OLIVIA P O V
I had chosen a soft cashmere blended chive green dress that stopped just above the knees with intricate patterns that seemed to dance in a dimming light. The dress hugged the body delicately like a second skin paired with deep green heels. The makeup Artist mom hired had done what I could call a perfect job on the face. My hair was swept up elegantly, with a few tendrils escaping to frame my face, creating an image of a young, soft and beautiful woman. I stepped out of the cab at the restaurant in the address Kellan's secretary had sent me earlier. Not wanting to embarrass myself I knew I needed all the confidence I could to get through this dinner. I have been informed that dinner will be at six in the evening. I walked into the restaurant, my eyes immediately searching the busy yet quiet restaurant, taking in the appearances of the people, and I could not be more grateful to Mom for convincing me of my temptation to wear simple Jeans and a sweater. “Good evening, May I help you?” The lady behind the counter, I assumed, was a waitress. "Yes I have a dinner reservation here," I said. “Under what name?” she asked, her eyes fixed on the computer. “Kellan Easton.” I must have dropped a bomb because she raised her head so suddenly. “Please follow me, ma'am,” she instructed. Feeling the stares as I walked through the restaurant following the waitress to the other side. “Please sit here.” She motioned to a chair. “Thank you." I nodded at the waitress. Taking in my surroundings after some seconds, one would never have guessed this part of the restaurant existed. Checking my phone after taking a sip of the drink that was brought to the table, I thought he should have been here if the dinner was supposed to be at six. The next fifteen minutes felt so blurry with many displays of foods and drinks on the table. Kellan must have ordered this because I was never given a menu to choose from. Checking the time again, I realized I had been here for thirty minutes; it was already 6:30 pm. I was barely able to eat at home because I was nervous about this dinner. I took a bite of the beef tenderloin and mashed potatoes. “A match made from heaven" I speak out loud enough from my mind, watching the two couples inside the restaurant feeding each other. “Not an arranged one." A deep, masculine voice interjected. Snapping my head to the other side to see Kellan standing tall with both hands in his pocket. “When did you arrive?" I asked him Without saying a word he pulled out the chair and sat. “Hi," I greeted them in an attempt to start a conversation. “Is there a problem with the food?” he asked, staring directly at me. Diverting my gaze to the drink in my hand I shrugged before replying .“It's just too spicy for me." I watched as he took a bite of the chicken breast before he signalled to the opposite side, which made about five chefs come to our table looking rushed. “I do not remember telling you to make it extra spicy?” he said to one of them. “Uhm, sir. You had requested extra spicy food the last time you had dinner here with uhm…” I raise my eyebrows, staring at the chef, who found it difficult to complete his sentence. Scratching his head nervously, the chef continued, "I thought..." “Just bring in the desert," he grunted and dismissed the chefs. With little to no appetite I took a bite of the red velvet cake, and Kellan was busy typing on his phone. I rub my arms as the chilly night winds blow gently. Jerking his head at my action I saw confusion in them. Laughing a little at myself, I thought for a minute that he must have forgotten I was there. Checking his wristwatches up “We should go, I will drop you home." Nodding my head I repeated his actions and followed him through the backdoor. I didn't even notice when I entered. Muttering a small thank you as he opened the car, I entered, anxious and nervous to share the same space with him. I guess my heart has its plan and those little butterflies swimming around in my belly were not helping matters too. The always busy streets of New York seem deserted through my vision now. we got to the gate of the Brookes mansion. With a heavy sigh, Kellan looked at me, and I realized it was time already, right? We should resolve the pressing topic of the reason for this so-called dinner. “Olivia, we need to talk”, he said after a few minutes of silence. "We need to talk', I did not know how these four words could change the universe, someone's world, until now. I nodded silently telling him to continue. He started.