Chapter Three

After knowing that I will get married soon, I locked myself in my room for three days already. I don’t have any means to go outside. I don’t want to eat either. I just want to be alone. I also don’t want to talk to anyone right now, not even with Jaira. This house suffocates me. But I don’t have any places to go. I can’t even read any books because my mind is occupied to what my father said to me.

If I don’t marry that man that they were talking about, then it will be the end of my career. Because if I can’t continue my studies because my father told me, I won’t be able to graduate. If I don’t graduate, I won’t achieve my dream job. If I don’t achieve my dream job, then all my efforts to study hard will be worthless. Ah! It’s driving me crazy! I can’t think properly right now. I really don’t want to get married, especially since I don’t even know the man that I need to marry.

I’m starving myself to death, but my parents don’t seem to care at all. Maybe because they know that I will come out from my room if I can’t take my hunger anymore. I thought if I starved myself, they would change their mind because they know that I really don’t want to get married. But I guess I’m wrong.  Father was right, they don’t care at me at all. They are just focused on their companies and not me. I sighed and thought carefully. I should make a wise decision now. I can’t continue to starve myself anymore.

Then I will marry that man and I will bear with it until I graduate. After I graduate and achieved my dream job, then I will divorce that man. My parents won’t be able to scare me anymore on that time since I can handle myself and I have my own money to support myself. In fact, I can just ignore the man once we got married. I can still do everything that I want, and I will show him that he can’t take my personality. I will make him to be the first one who will divorce me. Okay, that’s a great plan, Andricia.

I prepared myself and I went outside of my room. It’s dinner time, so I’m sure my parents are already home. I went downstairs and I saw them eating already. Ugh! They don’t even call me to eat dinner with them. My stomach hurts.

“Andri! Thank God that you finally came out from your room. Do you want to eat now? I heard that you didn’t eat for three days now,” Mom said to me. “You already heard about that and yet you still didn’t do anything,” I said sarcastically. I can’t help myself but to answer her like that. Because it’s a fact.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I thought you want to have some time to think thoroughly. Go and sit there now. I will prepare your dinner.”

I just let her and sat down in front of my father. He continued eating without looking at me. He’s so heartless. Mom gave me my dinner and I started eating it. Damn, I’m so hungry. I think I was about to die if I still didn’t eat in the fourth day.

“It took you three days to make up your mind. Seeing you here right now, it means you already have a decision. What is it?” Dad asked me. I didn’t expect him to question me immediately. “Do I have any choice? You don’t need my answer since it was already planned, right? You already talked to the Hilario’s, so why bother hearing my answer?”

“At least you know about that.”

I rolled my eyes and stopped eating for a moment. “Then tell me the name of the man that I will about to marry soon.”

“Are you sure that you will marry him? Did you already decide?” Mom asked me too. “Why do you keep asking me? Do I have a choice to not marry him?” I asked back, annoyingly.

“Well, I’m just making sure that you’re not thinking any stupid ideas.”

She gave me idea that I need to do something stupid to this fucking arrange marriage. “So what’s the name of that man?”

“He is Rainier Hilario, the only son of Hilario Corporate. I think you’re familiar with their company, right? It’s also one of the famous companies here in our country. He’s twenty-five years old. You will meet him in person, don’t worry.”

I don’t even want to know his face. But I don’t have any choice but to act as if I want this marriage, for the sake of my studies. “Okay.”

***

Me and Jaira went to shopping so that I could stress-free myself. “Do you have a problem, Andri? You looked like stress. I haven’t seen you for three days and you’re not even responding to my messages. So I am wondering if you have a problem or something happened,” she said.

“Let’s go to that milk tea shop. I will tell you what happened and what my problem is.”

“Woah! So you really have a problem? That’s new.”

We ordered two milk teas and waffles in the milk tea shop and when it was served to us, I started talking to Jaira about my problem.

