Chapter 1: Sign here

Aria’s POV

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   “Sign it”. The voice came from across the table. My eyes dropped to the marriage contract and my heart skipped a beat.

“Dad, what do you mean?” I asked, trembling and confused.

“Aria, sign this or we lose everything”. I could feel my father's voice hanging heavily in the air. I kept staring at the marriage contract, hoping to find something less terrifying. But it didn't work.

“You want me to marry someone I haven't met?” I whispered. Then my dad looked away. That really hurt me more than the contract. He couldn't even look me in the eyes.

“We don't have a choice Aria”.

“There's always a choice”.

“Not when the bank is taking the house next week”. Silence filled the room.

The same house where I learned how to ride a bike. The same house where my mom planted roses before she died. The same house that is about to become someone else's. 

My fingers tightened around the edge of the table. “Who is he?” My Daddy hesitated. Just for a second but it was enough. 

“You don't need to worry about that”. My stomach dropped. If he wasn't going to tell me who the man was then what exactly was he asking me to sign.

I looked down at the last page of the contract. The groom's signature was already there. But where his name should have been… there was only a blank line.

I frowned. Then I looked again. Maybe I missed it or maybe the ink faded. Maybe it was hidden somewhere else. But no matter how I looked, the results are still the same. Nothing. No name. Just a blank line. Then I felt scared.

“Dad?” He didn't answer. I slowly looked up from the contract. My dad was staring at the window like he suddenly found the trees outside more interesting than the conversation we were having.

“Dad”. This time my voice was firmer. “What is his name missing?” He said nothing. Not a single word. And that scared me more than if he had shouted.

“What's going on?”

“It's complicated”. 

I laughed. Not because anything was funny. But because I was frustrated. 

“It's complicated” I repeated his words. “That's all you can say” My chest tightened. “Dad you're asking me to marry someone I've never met”. Still silence. “I don't know his face”. Nothing . I don't know his age”. Nothing. “I don't know his name”. Nothing. “And I don't know what he looks like”.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. My legs scraped against the floor. The sound echoed through the room. 

For the first time that evening my dad finally looked at me. His eyes looked really tired. There were dark circles under them. His hair had more grey in it than I remembered.

When has that happened? When has he started looking this old? A wave of guilt washed over me. Because despite everything, he was still my father. And I knew things hadn't been easy.

The company was drowning. Bills kept showing up. Credits kept calling. Everyday seemed worse than the one before. 

But none of that changed the fact that he was asking me to marry a stranger. A stranger whose name wasn't even on the contract.

“Who is he?” I asked gently. My father sighed. The kind of sigh that came from the deep inside. 

“He can help us”. I closed my eyes. There it was again. No answer. Just another way of avoiding the question. Then I opened my eyes.

“Do you even know him?” The silence that followed told me everything. I got scared.

“No way” My father looked away.

“No way” I shook my head.

“You don't”.

“Aria–”

“You don't know him”. I couldn't believe it. The realization hit me all at once. My father was asking me to marry a man he barely knew himself. The room felt colder. I wrapped my arms around myself. Something about this whole situation felt wrong. Not strange. Wrong. Like there was something nobody wanted to tell me. Something important.

My eyes drifted around the room. The old family photos were still hanging around on the wall. One picture caught my attention. Mom. My throat tightened immediately. She was smiling in the photo. One hand wrapped around my shoulder and the other hand resting on Dad's arm.

I couldn't remember the last time I saw either of them smile like that. Life had been different then. Simpler.

Back when our biggest problem was deciding what movie to watch. Back when Dad wasn't constantly on the phone. Back when letters from the bank didn't show up every week. Back when Mom was still here.

I swallowed hard. God, I miss her. If she was here right now, what would she say? Would she tell me to sign? Would she tell me not to?

The thought made my chest ache. I looked down at the contract again. One signature. That was all it would take. One signature and everything would change. My future. My freedom. My life. All of it. I suddenly felt sick.

“I need air”. Without waiting for a response I walked towards the window. Rain clouds were gathering outside. The sky was dark and heavy. Like a storm was coming. Maybe it already has.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass. My reflection started back at me. I looked nervous. Terrified actually. And who could blame me?. 

Most girls spent years dreaming about their wedding day. The dress. The flowers. The man waiting at the altar.

I couldn't picture mine. I didn't know his face. I didn't know his name. I didn't know anything. The only thing I knew was that he somehow held my family's future in his hands. And I hated that. I hated every second of it.

Behind me, I heard my father move. For a moment neither of us spoke. Then–

Knock. The sound cut through the silence. I turned around. My father froze.

Knock. Knock. This time louder. My heartbeat quickened. Something about those knocks felt deliberate. Confident. Like whoever was standing outside wasn't there to ask permission. The person already knew they would be let in.

I looked at my father. The color had drained from his face. Fear. Real fear. I had never seen it before. Not when the company started collapsing, when the bank threatened to take the house and when the investors walked away. But now? He looked terrified.

“Dad?” His jaw tightened. I thought he was going to answer. Then he stood slowly.

“Stay here” He sounded strained. Almost nervous. Which made me more scared. He started walking towards the door. I watched him leave the room.

Then my gaze went back to the contract. Which was still sitting on the table. The blank line seemed to mock me. No name, No answer, Just questions. And how…

I had a feeling that the person standing behind the door knew every single one of them.