Chapter 6: Silent Scream

The whole week passed in a blur. I couldn’t comprehend anything, and the nightmares now visited me every day. Shouting, gasping for air, and trembling—that was my daily reality every time I woke up in the morning. Each day, it was getting worse. The nightmares became more remorseful with every passing hour. The devastating scene replayed over and over in my dreams, with the dead taunting me at every second. It was slowly killing me inside.

Uncle Peter, Athan and even Danny tried to persuade me to see Mrs. Smith again, my psychiatrist, but I no longer wanted to.

I was tired of needing help, tired of going to the doctor, tired of feeling helpless.

Today was the day I would meet him, my future husband. I didn’t know who he was or what would happen. I always told everyone I was fine, but deep down, I was afraid. What if the past repeated itself?

I didn’t know if I could handle the pain or if I could handle making someone like me because of this marriage.

I dressed in a sleeveless blue fitted dress that stopped a few inches above my knee, my hair tied in a messy ponytail.

Never in my life did I think walking toward our backyard would be this hard. I took my time, slowly making my way to where Uncle Peter, Athan, and Danny were seated with my future husband and his family. Yes, Danny was here too, as he was considered family.

As I walked out of the house, I was greeted by all of them, which made me gasp in surprise at who I had arranged with.

“Nate…” It came out as a whisper, and he returned it with a glare.

He wore black pants and a V-neck shirt paired with an open checkered long-sleeved polo.

What happened to him?

Just last week, he was flirting and making fun of me. And then, the realisation hit me.

Oh, right.

He hated me, and he hated this arrangement. I didn’t know why, but a sudden sadness crashed over me. He loved someone, and because of my choice, I had ruined both of their lives. I was the one who had a choice, and I chose to go through with this arrangement, even though everything inside me screamed that I shouldn’t. He hated me now, but his hate couldn’t compare to what I felt about this whole situation.

I think things just became way worse than I had imagined.

“So, since both of you are here, we want to announce that since my son is already 18 and you, my dear, are 17, soon to be 18, we plan to have your marriage after your graduation. What do you say?” said the sturdy, toned man I presumed to be Uncle Arthur.

“Right. As if I have a say in this. So, what do you say? Since, you know, you’re the only one who had a choice?” Nathan said. I had decided that I should start getting used to calling him "Nathan" now since he didn’t like me.

Continuing to call him by the nickname I had given him would only strengthen the slight feelings I had for him, and that would cause even greater problems for us—and greater heartache for me.

“Nathan! Have some manners, would you?” his mother, Auntie Clarisse, scolded him.

Auntie Clarisse was stunningly beautiful, with a curvy body, wavy mousy brown hair, and hazel eyes. Her aura emitted a kindness that made you feel at ease with her.

“Why should I? I don’t even see why I’m here, seeing as I don’t have any say and you all are making the decisions,” he shouted, glaring at each of us before standing up and walking away toward the pond in our backyard, which was surrounded by a mini-forest.

My uncle had created that man-made mini-forest for me since nature gave me peace.

“Um… I think I should follow him,” I said to everyone.

“Please do so, honey. I’m sorry,” Auntie Clarisse replied, which only made me more anxious. It was taking every ounce of my self-control not to have a panic attack.

Those words—“honey”—it had been a long time since someone had called me that. After my father’s death, my uncle made sure no one called me that because it triggered my attacks. I ignored my uncle and the boys’ worried glances and walked toward the mini-forest.

There, I saw him sitting by the pond, looking stressed, with his back facing me.

I carefully walked closer and apologised. “Hey, look, I’m sorry. I know it’s my fault you’re miserable right now, but... I... I just love them so much, and they need my help. You... you can hate me as much as you want. If it will make you feel better, you could even curse at me.” I finished, looking down in shame. I dared not look straight into his burning eyes for fear of seeing how much hatred he had kept inside him.

I knew what I said was true. I was the one with the choice, but I chose to go through with it. My uncle loved his restaurant so much. It had been his gift to Auntie, who had already passed away, and I couldn’t let him lose that.

“Huh?! Sorry? For all I know, you might have planned this the moment you saw me. Thought you were innocent, huh? You even had those awful nicknames and that basketball fight—was it all part of your plan?” He stood up, looking at me as though he were ready to eat me alive. I hated it. I had never lied to him, and it hurt because, even if I denied it, I liked him, and it hurt to be accused like this. I felt both annoyed and irritated with his accusation, but I didn’t express any of it. I had no right to.

