Yes for the Marriage

No One’s POV

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Grace snapped her head to look at her father. Was he serious? She can’t marry, especially with all the responsibilities of the family. Her father was diagnosed with cancer and her brother was still studying. If she got married then who would earn in the family?

“N.No, dad. I can’t marry. What about you and Blake?”, She said.

“I am still alive, Grace. I know what to do, better than you. Moreover, it is better to die with disease than because of shame.”, He scolded her to which she lowered her head.

“You are getting married and that’s final. I don’t want people to know that you are in connection with a criminal. What if somebody finds out and nobody will approve of you for marriage. No, I can’t let that happen. You are getting married to the man whom I have chosen in the town.”, He announced. Grace sighed in defeat knowing that she can’t fight with her father. His decision was the final one. And now, she had to marry whomever her father would approve. “And...if I see you denying or...running away, I swear Grace, you will never see your father’s face...alive.”

“You don’t have to do anything like that dad! I will marry anyone you say.”, Grace said in a straight voice. She didn’t want to hurt her father anymore. Her father then left the room without even looking at his daughter. Grace hugged her mother tightly and cried hard.

“Mom”, She cried loudly. “Please try to make dad understand that I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Shhh! I will, Grace. I will talk with your father about everything, okay?”, Her mother supported her and soon left to talk with her husband.

“Don’t worry, Grace. I will protect you from that criminal just like other brothers does.”, Blake said, wiping Grace’s tears which irritated her a bit.

“Go to your room and study for your upcoming exams.”, She scolded him.

“Why are you getting angry at me? I was just offering you my help.”, Blake answered back. He was right. Grace had no reason to be angry at him. But how could she explain to him her situation, what she was going through! Though he had said to protect her, how could a man match with a wolf in a fight!

But the biggest question was, would Zayden allow this marriage. He had clearly expressed his desire to marry her, and she was very much aware of that. What would he do if he found out about this marriage thing? This thought only scared her to the bones!

‘I never knew my life would take this turn! It was going so simple and happy! Why god? Why? Weren’t you enjoying your drama of heaven? So, to see interesting things in your life, you added spices in my life.’, She questioned god. ‘Why did this Zayden Staunton come into my life? Now even my father hates me! I hate him! I hate him with my wife!’

***

The same day, the meeting between both the families had been fixed so that both the groom and bride could meet each other.

“Your dad told me about Zayden Staunton coming home. It would have been terrible. But I think your dad is right. You should get married as soon as possible. The society imagines a lot, you might be knowing that.”, James, the man whom Grace’s father had chosen for Grace said.

Grace nodded her head in response. “I know. And I have agreed upon this marriage thing. All I want to say is that if you don’t want to marry me because of the fear of Zayden Staunton then you really don’t have to. I don’t want to spoil your life.”, Grace finally mustered all her courage to say those words which were in her mind.

“I am not afraid of Zayden.”, James said, shocking Grace because it was not something which anyone would like to say even after knowing that Zayden was a criminal. That’s another thing that no one knew about his secret of being a werewolf. “It is just that I want to ask a few questions before we move ahead.”

“And what are they?”

“Do you have any feelings for Zayden or did something happen last night when you were with him?”

“Noooo”, Grace couldn’t help but shout. She quickly lowered her tone. “I meant NO for both the things. I don’t have any feelings for him. The only feeling that I have for him is that of fear. I am scared of him like hell. Every time I am with him, my eyes only wander around his waist, wondering when he will remove his gun and kill me, which he hasn't done until now, thankfully.”

“So, if nothing has happened between you two then you will be a virgin, right?”, The moment this question came out of Jame’s mouth, Grace's eyes widened in shock. It didn’t take another moment to realize what kind of man James was. Grace quickly left her seat and stood on her feet to leave from there. “What? I just asked a basic question! Why are you giving me such a reaction?”

“You are disgusting.”, Grace said in a disapproving tone.

