Chapter Seven

The River of no return.

"Well I guess she has made her decision," I heard Grandpa Cooper's voice with a victorious cheer.

The room went silent as everyone stared at me like I'm crazy.

Alan moved closer to me with a furrow on his forehead, as he picked up my hanging hands and held onto them, his eyes staring into me as he whispered.

"Abby, look at me, I know all this is hard on you, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to, this is your life and you should not ruin it with a marriage, I know you are innocent and I believe in you I’m going to do everything to clear your name, so please, please Abby, just think about this marriage very well before you enter it”

Alan’s voice was calling out to me desperately, but I've made my decision already, this is my fight and I'm doing it my own way.

Alan means everything to me in the world, Alan and my mom were the only family I knew Before all this started.

"I’m OK Alan, this is what I’ve decided to do I can assure you I’ll be fine, I’ve decided to marry Darren and I’m OK with my choice”

I said to him putting on my strongest reassuring look.

He doesn’t look convinced though, but I need to marry Darren for everything to go away, Grandpa Cooper and the family are not going to help me if I don’t agree to this marriage, I know there is zero chance I'd be happy in the marriage but at least I've earned enough time to prove my innocence.

"Hi Abby, I'm your Aunt, Gabby." A middle-aged, doll-looking woman said to me with a fake smile plastered on her face.

She looks exactly like the evil aunts in movies that you need to watch out for and is probably having an affair with your dad.

Returning the courtesy, I turned to her with a fake smile on my face. "Hi, Aunt Gabby, it's a pleasure meeting you," I said to her.

It was obvious she was taken aback by my response but she quickly covered the shocked look on her face.

"Oh my goodness!!! Our Little Abby is all grown up to exchange pleasantries, it's nice, seeing you are making a husband choice now, keeping up the family tradition." Aunt Gabby said with a mocking smile on her face.

"Well, I was expecting this to be a family gathering that involves the Coopers only, but I'm surprised we have Mr. Clay here with us also." Aunt Gabby seems to be fishing for something I do not understand but before I could respond, Grandpa Cooper interjected.

"Abby, your Aunt Gabby is married to your uncle, so she doesn't know much about what's going on in the family considering she is not really a Cooper." Grandpa Cooper gave a faint explanation with a wary look on his face.

He turned to Aunt Gabby giving her a do not challenge me stare. "Abby and her fiance had a brief misunderstanding and Mr. Clay has been nervous she might pull out of marriage." He said to her without any further explanation.

"Grandpa, are you sure it has nothing to do with the incident and murder accusation going around in town? You know the Coopers are not supposed to succumb to public pressure." A strange man sitting beside Aunt Gabby spoke up

The man looks to be a little too old to be Aunt Gabby's husband, but with the look at things, I will bet he is.

"The rumor is farthest from the truth, there was an accident, we almost Abby to it and a friend of Abby and her fiance, Mr. Clay. But I can assure you any additional news is just mere speculation and words draw the family's attention, which we will be giving none, right Mr Clay?" Grandpa said, turning to Darren, who looks ice cold in his seat.

It's obvious he doesn't want to be here, he looks up from his tangled fingers wearing a charming look on his face.

"Grandpa Cooper is right, it's been a rocky year for us. With the accident, I almost lost two of the most important women in my life, my best friend and also my love, but I think I lost one along the way." Darren responded with a hidden note.

"But I guess this marriage saves it all, I can have my way with my woman, so there is no point paying attention to the speculations from outside, we are cool and this marriage is happening for the best of our interests." He finished up his statement hiding his anger behind the charming look.

Every hidden message behind his words is clear to me but I just beamed like nothing is wrong.

"Let's get to the dining and make plans for the marriage" Mom voiced out for the first time with a fake cheer.

Everything about the family is fake, Mom's new attitude, acting like everything is fine even though it's not, and I find myself blending into the fairness easily.

The only person who seems true to himself is Alan, he is not so keen on doing things their way.

I shake off the bad feeling in my stomach and follow the rest to the dining room. Darren practically picked on his food all through. The conversation moved to the garden where everyone picked a group to sit with.

I was heading to my mom's side with Alan when Aunt Gabby spoke up.

"I guess it's time to give the couples their privacy, Abby should take a seat with Darren, I'm sure they've got secret marriage plans to make." She said beaming at everyone.

There was an awkward silence after her suggestion, so I faked a smile and walked towards Darren. He pulled a chair out for me to sit like a gentleman, I've always known him to be one.

"Thank you." I mouthed but he just nodded to acknowledge.

"I'm sorry I had no choice.." I started explaining myself to Darren as we both settled down but he cut me off.

"No Abby, save me the lies please, it's bad enough that I'm stuck with your devious family but a lying wife should not be added to the list," he said to me with a hateful glare.

Tears tingle my eyes from his reaction but I tried my best to hold it in.

"But you knew, you knew I was from this family before we started dating, you knew all this and still approached me," I whispered to him, my voice breaking and coming out vulnerable, but he didn't look shaken.

His expression is still as hard as ever, he only has that look with me. "You told me you loved me and will love to spend the rest of your life with me, " I said to him, staring deep into his eyes, hoping his demeanor would change.

"I never loved you, I needed something from your father and knew the only way in was getting involved with you, but never wanted anything to do with the Coopers. He answered with no hint of remorse in his voice.

His confession broke my heart, trying hard to hide the pain in my eyes. I looked down, staring at my trembling fingers. I clipped my fingers together to stop the trembling but it's hard holding myself together.

"So you used me." I finally responded, unable to look into his eyes.

"You expect me to love someone like you?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Your family might be rich but you are classless, you were raised in poverty and a slum, this world? You don't even have any idea how to fit in." I looked up at him, tears streaming down my cheek.

I shook my head in disapproval, hoping for him to stop with the harsh words, but he continued.

"The worst you turned out to be a jealous, lying, wicked murder." He threw the words at me emphasizing his point.

"I know you don't believe me but you need to know, I had nothing to do with the accident, I promise you Darren," I said to him keeping my voice low not to attract attention.

"You promised? Do you know what else you promised? Not to take this marriage proposal, I was foolish enough to trust you, thinking you won't follow in their footsteps." he answered, referring to the Coopers, his face burning in anger and he turned away from me.

Suddenly his face turned back to me, his anger replaced with a softened look.

I brought his fingers to my cheek and started wiping my tears tenderly. I was shocked by the sudden change of attitude and stared back at him in awe.

"shiiiit shhhh….. Babe stop crying pls, I know it's been a long ride but I promise everything will be fine soon." He whispers to me. I don't know what triggered the sudden change but his words soothe my breaking heart and I just nodded.

"Hey, everything alright here?" A voice interrupted us, I looked up to see my uncle whose name I don't know standing beside us.

"Yes, everything is fine, Abby is just having a mental breakdown from the recent incidents, but I've got her covered," Darren responded with a natural smile.

My uncle turned back and left looking reassured and Darren's Demeanor turned back to his cold stare.

"I will never fall in love with a lying murderer like you, so this marriage? All you will ever get is a heartless man, and there is no way I'd believe you are innocent, you should ask your parents what you did to your nanny," he said to me with the deadliest look before leaving me confused.

"My nanny?" I couldn't help but wonder what that could be about.