview.

“But if you don’t feel comfortable answering immediately, then that’s completely fine,” Mrs. Philips added kindly. “After all, we’ll have plenty of time to know each other properly once we become family.”

Honestly, I silently thanked God for her interruption because I truly did not know how to answer without sounding awkward.

Just then, another man suddenly entered the dining room hurriedly while carrying an envelope in his hand.

His footsteps sounded heavy against the floor as he approached Mr. Philips directly before handing it over respectfully.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Mr. Philips said before opening the envelope casually.

Meanwhile, the rest of us continued eating quietly.

At some point, my eyes accidentally met Dante’s again, and this time, a faint smile slowly curved against his lips.

And strangely enough, before I even realized what I was doing, I found myself giving him a small smile back too.

Seriously though…

Could he stop staring at me for at least five minutes?

Suddenly, Mr. Philips abruptly stood up from his seat.

And the next second, his furious voice exploded through the dining room.

“Do you think this family is some kind of joke?”

Immediately, every single head turned toward him in shock.

“You brought me a daughter who is already married?” he barked angrily before throwing the papers toward my father.

Instantly, confusion filled me.

Married?

What exactly was he talking about?

I quickly looked toward my father only to find him staring directly at me too before he immediately turned back toward Mr. Philips.

“No, there must be some mistake,” my father said quickly. “My daughter isn’t married.”

As he spoke, he grabbed the papers and scanned through them quickly, but within seconds, panic visibly appeared across his face as his eyes widened dramatically.

Slowly, he turned toward me.

“What exactly is the meaning of this?” he demanded while shoving the papers toward me.

Completely confused, I accepted them immediately.

“Married? I never—”

The words suddenly died inside my throat the exact moment my eyes landed on the document.

And instantly…

A forgotten memory from two years ago resurfaced inside my mind.

A day I never truly counted as important.

A marriage I could not even use back then.

But surprisingly…

It seemed useful now.