“My parents want me to get marry now to an unknown man. Well, I just know his name but not his face. I tried to disobey them, but my father threatened me that I won’t be able to continue my studies if I won’t marry that man,” I stated.

“What?! You will get marry soon?!”

I already expected that she will be shocked because of my news. I told her to lower her voice down because there were also some customers inside the milk tea shop other than us. “I can’t give up on my studies. I can’t also support myself since I’m still studying, and I am using their own money. I still don’t have my own money. I have to build a career for myself first before disobeying them. You’re also aware that I’m their only daughter.”

“I understand what you mean, but this marriage is so sudden. They can’t just wait for you to graduate first before marrying you off to someone? Plus, the fact that you don’t know that man personally and you’re not sure if that man is good or not.”

“I also told them about that, but my father doesn’t care about those kinds of facts. He only cares about their companies, and he doesn’t care for me at all. I don’t have any choice, Jai. But I have a plan. I am not sure if my plan will work, but I have to try everything that I can so that Rainier Hilario will decide to divorce me once we got married.”

Jaira was too stunned to speak after hearing what I had said. “Hey, are you okay? Did I say something bad?” I asked.

“What was the name again of the man that you will marry?”

“It’s Rainier Hilario. Why?”

“Damn, you’re in trouble!”

"What do you mean by that, Jai? Why am I in trouble? Oh well, I understand that I really might be in trouble now because I will going to marry a man that I don't know personally. I understand that you care for me because you're my best friend, and you know that I don't want marriage. But I don't have any fucking choice. I really want to disobey my parents, but you also know how important studying to me. I can't let go of my studies just because I disobeyed them. Ugh, this is so frustrating!" I said continuously. But Jaira kept on shaking her head. So I looked at her. 

"What is it? Why don't you have any comments?" 

"I know who Rainier Hilario is!" she exclaimed. My eyes widened when I heard what she have said. "Really? Who is he? How come that you know him?" 

"Am I really your best friend, Andricia?! What's my surname?"

"Why are you asking me about your surname? It doesn't have any connection on our topic, which is the man that I will need to marry soon." I rolled my eyes on her and she did the same too. She's acting weird now, huh. What's the problem of this girl? Is she too shocked because of my news? 

"Hilario is my surname, stupid!" 

"And? What about it? Why are we talking about you now?" 

"And the name of the man that you will going to marry is Rainier Hilario! We have the same surname!" 

"So what? Is that a big deal? There are many people here with the same surnames and--" 

"I have a brother, right? And my brother is Rainier Hilario!"

My eyes widened again because of that. Then I suddenly remembered that Jaira really has a brother and she told me before that she's not in good terms with her brother. What a small world, indeed. 

"Woah. So since you know the man that I will going to marry, does that mean that it's also okay to you to see me get marry?" 

"No, of course not! I am totally disagreeing with your marriage! Especially since you will be going to marry my brother!" 

I remembered her saying earlier that I'm in trouble. "What do you mean by what you have said earlier that I'm in trouble?" I asked once again. She gulped and looked straightly in my eyes. It's like she will going to tell me something important right now.

"You will marry the wrong man, Andricia. You will suffer a lot because of him, I swear."

“May I see his face? I’m now curious about the face of your brother, that will going to be my future husband.”

She immediately showed me the picture of her brother and my eyes widened again in shock after seeing the man’s face! “What?! That mas is your brother?! Then why did you call him a jerk inside the bar last time?!” I shouted at her. She looked shocked because I suddenly shouted at her.

“How… Don’t tell me that you saw him? I mean, you saw me looking at him inside the private room? Then you heard me whispering that he’s a jerk?”

“Yes! That’s why I thought that he’s one of your guys who you were talking or flirting to.”

“Oh my gosh, Andricia! No! He’s my brother and it disgusts me that he’s a womanizer like that. That was why I told myself that he’s a jerk. We’re not in good terms.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier or before we came to the bar? I think you’re right. I’m really in trouble once I marry your brother!”

Damn, this is crazy.