The Unwanted Arranged Marriage

he lock made me look up f

ssed. She dropped her purse on the coun

ned. "I was so worried. I went to my offic

s stil

ust turned my phone around

eaving her looking fragile and exposed. Her s

a step toward me. "That's not..

calm, devoid of emotion. It seemed to

razy things, that he was going to hurt himself. I was just trying to calm him d

so easy for he

se from the top of the closet and started placing clothes inside. Neat, fold

oom, her voice rising with panic. "Ethan, please. Don't

ation we had three years ago, sitting in this very room. We w

absolute. Total. The moment you let someone else in, even a little bit, it's not love anymor

joke. Her words echoed in the space between u

ts in the suitcase

. Six years, Ethan. Are you going to th

"It was the party. It was the voice message. It was the lie

d out of the apartment, suitca

ere were no memories. An hour later, my phone rang. It

ext came

place. Please, Ethan. Let me ju

. She was weaponizing our history. Against my better judgment, I de

ual booth by the window, twisting a napkin

ming," she whispe

another word, the bel

and his face hardened. He

words at me. "You make her cry? You run away li

ed. "Liam, no! What

ill locked on me. "I knew he would try

ted, I almost laughed. He was the ar

This is what I'm talking about. Him. He is

ged, turning to me. "This is about us." T

al authority. It was a

one thing I never thought she wo

ds to be," she said, her voice laced with frustration

problem. Not her lack of boundaries, not

d in my stomach. The

a hand on Sarah's shoulder, h

in a soothing voice. "You don't need th

t the party. Create a crisis, th

at the party

no longer give. Then she gave a small, defeated nod to Lia

y phone buzzed.

m L

e belongs. Looks like you' re

he window at them walking down the

a way to close the chapter cleanly. Now, looking at that text, it felt less