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"You didn’t." I step down from the fitting platform and walk over to the bottle of champagne set on a table in the corner. I pour myself a flute and take a sip, before turning to face Zoey and Imelda, who’ve followed me. "And it’s a valid question." I take another sip. The two wait patiently while I look around for the correct words to frame my thoughts. "The truth is, I'm marrying him because it’s the right thing to do at this stage in my life."
Imelda looks taken aback, then nods. "It’s an appropriate answer. I’d have, of course, preferred to hear the L word, but a modern marriage of convenience which furthers your goals is a good second option."
It’s my turn to feel surprised. "So… you don’t think it’s wrong that I’m marrying a man for?—"
"—his money?" She laughs. "Oh, my dear, do I look like someone who believes in roses and hearts and unicorns? The best possible outcome of a marriage would be that you get something out of it which benefits your interests."
"Granny Imelda!" Zoey turns on her. "I had no idea you were such a non-romantic."
“Oh, I’m romantic, but when you have an arranged marriage like I did, and know your husband for three minutes before you marry him, it’s a different kind of love.” She shrugs. “It’s the kind that you develop for your spouse over a period of time, out of necessity.”
"Did you say three minutes?" I cough.
"About all the time I had to see my husband’s face for the first time before the bishop pronounced us man and wife."
"Ah…" I’m not sure how to react to that. I’ve heard of arranged marriages being the norm, especially among wealthy families, but Imelda is the first person I’m meeting who’s been through one. "And you were happy?"
She half smiles. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I married him because it was the done thing. Gave him kids because... it was expected of me. I made peace with myself. But it was after my husband passed that I found the freedom to come into myself.”
“Oh…” I swallow, not sure what to say to that.
Her features soften. “I’m sharing this so you realize we do what we have to do. I couldn’t let down my family, either. Truth be told, it didn’t even cross my mind to say no. I wouldn’t say I was happy or unhappy. And maybe, I even came to love my husband, in my own way. You, on the other hand, seem to have thought this through and decided this is right for you?”
I nod. “It is,” I say slowly. “The money was a factor in making me consider the arrangement, but as I got to know him, I realized he wants to marry me because he feels a connection to me. Of course, he does need to marry in order to secure his position in his father’s company and gain his inheritance, but”—I look away then back at her— “but it’s more than that. I mean, he could marry anyone if that's all he wanted. Plus, he gave me the option of leaving with the money, without marrying him, but I couldn’t do it.”
“You couldn’t?” Zoe’s eyes round. “Why am I hearing of this for the first time?”
I blush. “Because I’m only coming to terms with it myself. There’s something more between us. A connection. And I find him attractive. Very attractive, actually. There’s good chemistry between us. And when I realized it wasn’t the money that was making me want to marry him, I realized”—I swallow— “I realized this is something I want to do. And not even the fact that it’s going to result in awkward encounters with his son, who happens to be my ex, is enough to dissuade me.”
“Wow, that’s—” Zoey shakes her head. “I’m so happy for you, babe.”
“A good sex life is the cornerstone of a good marriage. It’s a good base to build your marriage on.” Imelda lowers her chin. “Make sure you don’t give up everything too easily. Keep a little of yourself from him. Nothing like a little enigma to keep the marriage interesting, know what I mean?”
I frown. “I think so.”
My phone buzzes. Zoey glances at the screen then holds it to up. “It’s Lizzie.” She walks over and hands the phone to me.
I answer the call. “Lizzie, you should see my dress, it’s incredible.”
22
Vivian
"This is ridiculous." My voice echoes around the empty hallway in Q’s home. The joy of being fitted for my wedding dress seems like so long ago, but it’s been only two days. To say today was a disaster is putting it lightly.
One of the delivery drivers made an inappropriate reference to the broken relationship between me and Felix—while Felix was in the room. He then invited me out to the alley behind the shop where he said, and I quote: “I’ll show you how your wedding night should have been.”
Felix snapped and swung at him. The other guy ducked and sank his fist into Felix’s face. Felix fought back with a ferocity I didn’t think he had, until a final hit took him down.
I screamed, grabbed the closest weapon—a pizza pan—and threw it at the guy. For some reason, my aim was spot on. It hit him in the chest, and he crashed into a table, which collapsed under his weight. All the dough and the different toppings were thrown to the ground.
That’s when the Head of Operations for the chain walked in. One look at the three of us and he fired Felix and me, while promising to report the issue to the delivery company.
Felix had, by then, staggered to his feet. Without another look at me, he took off.
I left with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I lost my job, my livelihood. I began to stress about how I was going to pay my bills. Only on my way home, when I checked the balance in my bank account, did I remember, I'm no longer broke.
After using some of the money Quentin transferred to pay for Lizzie’s tuition and to cover the costs of my father’s care, I have enough left over to not have to work for a long time.