“It should be quite obvious by now that I don't want this marriage, I don't have any feelings for you whatsoever, and I don't think I ever will. My heart belongs to someone else.” “I only agreed to this marriage because of the pressure from both families. I had to find every possible way out of this marriage but it's all futile. This marriage is nothing to me more than a sacrifice to satisfy my parents because they want to unite both families. I never knew this day would come till I found out that the Brookes adopted a daughter.” He continued “Olivia, I have heard about you and how hardworking and amazing you are. But you should not expect anything from me as a husband. I'll never be the man of your dreams. I have someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I know this wasn’t your fault and it might seem unfair to you. But I hope you will find someone who has true feelings for you one day, and who knows we might find a way out of the marriage". He finished looking out of the window. I remained frozen at Kellan's short but cold words. Tears welled up l in my eyes and I could feel myself become weak at that moment. Pulling my lower lip with my teeth in an attempt to stop the unpleasant sounds in my throat. I opened the car door and walked inside the house barely hearing the sound of his car racing away from here. I made my way inside the house without responding to Mom's questions aloud from the kitchen. Without any care to remove my clothes, I lay down on the bed, looking at the firefly design above the ceiling with tears coming down in waves. His words were replaying in my head like a recorder. Suddenly my pain and sadness turned into anger and rage towards no one but myself. How dare I dream of a happy ending, and here I thought all my sad days were over, and my life would be like a sweet ride from now on. Angry at the thought of thinking I might have stood a chance. Now, I'm going to be trapped in a marriage with no love and affection, with a man whose heart belongs to someone else.KELLAN'S POV Not in the mood for my mother's snoopy attitude. I drove towards my penthouse after I dropped off Olivia.I parked my car only to notice the lights were on. In total confusion, I moved towards the entrance door, knowing there was no way it would be a bugler. Only two people had access to this penthouse, which was Sharon and me. I had also installed a top-notch security system, so if it was a person without access, I would have been notified.I opened the door to notice flowers scattered on the floor, following their trail to the dinner.“Surprise!” I turned around to see Sharon popping a Cheval Blanc white wine. “Aren't you supposed to be in Europe?” I asked, still in shock.“I believe this is where you hug and kiss me,” She said with her arms open.Laughing softly at her I pulled her to me and kissed her. I looked at the food varieties displayed on the dining table, mostly Vegetables.“Did you change your diet routine?"“Of course, yes, I did that for you," she said e
Olivia P O VA wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion, a day to be celebrated, where two souls come together. Joined in holy matrimony. Bonded by vows to love and to cherish.I have always imagined something romantic despite the tug of survival I have passed through. A grand wedding, the prettiest, most expensive gowns, gorgeous heels that many brides would envy, a lovely veil to put any other veils to shame, and my handsome Prince Charming, my little fairy tale.But it was just that. A fantasy. A lovely one to dream of, but a fantasy nonetheless. Because my wedding was nothing short of a cruel reality.Everything is perfect just like how I imagined my wedding day“That’s it, Livia; remember, I am always on your side. You just do not see it yet because of this, and we understand you,” My mom said.My chest tightened as she walked to the bed and opened the box, revealing the white tulle veil custom-made by a popular designer. The train ran fifteen feet long with a lace design and
Olivia's POVI stood in that gaudy bedroom, my brain still echoing with the jollity of the reception. Before me stood that huge pile of silk and satin that more threatened to overwhelm than it welcomed. It was as if nothing was there in the room except the memories of the entire day: the fragrant posy on the dresser, the beautiful wedding dress I still wore—but nothing calmed me. Growing feelings of dread nibbled my insides.My eyes clung to the closed door, the one Kellan left without one glance toward me. A wash of sourness surged into my mouth at the thought of memories of cool detachment in his eyes—what I seemed to get for the whole day. I had hoped like some sort of fool that things would have been different tonight and maybe behind that closed door, he would finally show me a small piece of the affection that I so hungered to feel.I kept my ears tuned to the door, and then I couldn't move until Kellan was inside. His expression was, as usual, clean. He never turned around at m
