Page 13 of Shattered Echoes

I drew in a deep breath, squeeze out a smile at that goddess in the mirror.

The red gown I was wearing hugged my vibrant skin, revealing my curves and slender figure. Placing my purse on the vanity countertop, I withdrew my red lipstick and carefully applied it. This wasn't because I wanted to impress the man my dad wanted me to meet, but because I was stressed.

I heard a knock on the door and a familiar voice spoke.

“Hey Colette, are you okay in there?”

It was my brother came to check on me because I was taking way too long, and the guests were waiting.

“Can I come in?”

I was quiet after his question, prompting him to repeat himself.

“Colette, I asked if I could come in.” His voice resonated through the door.

My heels clicked against the fine floor as I headed over to the door and opened it.

His hand hung mid-air like he was about to knock before I finally answered.

Without a word, I gestured for him to come in and he did so, clad in a white tux with a black bowtie, a pair of black pants and polished black shoes. He walked over to the mirror and adjusted his tie for a moment.

“You look beautiful.” He turned to me with an encouraging smile.

I sighed. “Thank you.”

Henry looked at me, and I could tell that he was certain that I was having cold feet.

But I wasn't just having cold feet. I hated the fact that this was happening, and there was nothing I could do to put an end to it.

“You know you can't hide in here forever,” he said to me.

“I wish I could, Henry.”

A very subtle grin appeared on a corner of his lips.

“You know.” He stepped forward. “You might be overthinking this.”

“Really?” I raised my brows in disbelief. “That's rich coming from you,” I added under my breath.

He laughed lightly. “You might just like the guy.”

I scoffed at his assumptions and folded my arms across my chest.

Henry held my arms in a consoling way. “Come on, Colette, it might really not be so bad after all.” He sighed. “Look, just keep an open mind and hopefully everything will just play out naturally, okay?”

There was nothing natural about what my father was doing. I didn't meet the man I was being betrothed to on my own or by accident. I was literally being sold to him like merchandise. How was that natural?

“That's easy for you to say, Henry. You're not the one being forced into an arranged marriage, or the one being sold off to some guy you don't even know, let alone love,” the words burst out of me in a nervous rush.

“I'm not some piece of property in one of Dad's garages that he can just wake up one morning and decide to sell. I'm a human being, for Christ's sake! I have a beating heart, a soul,” I said to him, pained about how I was treated.

“No one's selling you off, Colette,” he said calmly.

“Oh, yeah? Then how do you explain what's happening right now?”

He was quiet, unable to find the words to defend himself.

“Why do you always take Dad's side even though deep down, you know he's wrong?” I asked, not expecting a response because I was certain that I wouldn't get one.

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