Imela Barau's POV
Breathe in.Breathe out.Blink.Repeat.All the coping lessons I gave myself for thirty minutes while we drove over here had suddenly become useless, as none of them were helping me face the beat of the drum. My heart hammered against my chest, and sweat trickled down my face as I bit down on my lower lip, waiting for the reaction of the speechless family at the dinner table to the news."You asked her to marry you?" Ivory Plane, Oliver's mother, exclaimed as her green eyes darted between us in horror as if those words were the worst thing she had ever heard. Her complete disapproval bore itself in her poised, high-pitched voice.Oliver Plane dropped the bomb a minute ago. It was the news of our engagement at the dinner table, and a minute of silence passed with the gazes of the other four Planes at the table darting between us."I am very sure that is what I just said a minute ago, Mom." Oliver, who hadn't picked up all the cues his mother had laid since he stepped into the house hand in hand with me, asked.I stayed still in my seat, like one drenched in cold, dirty water, unable to blink or even breathe, when Ivory's murderous gaze swept over to me. I always pictured myself dying at a ripe old age, but seated here and now, I felt my death wasn't so far away.I wasn't poorly dressed. I wore a red asymmetrical dress which Elena, my grandma, bought me on my 21st birthday four months ago after saving up for five months. It was lovely, and I reserved it to be worn only on special occasions like tonight. Ivory's eyes, however, made me feel like I wore filth from my head down to my toe as her disgust-filled eyes raked over me.My hands tightened around my cutlery because we had barely finished eating when Oliver dropped the news of our engagement on them, probably hoping for a better reaction than the one he was currently receiving.Ivory had asked who I was, wanting to chit-chat despite the disdain and obvious resentment she bore for my presence, and Oliver introduced me to them as his fiancée.When Oliver Plane asked me to marry him, I only thought about spending forever with the man I love and growing together to a ripe old age. I didn't think too far into the reality of what that meant, and that was my error. This, right here, is what it meant."Congratulations, brother," Nina said happily, and she was the first on the table to show a genuine reaction. She was Oliver's younger sister of three years, who was studying at Harvard Law. The nineteen-year-old rose from her seat and gave him a warm hug in a show of support.If looks could kill, Ivory Plane would have murdered her youngest child at that very moment."Thank you," Oliver said with a happy smile, and Nina's green eyes dimmed as she returned his smile."Congratulations?" Ivory scoffed, and this turned the two siblings' attention to her. "This is madness! He is literally throwing his life away, and on whom? Her?" Her cold, burning gaze once again seized me from head down to my finger, and her cheeks turned red from visible rage."You are being dramatic, Mom, as always." Nina brushed it off casually.Oh, it was nice that one out of the four Planes that heard the news was all welcoming. Two against three wasn't a very hopeful look.I never thought I would be one to turn a family against themselves, but here I was, doing a fine job at that.Ivory once again looks so close to murdering her child. "Stop talking, Nina, for your own sake." She said it gracefully, even though her eyes warned the girl that she was this close to meeting a cruel fate if she kept talking.Nina scoffed and reluctantly returned to her seat.My hands on the table trembled, and I withdrew them and placed them on my lap where no one would see them.Oliver noticed because he reached out, placed his hand tenderly on mine, and squeezed on it. "In what way am I throwing my life away? What is wrong with Imela?" Oliver demanded.Ivory threw her hands up as if the answer to the question was so obvious to anyone looking. "What do you know about her? What does her mother do? Who is her father? What does he do? These are the things you took into consideration before-""Before what?" Oliver challenged with a raised brow, not letting her finish. His voice was becoming rigid, and I knew he was close to losing control. "Before falling in love and wanting to spend the rest of my life with someone? What do her father and mother have to do with the fact that I love her?" He adjusted the blue tie he had on and undid the few top buttons of his white inner shirt.I could tell he wanted to get out of this three-piece suit."Son, marriage is a serious commitment, not just something you run into because you feel like it." Robert Plane spoke up for the first time since his son dropped the bomb on them.With his line of speech, it showed he was choosing his wife's side and not Oliver's.The odds weren't in our favour."Of course not, Dad; I am supposed to treat it like a business transaction like you and Mom have for thirty years, hating who you married and wishing nothing but death upon them, but staying married because it is good for business." He answered.Robert slammed his hand against the table, startling