Chapter 2

|She was a child that was forced to grow up|

Mila helped Annalise zip up her dress and slowly made her sit down in her wheelchair. Pushing the wheelchair towards the large mirror which was on the wall, she stood behind Lise with a beautiful smile.

Annalise looked at herself and blinked. Blinked again trying to see if her eyes were betraying her. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Mila was into makeup and she made sure to doll her niece up so beautifully. The dress fit her like one large glove, hugging her body and accentuating her tiny breasts. Light colored eyeshadow and her cheekbones were highlighted and a nude lipstick was applied to her full and pouty lips. Her hair cascaded down her shoulder in loose curls.

“You look amazingggg.” Mila squealed dragging the ‘g’.

“Thanks,” Annalise whispered as she looked down shyly before shifting her eyes back to the mirror but this time looking up at Mila.

“Are they here yet?” Annalise asked and Mila shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

Mila excused herself and walked out saying her sister needed help and to make sure everything was all fine before they arrive.

Annalise breathed in, in sheer nervousness. She was going to be seeing her fiancé for the very first time. She knew he was well older than her. For almost four years and he worked in his father’s small textile business. Mr. and Mrs. Jamison, Peter’s parents were very strict and no-nonsense kinds of people. In fact, they were the most boring and uptight people Annalise had ever met. She was just hoping that Peter wasn’t like them.

She knew every other teen her age was filling out college applications and enjoying their fall break partying and going on road trips and yet here she was sitting in a beautiful blue dress and all dolled up to be betrothed. 

She so wanted to study. She always had a keen interest in Commercial arts and did want to pursue her career in that field but she just couldn’t afford the college expenses. Her scores were pretty average, nothing that could get her a college scholarship. A community college or state college could have been great but when her mother proposed to her the marriage, she didn’t have it here to say no.

Annalise had one problem. Biggest of all, she couldn’t muster up the courage and say a firm no. Her soft heart didn’t have it to break someone’s heart or disappoint them. She has always been like this. And one time she tried saying no, she was more heartbroken than the person she disappointed. She has always given up her happiness to make others happy and this one thing now landed her here. 

She wondered what would have happened if she rejected this offer. But again, she and her conscience knew that she would never say no to anyone. She sought her happiness in others.

But it was better this way. Who would actually fall in love with someone like her? A cripple? She was glad that Peter’s family was accepting her and agreeing to marry their son to someone like her. Someone who was looked down upon and someone who people gave little to no respect and help. The only reason was, that she didn’t have to ability to support herself on her legs.

Since the time she was little, she had endured all sorts of taunts and displeasures of people around her. But she learned to live with it. People often say that specially-abled people like her should be given respect, jobs, and whatnot, but that was only said not done. She was one of the unfortunate victims of disability discrimination. And it still happened despite the modern era.

She heard the door open and a few muffled voices. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t even hear the ring of the bell.

She wheeled herself to the door of her room and tried to hear what they were speaking. She knew they had arrived. There was no going back now.

All she could hear was a few pleasantries and muffled laughs. She drew in a deep breath and held in the nervousness and bit on her lower lip, hoping that Peter might just like her. Just like. She wasn’t expecting him to fall in love with her at the first sight nor accept her instantly, but just like her for who she is as a person.

She pushed her wheelchair backward when she heard footsteps approaching her room. And just as a thought, the door flung open to a grinning Mila.

“You ready?” Mila asked Lise, grinning.

“Yeah,” Her voice came out as a sigh and she drew in a sharp breath.

“Let’s go,” Mila said as she moved behind Annalise and held the handles of her wheelchair on either side and began pushing it out to the living room. 

Annalise lived in a two-story rented house, where her mother juggled with paying the rent. They did have a house before but, sold it when her grandparents passed away due to dire need of money. Since then they have moved houses to houses, to see which suits them the best and most importantly, Annalise. Annalise was given the room on the ground floor because her being confined to a wheelchair. 

She pushed Lise out and Lise constantly fumbled with her fingers in nervousness. She didn’t expect much. She knew expectations can only be harmful. And that’s why she was going to accept Peter however he was. Fat, short, bald, tall, however, he was.

