The bride and her bizarre betrothed

Molly stood in the doorway, the light of the setting sun framing her silhouette. Her hair was long and dark, falling in waves over her shoulders. Her dress was made of a rich fabric, the color of wine, and it flowed around her like water. She was tall and slender, with skin like porcelain, and her eyes were like two pools of dark chocolate. Her lips were full and red, and she smiled at her mother standing in front of her. "Oh, Mum, I don’t like it when you keep reminding me about marriage," she said, frowning, her voice low and melodic.

“Molly, it pains me greatly to see you rejecting suitors. Nora's wedding day is approaching, and here you are, Molly, talking about the right man,” her mother's voice was cold and hard.

"Mum, I understand your concern," Molly’s voice quivered with emotion as she continued. "But I am not ready to be married. I am not ready to leave my home, to give up my life as I know it. I need more time to decide what I want, to find my place in the world. Please, give me this time." Her mother looked at her, her face softening.

"You are not getting any younger, Molly. You have your whole life ahead of you. Perhaps you are right, and you need more time to decide what you want. But I cannot allow you to remain unmarried. Can’t you see? None of your friends is single, Nora," she sighed deeply. "I bet she is nowhere finer than you. Look deeply into her eyes."

"If you are not ready to be married, then I will give you time. I will allow you to stay here, under my roof, for one year. In that time, you may learn more about the world, about yourself. But at the end of that year, you must make a decision. You must either marry the man I have chosen or leave this house." Her mother’s voice was firm and thunderous, making Molly feel her heart sink, but she knew that she must agree.

"I understand," she said. "I will stay here for one year, and then I will make my choice," she said as she took a measured step back to her room and slumped on her bed, her mind racing with thoughts. She thought of her mother's words, "You must marry the man I have chosen." She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like to marry the man her mother had chosen. But all she could see was nothing but a shadow smiling at her.

"What should I do?" she whispered to herself, with beads of sweat dripping from her face. "What choice can I make?" she pondered to herself.

She had no lover and no man to call her own. She wondered why she couldn’t find a man.

She stood up, standing in front of the mirror. She was beautiful enough to attract any man of her dreams.

Her mind reflected back to when she had a crush on Leo, thinking he was interested in her, only to find out that Leo was interested in Tracy, her best friend. It struck her down to learn that Tracy was the beauty Leo was craving.

She could imagine Leo standing before her, tall and strong, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He smiled at her, and his smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds. His voice was deep and rich, like honey dripping from a spoon. His touch was soft and gentle, like a summer breeze on her skin. He was everything she had ever dreamed of, and more. But he was hers, not in the way that Tracy had him.

“Oh no, Leo, why Tracy?” she asked, no one but herself. She could see her eyes full of bitterness through the mirror. She turned around. “I don’t love you, Molly, it’s Tracy I love,” Leo’s words flashed back to her memory.

She thrust herself onto the bed as the thought of being forced to marry a stranger made her feel sick to her stomach. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She would not cry; she would not give in to her emotions. But then, a sob escaped her lips, and she could not hold back the tears any longer. She buried her face in her hands and wept, feeling as if her world was falling apart.

“All men are liars.” She could feel so much hatred for guys after being dumped by her first love, who didn’t know how much she was dying to be with him. Marriage is the worst thing you can ever talk to her about; she had ever dreamed of marrying Leo since Leo left her for Tracy. She thinks she will be single for the rest of her life, but she knew that Leo had no love for her.

How she forgot that day she first saw Leo. It was a day like any other. He was standing across the room, his smile bright and his eyes sparkling. She felt her heart skip a beat seeing those eyes and watched him laugh with his friends. She knew she had to talk to him, but her nerves got the best of her.

“I spent the rest of the day wondering what I could have said to him, but the opportunity was gone. In the days that followed, I felt a deep sense of regret. I had let my fear get the best of me, and I missed out on the chance to connect with someone special. I learned a valuable lesson that day,” she talked to her shadow in the mirror and whooped as it occurred to her that tomorrow is Tracy's birthday; she will get to see her prince charming, Leo, and tell him how much she had loved him.

“Those smiles were killer. I will maintain this smile to let him know,” she flung herself onto her bed, waiting for the day to break down without blinking, her eyes closed.