“I... I wasn’t... I... I... didn’t... I...” I was hyperventilating now. All the anxiety and stress I had been holding back since I heard the news came rushing toward me all at once. My breathing became shallow and rapid as my heart pounded in my chest. I was about to collapse when he strode toward me and held me by the waist.

“Hey, Rosie! Rosie! Breathe. Are you all right?” he said, panic in his voice. Well, who wouldn’t panic in this situation?

“I’m so sorry, really,” I spoke weakly to him as he held me. I felt dizzy, and I knew I was close to passing out. I heard him shout for help, and everything seemed to move in slow motion around me. Athan and Danny came running toward me with my uncle and Nathan’s parents behind them.

Athan took me from Nathan’s arms, lifting me up in his arms, whispering soothing words as he made his way to my room.

NATHAN'S POV

When I heard that I was to get married to some girl, I became really mad at my parents. I had a lovely family, but they just loved to dictate my choices in life. I wanted to be an artist, someone who created paintings that would inspire people, but they never asked me what I wanted. Instead, they told me that I would take over as CEO of our company.

I understood why they felt that way, considering I was their only child and they needed an heir, but dictating who I should marry was going too far—especially when they knew I had a girlfriend whom I loved.

I couldn’t understand why they didn’t like her. Olivia was a lovely girl—so innocent and sweet. She was the daughter of my father’s business partner, and we met at one of their company’s galas. She captivated me with her hazel eyes, which were like my mother’s, and her sweet voice. Olivia was light-skinned, petite, with curvy brown hair.

So, when I came to see my fiancée, I was beyond surprised when I saw who she was. It was Rosie. At first, I was irritated by her. She was just a newbie at school, yet she acted like she could do whatever she wanted, probably because she was close to Athan and Daniel, who acted like her bodyguards or something.

But then, after talking to her—and especially when she beat me at basketball—I realised I had been wrong about her.

When I saw her hiding in the aisle of bookshelves, I knew she wasn’t some attention-seeker. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she was close to those two boys. I knew she wasn’t that bad, but when I saw her today, I just lost it. I got mad at her—simply because she had a choice, and she let this arrangement happen. When she apologised to me, I was taken by surprise, but I was too angry. I was still angry because I loved someone else, and I was being forced into this.

One moment, I was shouting, and the next, I was striding toward her, finding her in my arms, shaking and struggling to breathe. Confused and terrified by what was happening, I called for help, knowing that everyone from lunch earlier could hear me. And I was right—within seconds, Daniel and Athan rushed to her side, followed by my parents and her uncle.

Athan stayed with her in her room while everyone else gathered in the living room. I was about to go and open her door when Daniel stopped me.

“Look, mate, I know you hate this arrangement, but trust me, her hate for this is much stronger than what you’re feeling. I don’t care what you think or feel about it, but a little favour as friends—don’t talk about what happened earlier to anyone,” he said seriously, his gaze intimidating.

This side of Daniel surprised me. He was always the fun one, the guy who hardly ever took anything seriously. To see him like this, so intense, was... unsettling.

“What happened earlier? And why shouldn’t I talk about it? Not like I’m some gossip addict who would tell everyone,” I replied, confused.

What had happened to her? Was it something I did? Or was she sick?

“It’s not for you to know. And if you don’t want it to happen again, don’t talk about it to her. Act like it never happened,” he said firmly.

“Dude, you’re forgetting something—she’s my fiancée!” I exclaimed, a little frustrated.

“It’s an arranged marriage, and neither of you wanted it, remember? If you really want to know more, you’ll have to find out on your own, which I’m pretty sure you won’t unless it comes from her. We won’t betray her by telling you anything.” He then turned and started walking away, heading toward the staircase.

But before he disappeared, he looked back at me and said, “You might be my friend, but we won’t think twice about beating you up if you hurt her in any way. Do whatever you want, but you’re still engaged. Don’t cheat on her under any circumstances.” Then he walked downstairs, leaving me standing there, thinking.

I came to realise something. You really shouldn’t confront a serious Daniel—he looked like someone you definitely shouldn’t mess with. With all that had happened, one question kept running through my mind:

“Who are the real you, Rosie?”