everyone seated. "Enough!""You will speak to your father and me with respect." Ivory snapped, turning her fury on Oliver.Oliver looked anything but ready to do as he was told. "You have shown little to no respect to Imela since she got here, and you do not even know her."Ivory's attention, once again, moved to me, and they became as hard as rocks. Her green eyes pierced into me as if they could see my soul.Her gaze darkened, and anger flared in her eyes. "I do not need to know her to know her type. She's a gold digger, a manipulator, one who sees a boy from a wealthy family and lashes onto him for as long as she can. She is the kind that will take all that she can from him before leaving him for dead." Ivory poured out on me, her tone brittle with annoyance.Silence once again engulfed everyone, and the only noise heard was a clock hanging on the wall in the living room.I gasped, and a tear dropped. I felt a stab in my chest, unable to bear her crude words.Nina glanced at me with a pitiful look on her face and said, "If I were you, I'd get as far from this cursed family as possible; we ruin everything we touch and try to love." She advised, and there was no sarcasm in her tone.Oliver threw the serviette down on the table, rose to his feet, and turned his attention to me. "I am sorry you had to sit through this hell called dinner. I will not keep you anymore and burden you with this madness." He offered me his hand. "Let's get out of here.""Oliver, do not walk out on us; this dinner isn't over," Robert said in a commanding tone."It is for me and my fiancée." He replied, not breaking his gaze on me.I took his hand, and I felt strength in my legs as he pulled me up.He wrapped his arms protectively around me as soon as I fully rose, and without looking back at those still seated at the table, he led me away from the hell called dinner.XoxoHello, thanks for opening. I hope you will enjoy your read.Also, the playlist for this book is as follows:Until I Found You - Stephen SanchezSay Yes To Heaven - Lana Del RayI Want You Anyway - Jon McLaughlinThe Night We Met - Lord HuronBefore You Leave Me- Alex WarrenCan't Lose - I.B.KThe Good Ones - Gabby BarrettAnother Love - Tom OdellDaylight - David KushnerWait For Me - Johnny DrilleSteady My Heart - Kari JobeRivers Flows In You - YirumaWonder- Shawn MendesThese songs are always in replay and help set the options and rhythm for the book. Hope you love them XDThree Months Ago."It is not as hard as it seems, and that is what I believe Professor Lee showed us," I told Cecil as we walked into the café after our second lecture ended and entered the coffee line.Cecil Reid was my best friend. Her father was a doctor, and her mother was a lawyer. Her family wasn't wealthy, but they were financially sufficient. We met during our registration at Harvard Business School, having arrived on the same day. I came a few hours earlier and offered to show her around.Cecil was prettier, with curly red hair and the prettiest amber eyes ever. She was also soft-spoken, which pointed to her upbringing; she was smart, both in books and in real life, but she always insisted I was smarter. Despite our differences, we clicked and have been inseparable."I feel there is more to it. I feel Professor Lee is leaving out some important details. It can't be that simple and easy." Cecil said, still not convinced."You know what they say: it takes a smart person to take
Elena getting into an accident was the last thing I expected when I entered the new week. I was barely done with my last class at 1 p.m. when I got a call from Mount Auburn's Hospital informing me about my grandmother's accident.I left for the hospital immediately after completing my test and called Oliver and told him what had happened. He promised he would be there as soon as his test ended, and that was a few more hours the I called my uncle.My mother died a few hours after I was born; she had haemorrhaged beyond control, and the doctors couldn't save her. I never knew my father, and Elena called him a tourist who had swept my mother off her feet when he visited our country.Elena became my mother and my grandmother, providing the care I needed and never failing to tell me about how loving and kind my mother was. Fate was cruel, but I was loved and cared for, and though it didn't take the longing of a mother away, it helped make it less.Elena was the best grandma I could have ev
Oliver was never good at humour, but sometimes he makes me laugh harder than expected, and I've been laughing for half a minute now.I stopped laughing when I saw his eyes and realised he was not making jokes. "What?" My eyes widened. "You're being serious?""I am.""Are you crazy?" I exclaimed and covered my mouth as those passing by turned to give us a stern look.He laughed, barely fazed by my outburst. "Yes, I am. I am surprised it's taken you this long to realise I am crazy and in love with you. I have been since the first day I met you."I shook my head and stepped back. "This is crazy."He stepped forward and reached for my hands before I could run away like I intended. "Do you want to marry me?"My answer to his question will doom us both, so I tried to reason with him. "This is happening too fast, Oliver. You're just twenty-two; your brother is still single, and he's three years older.""Please do not compare us; my parents have already done enough of that." He cupped my face