“I am disgusting?”, James raised his brow and questioned her. Before Grace could have understood his other move, James attacked her, pressing her mouth with his palm and caging her in his arms. “Do you know what can be disgusting? The thing which I will do with you after this.”, Saying this he tried to kiss Grace forcefully on her neck. Hot tears started rolling in her eyes when Grace tried to fight with James but failed miserably.

And without her knowledge, someone else was capturing the pictures of this incident. “I will give you so much pain that your mutt will regret all his life.”, He whispered in Grace’s ear when she was trying to fight. She was so engrossed that she didn’t even listen to what James told her in her ears, or say didn’t bother to care what he said. Jame’s eyes glowed red once he finished his sentence. His fangs appeared when he opened his mouth to bite Grace, that’s when he heard some sound and stopped himself from biting Grace.

He pushed Grace away and looked at her in anger. “I am going downstairs and going to say YES for the marriage. I will suggest you not open your mouth because no one is going to trust you.”, Saying this, James left Grace’s room and slumped down sobbing against the wall until her butt touched the cold floor. She couldn’t help but sob at her state or her fate.

‘Why? Why are you doing this to me, God?’, She asked but didn’t get an answer in response.

***

“I don’t want to marry him, Dad.”, Grace said, controlling her tears. “He is not a nice man. He…”

“Stop lying, Grace.”, Her father cut her in between. “I have already told you that I am not going to hear any of your excuses regarding this marriage. You are getting married to James and that’s final. And I am repeating myself again that if I see you denying or...running away, I swear Grace, you will never see your father’s face alive.”

Once her father left, Grace looked at her mother helplessly. She pulled out her scarf from her neck and showed the bruises on her neck.

“Oh my god, Grace!”

“Do you also think that I am lying, Mom?”, She sobbed. Her mother quickly hugged her. “Mom, I don’t want to marry that man but if I will not marry that man then dad…”, She didn’t complete her sentence and cried.

“I won't let this marriage happen. I promise.”, Grace straightened and looked at her mother in disbelief.

“You do?”

“Yes.”, Her mother promised. “I can’t see you getting married to someone who doesn’t treat you right.”

***

“I have talked with the father and booked the church for tomorrow's date. It will be best if they get married as soon as possible.”, Grace’s father announced. Both families were sitting together, discussing it.

“Tomorrow?”, Grace’s eyes popped out when she heard this. She was wishing everything to be a nightmare, nothing else.

“Do you have any problem?”, Her father hissed in anger. She lowered her head in embarrassment and said ‘NO’ in a low tone. Now, her only ray of hope was her mother’s promise, which she made to her. And even if her mother failed to keep her promise, she had thought to sacrifice her life for her father’s happiness but would not run away from this marriage.

“So, tomorrow is fixed...we can’t arrange a very big marriage, but it will be done with all the rituals and family members. I hope you don’t mind this.”, Her father asked James’s parents.

“Of course not, Harry. We are going to be family now. We always wished for a daughter, and now we are lucky to have Grace as a daughter-in-law.”, Jame’s father said before hugging her father.

***

After a while, James with his parents left her house to prepare for tomorrow’s preparation. “Dare you tell Zayden about your marriage with Zayden because he will stop the marriage if he finds out.”, Her father warned her as if Grace would have informed Zayden about all these things.

“I won’t do that, dad. Please don’t be so mad at me.”, She pleaded but just like other times, he ignored her and he left from there.

“He is not mad at you, sweetheart. Hmm”, Her mother said to stop her from crying and left. Grace neither cried nor felt good after listening to her. Grace’s thought stuck at the last word that her mother said. SWEETHEART. Only Zayden called her nowadays and somehow her heart clenched in fear.

‘What if he finds out about this marriage. Either he will kill me, or he will kill all of us. So, he shouldn’t find out about this. Jesus, I will pray regularly and will go to church every weekend but please stop this marriage with James and keep Zayden out of my life.’, She prayed inwardly.

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#TBC