“Poor bride. She’s been standing there for hours waiting for the groom,” I heard a woman’s whispering voice. “It’s truly so sad. I can’t imagine how sad she’s feeling,” Another woman replied in a hushed tone. “Do you think the groom has ditched her?” A man whispered in a low voice. “That would be too sad. Please don’t say that…” Another woman replied with what seemed to be genuine sadness in her voice. I stood silently in front of the altar in a white wedding dress that was far too elegant for my tastes and far too heavy for my comfort. The overly high-heel shoes that I was wearing was starting to hurt my feet and my legs were starting to feel sore from standing still for too long. I clenched and then unclenched my hands together for the hundredth time, or something along those lines since I had already lost co

“Does it matter?” the boss answered with a booming voice as he stood in front of his son. “Well…the wedding vow…” the priest whispered hesitantly, his nervous pale blue eyes darting off in random directions. You tell him priest! Tell him that we can’t get married if the groom is not conscious and cannot say his wedding vows. I mean, does he even know what is going on? Would it even count if he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into? “Oh…I see,” The boss said, nodding in understanding. I watched, surprised at the unexpectedly understanding reaction of the mafia boss as he continued to nod his head. “He needs to say his wedding vows…I see…I see,” the boss continued to mutter to himself as if in thought. Hayden was still as unconscious as the dead. I bet if

Obviously, since I didn’t have any money and had no way to earn any either, I had to quit school. I didn’t have a place to live anymore, so I had to move in with my only surviving relative: my grandmother. With just one small luggage of clothes and necessities, I took a train to a nameless town in the countryside where my grandmother was living. By the time that I left the capital city, I was already prepared for the worst. When I first stood in front of the address that was supposed to be where my grandmother lived, the reality wasn’t too far from my expectation. My grandmother, as I was told, ran a small confectionary and cake shop in a very small town. The description was spot on. ‘Sweet Time’ was the name on the faded white and pink sign of the small shop owned by my grandmother. It was clear that the sign had faded from white and red to its current state of pink. The shop was located on the first floor and

I heard a low voice call out to me before a hand reached out and shook my right shoulder. I woke up with a small jump. When did I fall asleep? I must have dozed off during the multi-hour ride to the city. I guess I was tired, I didn’t realize when I had fallen asleep at all. Where am I? The car had come to a complete stop and looking out of the window I could see that we have arrived at a gigantic mansion decorated in the baroque European style. This building is massive! Are we at a luxury hotel? I could see the beautifully decorated garden outside with its cupid water fountain and flowers of various types and colors. If the circumstances of my arrival here had been any different, then I’m sure that I would have enjoyed the view and would have felt super excited to be in such a nice place. However, the only thing I felt right now was anxiety, fear, and stress. The men wordlessly unbounded my hands and feet before carefu

“So, you see, that family member that I have chosen is my son. Trust me, it’s much better than marrying me, is it not?” the boss said, laughing at his own sick joke. I stared at the document in shock as my hand shook. If I tear this paper apart, will that void the contract? I guess not…As I was deep in thought as to what I should do next, the boss’s mobile phone started to ring loudly, disturbing the tense atmosphere in the room. “What? I see…and? We’ll cover it…give her the best treatment,” the boss spoke through the phone.The conversation came to an end and the boss looked at me with a sad face and I wondered what that whole phone call was about. “The man that took your grandmother to the hospital just called,” the boss said solemnly. “How is she?” I asked with worry. “I think she already knew this but…