What she wasn’t expecting was an extremely handsome man. As Mila drew her wheelchair to a halt, Annalise whipped her head to the well-dressed and handsome man who sat alone on the single couch. He was wearing a classic black suit with a white dress shirt underneath the top button of his shirt was undone and so were the buttons of his suit jacket. His hair was slightly disheveled but that didn’t waver his perfect looks. He had a sharp jawline and light subtle spread across his face. His brown eyes set on her as he too assessed her features.

And just then he passed her an earth-shattering smile making something weird erupt in her tummy.

Annalise had never been in close proximity with men. Not that she hated them or anything, it was just that she was bullied by one guy in school and that was enough to steer her away from the opposite sex.

But now, sitting in front of this handsome man, her soon-to-be husband, she felt weird, but in a good way. She didn’t know what it was but she subtly blamed it all on her raging teenage hormones. Well, she was two months into her adulthood and almost exit her teenage years but she hadn’t experienced what normal teenagers did at her age and even before.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him and he didn’t either and for the first time, she felt content that he was looking up at her face and not down below at the wheelchair, and that was enough to move her innocent heart.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jamison, my daughter Annalise,” her mother, May interrupted their little staring session. Both of them were quick to draw their eyes and focus on Mr. and Mrs. Jamison.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Jamison,” Annalise greeted them with a small smile, and both of them, as if robots, shrugged at her in an affirmative nod.

It was much of a task for Annalise because Mr. and Mrs. Jamison, her future in-laws were rather too formal. Needless to say, it was an extremely awkward and uncomfortable lunch. But the only thing that kept Annalise a little occupied and feeling fuzzy was Peter. 

Peter didn’t hide his interests in his future wife. He looked at her boldly and made sure to smile at her every single time she looked his way. Lise, on the other hand, was all shy and covered away every time he smiled at her. She wasn’t a coy or timid person, but his constant stare made her feel out of her character. She for some weird reason, enjoyed it.

She didn’t know why he was so into her but she was into him as well. They hadn’t exchanged words but his clear brown eyes raking up and down the length of her body was enough to make her shy away.

After lunch, the parents excused themselves and let Lise and Peter talk. 

They didn’t want such a formal lunch but it accidentally happed because of Mr. and Mrs. Jamison’s uptight personalities.

“Hi,” he said as he pushed her wheelchair to the back porch despite her protests of doing it herself.

“Hi,” she greeted with a polite smile. He paused as he reached out the door and stood beside her. His eyes set on the blazing sun and the rays that spread on their small lawn.

“How are you?” He asked looking down at her.

“Fine,” her voice was small and shy and she tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

“And you?” She asked back and he flashed her his gorgeous smile before nodding and replying that he was great.

“Annalise, I know you are nervous and probably didn’t plan on this, but I assure you, you won’t regret it. We will make this marriage work, I mean... unless you don’t want to. I’ll make sure to keep you as happy and content as possible,” he said as he crouched down before her and held her hands.

Annalise blinked and her mouth opened and closed like a fish looking at him. His eyes were soft and they held no malicious intent in them. She felt something happen to her. So many emotions were rushing in and out of her. She was taken aback by his outspoken nature and his straightforwardness. 

“I-I,” she stammered unable to communicate with him. She was not expecting him to actually say things like this to her. A mere cripple who was looked down upon by some people of the society.

There was no doubt that being crippled was her biggest insecurity. With people constantly reminding her that she was differently abled. 

“Sure,” she replied after a long time and his smile broadened. Her eyes shone looking at him and a beautiful smile stretched on her lips as well. 

He leaned in and pecked the corner of her lips. She closed her eyes and his lips lingered by the corner of her lips for a second or so before he moved back and looked at her intently.

Blood rushed through her cheeks as she bit on her plump lower lip and looked down at her fumbling fingers which were resting on her lap. A smile graced her lips but she didn’t dare to meet his eyes. She felt extremely shy, something which was new to her.

She was never kissed by a man before. And she was glad he just pecked her. Her heart thudded against her ribcage in joy and millions of butterflies erupted in her tummy. She liked him. She was sure he did too because he wanted to give this marriage a chance.

“Hey,” he said as he cupped the side of her face and forced her to look up.

“Tell me more about yourself, Belle,” he said as his thumb caressed her cheek, making more blood rush her already tomato-like cheeks.

This was the start of a relationship, a beautiful life with someone who likes her or will she get dragged into the depths of malice, hatred, and revenge, a dreadful life, perhaps?