Sabrina fled to her room, tears streaming down her face like autumn rain. The thought of marrying the prime Minister's son, Lucas, suffocated her, his name echoing in her mind like a cruel mantra. She locked her door, seeking solace in the solitude of her room, like she'd always done.
The soft glow of candles cast flickering shadows on the walls as Sabrina collapsed onto her velvet-covered queen sized bed. The scent of lavenders wafted from the pillows, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing within her.
She felt so lonely and right now, she misses her best friend. If only she was here, she would have consoled her, comforted her, telling her that it's not the end of the world, but she's not here. In fact, she's no more.
Yes, her best friend is no more. She's late. She doesn't have anyone to console her.
Her mind drifted back to her first encounter with Lucas at the bar, the memory etched like a scar. At first, she didn't recognize him as the Prime Minister's son, because she never had the time to go through the Internet to search for people. She was only focused on her academics and how to take over from her father, as a vampire hunter.
That fateful night, Sabrina was supposed to meet up with her friend for their little reunion, but Rachel, her friend, had been late. While she waited for Rachel to show up, Lucas approached her, his eyes scanning her body with an unspoken claim.
She glared at him with the way he was looking at her.
"You're stunning," He'd said, his breath reeking of whiskey. She couldn't tell how much he had drunk that night, but it wasn't her business.
"What's a beautiful girl like you doing out here, all by yourself?" He proceeded to ask when she didn't answer his compliment.
"Get out of here and let me be," She yelled over the large speakers.
Sabrina's skin crawled as she recalled his touch, his fingers brushing against hers like a snake slithering through the grass. She was irritated.
When he tried to force himself on her, Sabrina slapped him, her refusal and disapproval clear. The cheek of her palm against his rough face still echoed in her mind.
"I'm not a hooker" She could remember yelling at him, telling him to leave her alone.
Fast-forward to two weeks later, different cars packed in front of their house and when she asked her mother who they were, she was told that it was the Prime Minister.
Sabrina couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Lucas. That was when it dawned on her that the man she had slapped two weeks ago was the Prime Minister's son. She was dumbfounded. Now the Prime Minister was asking for her hand in marriage.
Her father agreed without hesitation, trading her happiness for power and prestige in the society. Just like he has done to her elder sisters.
Sabrina's anger simmered, fueled by the memory of Lucas's smirk. His eyes seemed to gleam with triumph, as if he had won a prize and indeed he had.
She could still remember him telling her that he always got who and what he wanted, no matter what it takes.
The more Sabrina thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't even cry anymore. She has lost her strength to cry. All she felt was anger and hatred for her father who didn't even care about her happiness. All he has always cared about was his selfish gain. Nothing more.
A gentle knock on the door broke Sabrina from her thoughts.
"Sabrina, dear?" Her mother called softly, her voice as gentle as a breeze on a summer day.
Sabrina quickly wiped her tears, but her mother saw the anguish etched on her face and she felt for her. She wished she could save her daughter from this impending marriage, but then she remembered that her other daughters were once in this situation. They never wanted to get married to the men they were arranged with, but now they have come to love their husbands. She was sure her youngest daughter in front of her would come to love the Prime Minister's son.
"I'm sorry, my child," Her mother, Mrs Kaitlyn apologized, but Sabrina didn't answer.
Mrs Kaitlyn sighed. "I know it's hard, but you should have expected this earlier." She said gently, her words dripping with resignation.
"Your sisters..."
"They didn't have a choice either," Sabrina caught her mother off, bitterness creeping into her voice like a winter chill.
Her mother's expression softened, lines of concern etched on her forehead. "They found love in their arranged marriages. You might too. I'm very sure of that,"
Sabrina's anger boiled over, like a stormy sea crashing against the shores. "How can you say that? How do you expect me to even think about loving someone like that man? You know what Lucas is. I don't love him,"
"Trust me, my child, love grows. It doesn't come overnight. I'm sure with time you will come to love him. Your sisters learned to love their husbands. I learned to love your father too,"
Of course her mother was forced to marry her father. She could vividly remember her mother's story. Her mother had told her that she didn't love her father because she had a boyfriend at that time. But since the guy wasn't from a wealthy home, her grandfather sought for ways to end her mother's relationship with her boyfriend and the only way he could come up with was to force her mother into marrying her father.
That was to show that the pattern of being forced to get married to people you don't love didn't start today. Even her paternal grandmother was forced into marrying her grandfather. It's a tradition as old as time.
"But did he ever reciprocate your love?" Sabrina asked. She didn't care if she hurt her mother's feelings at this point. She didn't care at all.
Her mother's eyes dropped, her shoulders sagging under the weight of unspoken truth. Indeed her daughter was right. Her husband never returned her love. He never reciprocated it, no matter how much she tried to make him love her back. His heart had always belonged to his late first love.
At some point, Mrs Kaitlyn stopped trying to force love on her husband because she suddenly realized that he will never love her.
"Please leave me alone, mother. I want to be left alone," Sabrina hissed, her voice cracking like fragile glass.
The silence between them grew heavy, a physical presence that pressed down upon Sabrina's chest. She felt like crying, but she didn't want to do it in front of her mother.
Mrs Kaitlyn took a deep breath. She hesitated before leaving the room, closing the door quietly before her. The click of the latch echoed through Sabrina's hollow soul.
As she watched the door, she suddenly felt bad for those words she said to her mother. She shouldn't have said it because her mother was only trying to sympathize with her.
She got up from her bed and walked out of her room, in search of her mother. But on her way, she bumped into her father.
"Where are you going? I was about to come to your room, to remind you about your training with Samantha" He told her.
"I'm afraid I'll be able to come," She answered softly.
"And why is that?"
"I got my period and I'm in pain, so I doubt I'll be able to come," She lied. She knows that's the only reason why her father will let her be and not force her to go to the training grounds today.
"You can take the day off, but don't forget your date with Lucas tomorrow. He wants you too to get to know each other,"
Anger washed over her as she heard Lucas's name. Why did she have to come in contact with that man? Maybe if she hadn't gone to that club that day, she wouldn't have to meet him.
"Okay father," She answered, her voice low as she walked back to her room.
She collapsed onto her bed, tears consuming her once more. The darkness seemed to close in, suffocating her.
As night descended, a thought came to her head.
She will not resolve to her fate. She won't have her father decide her fate. She won't let him choose who she will get married to. He must have done that for her sisters, but he won't do it for her.
Never!