Arranged Marriage: To Hear Your Voice

Veronica washes her face and she wasn’t contented so she bath herself. She stood under the shower still blank and didn’t know how to react on what happened a while ago. Her heart was clench tightly that she couldn’t breathe.

She reach the shampoo and massage it to her head trying to divert her attention away from everything. But it keeps giving her pain. Damn the fucking pain. Was it better to be numb than to feel this kind of pain?

After she finish bathing herself. Tony was sitting on the bed and like he hasn’t moved from there. She put on her clothes from her duffel bag.

”Veronica.” He calls.

”It’s fine.” She told him. She knows what he’s going to say.

”I didn’t mean it. It’s just—my head has been messed up recently.”

”Because she keep on texting you. Don’t worry about it.” She said monotonously.

From Veronica’s voice and tone, she already figured it and he knows that it wasn’t right. He didn’t want her to be blank and only give him a monotonous look. He wanted her to show her emotions so he could understand her.

”Don’t worry about it? Do you want me not to worry about the fucking name that I said while we are making love?” He raises his voice. He’s getting annoyed little by little. She didn’t brush her hair and just tied her wet hair. ”Don’t you run away Veronica!” He stood and reach his robe. ”I l—”

”Don’t fucking say it!” She scream at him. Then she get calmer. ”Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear you say it.” She now sounds begging. It pains her hearing those words from him.

”It’s true.” He said those words sincerely.

”Don’t say it again Tony. So it will be easy for me to let you go. So it will be easy for you to move on once I am gone.”

”What are you talking about?” He frown at her.

”You’ll understand soon. Now isn’t the right time.” She pick her bag and he grab her arm.

”Don’t you, go.” He warn her. His voice dangerous.

”I have to go.” She insist.

”Where are you going at this time?” He asked in a honeyed voice after a dangerous warning. He wrapped her into his arm and kisses her neck. ”Let’s sleep. Okay?” She knows that it was his way of trapping her.

”No.”

In the end, she left Tony and drive her car directly to the parking lot of her condo building and she took her motorbike and drove to EPUA. Soon, she arrive at their private parking lot and she went directly to her room and change her clothes into yoga pants and sleeveless sweatshirt.

She started beating up big men and she takes the hit. It’s been a while since she last beat someone. There are at least a lot of them. She beat them all and they beat her. One against many. After that intense work out, she got few bruises on her sides but she managed.

She place a lot of ice on her sides and lay down on her bed. She look up at the ceiling. Fuck it. She was indeed in love with him and she was in pain after all that happened. She notice that he was texting constantly and receive a lot of messages but he ignore it when he was with her. He was sweet and he dotes on her.

She understand that every Lawson are like that though he was a playboy back then. But is it true that once a playboy will always be a playboy or he likes to cheat around? Being his fiancée was a serious matter and he took it seriously at first but, did he?

She crawl to her bag and reach her phone. It has been vibrating and she got floods of texts from him. She read every messages.

Tony: Where are you?

Come back.

We need to talk. Let’s not fight ever again.

Please. Veronica, come home.

And there’s a lot more. She ignore it and soon her phone rings and it was Sabrina. She answer it quickly.

”Hey, where are you?”

”EPUA in my room.”

”Let’s go for a bubble tea?”

”Okay.” Bubble tea would make her feel better and Sabrina. She change her clothes into the Veronica that many people knows. The nerd, weak and smart. She drove her big bike to the bubble tea café the one that she usually went with Catriona as they disguise as incognito.

Sabrina wave at her and she walk to her and took the fresh passion fruit yogurt tea with chai-seeds. She sat down, and punch the straw on the drink and start sipping on it. Sabrina glance at the necklace that she’s wearing.

”Why don’t you just be merry and marry Tony?” Sabrina asked. Veronica look down and keep sipping on her drink. ”I already void your contract.” Sabrina said. ”Promise me one thing.”

”Even if you void it, I still wouldn’t change my mind. Tony will never be happy with me. His head is messed up with lust and love.”

Sabrina saw how sad her friend was. Though Veronica was the daughter of the man she detest most, Francisco—she still could be friends with her. Veronica protected her since she was indebted with her. She saved her life more than once.

”Is he now?” Sabrina asked. ”Well—I think he was in love with you. Vivien is just trying to mess up with Tony using psychological tricks. But anyway—if he cheats on you, just tell me so I can beat him.”

Veronica chuckle and almost choke on her drink.

”You think that I can’t beat him up?” Sabrina raise her brow.

”I never thought that you had such a good humor.”

”I am humorous—I just don’t talk.” She told her.

”That’s a good thing. I want to see Catriona.”

”I can settle that but a lot of people from your father’s side has been monitoring you.”

”Oh, fuck.” She mutter.

”But you are good at escaping from their eyes. You came in and out from EPUA without them tracing you.”

”You have been tailing me as well?”

”I have to. For me to protect you. Catriona and Tequila’s case was dangerous. I almost lost Whiskey and Tequila back then and I don’t want the same thing to happen to you no matter how good you are as my agent.” She mutter it low that only the two of them could hear. ”Just marry the man, he’ll protect you.” She said. ”I’ll handle other stuff. Let Tony take care of you.