KELLAN’S POVI sat on the very edge of my bed. The quiet of this room slammed into me like it physically was. That framed wedding photo on my nightstand seemed to mock me, Olivia and I smiling at the camera, caught in that moment, in a bald-faced lie. In the very eyes that had been on mine, the eyes in the portrait, the eyes which on the last night late had looked at me at the sight of a word, the very same dumb petition, for an unrequitable something, sprang at me afresh. I hunched forward, elbows on my es, running a hand through my hair. It was a complete bloody sham of this marriage that I detested. The door of the room creaked open. I didn't have to raise my head and look up to see who that was. The moms can walk into a house without making a single noise, silent as a ghost. I recognized the smell of her perfume before she spoke—jasmine and something sharp, like floral arrangement liquor, which was her very own, just as her diverged and fixed hair.She murmured it again, "Kellan,
Kellan's POVI woke from my sleep, a small sound of breath at my ear, light sifting through blinds into the room casting a faint mute glow. Sharon lay asleep beside me. Her dark hair fanned over the pillow, her arm laying loose across my chest. I was still lying, staring at the ceiling and thinking over all that had happened during the last few days. Dimly, I remembered last night, hot discussions, and then Sharon's bedroom. Anything but to feel the sordid reality of my life.I peeked over at the nightstand. 7:30 a.m. My phone was vibrating a little as it bumped up against the bedside table, a few quick pulses. I inched over, still careful over Susan, and looked at the message. It was from Mom: *Kellan are you coming home today? Your father wants to go over the strategy of our business for the next quarter.*My jaw tightened, old anger coming from somewhere down deep. They never let up, did they? Yesterday, so heavy with atmosphere, and yet today they wanted me to knuckle down, to pl
As I came out of the study, I felt a rush of adrenaline. I knew I played my cards perfectly. I gave them enough that they would be satisfied all the while keeping my agenda. I am not that puppet anymore that they take me for. I have Sharon, and now I have a plan.I thanked him and he moved one step across the threshold down the hall, and it was as if a weight did come off my shoulders in the truest sense. It was so quiet inside the mansion, it was almost unbearable. I realized I was alone. Not that I cared. I would be gone soon enough and whatever tension lay between us would stay behind for the length of the trip. This was as much peace as I was going to get. I walked inside to the sound of a soft voice coming from behind me."Kellan?"I stopped, shutting my eyes for just a second to ward off frustration, then turned back around. Olivia still stood at the end of the hallway, her arms locked over her chest in uncertainty, almost vulnerable, and my nerves received the smallest nip of
“Think we're going to have time to hit the Eiffel, huh?" I said, closing the case, wishing I was packing more enthusiasm with those words than I was for real feeling. I mean, I am very lost in the city. But then again, this is Paris—love's city.Kellan continued to peck out at the keys, sending the message home. "Ehh, we'll see about that," he said, not too convinced. "I'm not that into tourist stuff."A weak smile crossed my face as I brushed off the sting of disappointment. "I get you. Maybe we should just relax there, make the most out of the suite, and be alone with each other."The silence was nearly an entity of its own: thick, heavy, and very much there as he said nothing. Try as I might, with every click and swallow, Kellan was my husband through and through. Something just kept that damn tiny flicker of hope alive in my chest.As we climbed down the stairs, I met Kellan's parents smiling at us at the bottom of the stairs.Kellan's mom pulled me into a hug. “Make sure you have
OLIVIA'S POV"I really thought we're supposed to be on our honeymoon," I commented puzzled, with the touch of irritation in my voice.Rolling his eyes from the suitcase or rather an open duffel bag, his hands worked in efficient, practiced moves. "I have a meeting this morning, Olivia. I told you about it last night.""But that's not the point!" I insisted, trying to sound light and happy. "The point is we're supposed to be together now. That's what a honeymoon's about."Finally, Kellan looked to me, breathing out roughly. His eyes weren't worried so much as irritated. "I mentioned before, my job doesn't end because we got married. I have responsibilities.""We have responsibilities, too," I tried again, willing him to understand. "Should't this be the time we get to know each other, maybe, I don't know, try to make this work out?"His eyes hardened. "What do you want me to do, Olivia? Just leave everything behind and have fun? Not exactly practical.""But this is no trip, Kellan," I