Call It Love: An Arranged Marriage Romance

Once upon a time, there was a little girl with a heart full of hope. Every evening, she would slip into her colorful, dream-like dress and sit by the window, believing with all her heart that one day her prince would come. She waited until sleep, soft and silent, took her by the hand and carried her far away. But the prince never came. Sometimes, I wonder what became of all those dresses. Dad used to gift me one every year for my birthday, and I loved wearing them to bed, twirling until I drifted off to sleep. The last dress he gave me arrived when I turned fourteen—just a few days before he left forever. I never got the chance to wear it. And in some ways, I never got the chance to be a child again. Now, at twenty-four, I stand before the mirror and barely recognize the girl staring back. The dress I’m wearing doesn’t whisper to me the way those old ones did. It’s stiff, unfamiliar, dyed in a color that almost hurts to look at. Dad would never have chosen something like this. I try to force a smile, but a cold shiver races down my spine instead. Behind me, the sharp click of the assistant’s heels echoes across the polished floor. Slowly, I turn to face her. "Are you sure this is the dress they chose?" I ask, catching more judgment than kindness in her gaze. I can't tell whether it’s the dress she despises or the story she imagines behind it. Either way, warmth seems long forgotten in this place. "Yes," she replies, her voice clipped and cold. "With the minor alterations we discussed, this is the final model Mr. Grey approved." I swallow hard. His name presses heavily against my chest. "Of course," I say, forcing a polite smile as I turned back to the mirror. Maybe, in some way, my prince has finally come. Just not the way I dreamed he would.