This morning, I was Imela August Barau, and now I am Imela August Plane.Imela August Plane.The name echoed in my head as we returned from the chapel in a ride Oliver had booked.My world has changed in only a day, and yet it wasn't a dream; it was all reality, a reality I was a part of. A reality I had a hand in making. It was a perfect reality—one I wouldn't change for anything else.I loved him, and he loved me, and together, we will face the world that stands in our way.He was brave and strong, and I will learn about courage and what it means to stand tall against a world that challenges our existence.I felt a pair of warm fingers entwining in mine, and I turned from the window where I had lost myself, carelessly staring out over to him."Hey, wife."Wife. That term belongs to me now.I was indeed his wife, and he was my husband, my lawfully wed husband. "Hey, husband," I played along."Where are we going?" I asked before adding, "Or you have not thought that far ahead yet?"H
I kissed back without hesitation, giving just as much as I was getting. I wasn't a good kisser when we met; I didn't know the first thing about kissing. He was patient with me, telling me what to do, and now I was better—still clumsy, but better.His tongue probed at my bottom lip before pushing into my mouth, and his hands wandered over my body. I felt hot everywhere, wanting him to touch my skin.I wanted his skin on mine, and I was needy for it.Our kiss became desperate, and I tugged at his shirt to get a feel of his toned skin. Oliver's lips strayed from mine to my face, and he slid his hand down to cup my breast, his thumbs brushing across the nipples that hardened into a tight bud through my dress."Ela." He mumbled, and I shuddered in response to the hot air brushing lightly over my skin. I arched into him, trying to ease the tension that had built up within me.My hands wrapped around his neck, pulling his head down so he could steal my breath away with his kiss. He answered
Oliver turned on the shower, and the water poured out. He reached for the bar soap handing on the wall, and he lathered it over my chest and shoulders, down to my hands. His hands ran over my breasts, and he gently caressed them, making me arch against him.He took the cue and applied more pressure, massaging them and tugging at the nipple, which hardened into a tight bud once more. I moaned, but the sounds were ruffled out by the water rushing down from the shower. He carried on with his assignment, washing the rest of my body, between my legs, then moving on to my feet.I took the soap from him to return the favour. I moved around him to first wash his back, and I ran my fingers over the lines of his shoulder. Down to his broad back, I moved, then lower to his firm ass. I didn't mean for my hands to linger there; they felt right to touch and grab. He was my husband, and grabbing his ass whenever I wanted was now my legal right."There is nothing special at the back, Ela," he groaned
I was the happiest I had ever been in the arms of Oliver Plane, the man I loved, being loved and pampered."You are too happy, and now I'm wondering what's going on in your dream." I heard Oliver's deep and curious voice ask, and my lashes parted to see the face towering above mine, having a curious look on it."Oliver," I called."Ela." He leaned in and kissed my surprised lips. "What were you dreaming about?""I dreamt we got married and were on our honeymoon," I answered, wondering why he was in my room and how he got in.His mouth twitched to the side as if deep in thought: "Well, that's not a dream; that really happened. You are my wife, and I am your loving husband." He kissed my lips again.My hands touched his face, and I saw the ring on my finger, confirming his words. "It wasn't a dream?" I inquired, and my eyes lingered on my finger."It isn't; I have the same ring here." He showed me the ring on his finger. "I am your husband, and you are my wife."Then why did it feel lik
Oliver told Nina we got married, and I could hear her squealing over the phone in excitement. She told us she was happy and couldn't wait to see their parents' faces when they learnt about it. When Oliver told her we would return today, she wished us a safe flight and instructed him to keep me safe before ending the call. He also called, Vivian Aina, his best friend who was studying in the UK and broke the news to him. Vivian, although surprised by the drastic move, video called us to wish us a happy union and journey ahead.On our way back, Oliver revealed that he had gotten an apartment a few weeks ago when the thought of marrying me came to him. He had made a down payment on an apartment near Harvard and finished it on our first day in Vegas. He didn't want me returning to my old place, so he made this purchase the day after we left here. He had begun working on designs and redecoration while we were still on our three-day honeymoon.He also moved his things in but didn't do anythi