Unwanted Matrimony

Tiara’s POV Remembering the incident just like it was yesterday, it's been nothing less than a week. My fiancé, Nathan, called me to get dressed without any reason. I assumed it was a date and dressed all elegantly. I was right. Nathan stood outside my building with a smile as I excitedly walked out of the door, but the second he saw me up close, his smile was replaced with a scowl. He complained about how my arms looked in my dress and gave me his jacket. I contemplated arguing, but thought against it. I didn't want to spoil the night, so I took the jacket and draped it over me to avoid any further embarrassment even though it didn't fit my dress. The car ride to the diner was quiet and awkward. Nathan kept tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, something he does when he is irritated. At the diner, while we were eating, Nathan suddenly dropped his cutlery with an exasperated sigh before he told me he couldn't do this anymore. He said mean things that left tears streaming down my face before exiting the restaurant without me. I stared exasperatedly at my semi-packed luggage as tears filled my eyes all over again. “Why can’t my life just go as planned”, I sobbed as I threw the shirt I was folding on my box and slumped on my bed. My friends lay in my bed trying to comfort me. “Hey, don’t cry”, Amira consoled, patting my cheek as she chewed loudly. “Men can be so stupid sometimes. Why would he break up with someone as wonderful as you?” Chloe asked, irritated as she gazed into nothingness. I had expended packs of tissues, crying for hours until my mom called and said that she wanted me at home for Christmas. Normally, I would have given an excuse but this time around, none of my excuses could sway her. My friends kept me company until I was done. I finished packing and went to take my bath. By the time I got out of the bathroom, my room was neatly organized, and my friends were nowhere in sight. I did my regular face touch-up, ensuring to cover my eyebags, got dressed, and went downstairs to the kitchen. When I got to the kitchen, my friends were already having breakfast. “Here’s a plate for you”, Amira stated, pointing at the plate next to her. “Oh… I'm not hungry”, I muttered as I took a seat. “I’m going out…does anyone need anything?” “You have to eat. You haven’t had anything but water since yesterday” Selah stated while I sighed. “How do you feel?” “I’ll cope… I’ll be fine”, I sighed, blinking rapidly to avoid the tears. I hate being asked how I am when I'm obviously not doing well. “We don’t want you trying to cope, Tiara”, Chloe replied as my friend came around me. “We want you to thrive even if it means letting all your emotions out first. Cry or scream if you want, but don’t bottle your emotions up”. This caused me to burst into fresh tears all over again. “Where did I go wrong exactly? I tried to be a perfect girlfriend, a perfect fiancée. My family loves him already. I was never treated fairly by him. Nothing I did ever satisfied him. I spent seven years of my life trying to be perfect for him. Seven f*****g years just to be thrown on the curb for something as simple as my weight. I was the only one holding the relationship together months towards our break-up. But I'll be fine”, I ranted, cleaning my never-ending tears while my friends patted me comfortingly. “Everything will be fine”, Selah said as they all hugged me. “Why can’t I ever be perfect for someone”, I whispered as I stared into nothingness.“Never question your perfection”, Chloe replied in her mother’s tone. “Someone who would love your perfections and imperfections is out there waiting for you”. “I don’t know, Chloe. I’m beginning to lose hope”, I sobbed, shaking my head. “The men you date are the ones losing, not you”, Selah stated with a slight frown on her face. “You’re a walking perfection created by God and, like Chloe said before, never question that. You haven’t found your person, someone who will go to the end of the world for you and give you everything you’ve ever wished for. Everyone has their own person, someone who will make your problems theirs”. After calming down, my friends all went back to their food and spoke about random things. “I’m going out. Is there anything you guys need?” I inquired again and gulped my water. “Umm…can you drop something at my mom’s?” Chloe asked. “Yeah…anything else? Groceries, toiletries, murder weapons, first aid kit?” I asked and took the half-eaten pancake from Amira’s plate while she took my untouched plate of food. “Are you good?”, Selah questioned with a raised brow as she went to drop her plate in the sink. "The guest room needs a new set of toiletries". “Yeah. Why would you ask that?”, I replied with a light smile. "Maybe because you asked if we needed any murder weapons", Selah said with a shrug. "Do you?" I asked, feigning enthusiasm. “I’ll be back home a little late”. “Where exactly are you going to?” Chloe questioned. “The gym, and the mall”, I said, rummaging through the fridge for my bottle. “And your parents' house”. I drove to Chloe’s birthplace to drop her stuff. I stayed a while to help her mum with some things before heading to the store to get the things Selah listed and something for myself. I also bought groceries I’m sure would rot before any attention is given to them. I went to the gym after getting myself a chicken salad for lunch. I spent about three hours in the gym before I decided to go home. My ride home was meant to be quiet and peaceful, but I guess the universe had other plans. It started with the traffic, not that I expected anything less considering it’s about closing hours for some offices. I sat in my car patiently as I thought about my destroyed seven-year relationship. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t know the cars in front of me were beginning to move. By the time I realized and was about to move, my car suddenly jerked, causing a yelp to roll out my tongue. I drove to the side and came down to check how much damage was done. At the same time, the man who had done the damage parked behind and came down. He checked the impact on his car before walking up to me. “I’m so sorry, Ma’am”, he pleaded sincerely. He looks middle-aged and, from his uniform, he looks like he’s a driver. “I’m also sorry. If I had- I started “Get in the car, Harry”, the most soothing voice I’ve ever heard ordered, interrupting me. “I have better things to do than get my time wasted by paparazzi who do not know how to drive off when the traffic indicator indicates ‘go’” His voice sent chills down my spine, nearly making me forget the situation at hand. “It's the audacity to think I would want to be a fan of your stupid club that marvels me”, I said, my irritation evident in my voice. “It won’t remove any comma from your bank account to be less of a jerk, Mr. Punctual”. He stared at me for a while before asking his driver to check the damage done.“It’s not that terrible sir, but it’ll need to be taken to the mechanic”, his driver said. “Give her the company access to drop the car off with the mechanic tomorrow”, he said and started rolling up his window. “No, thank you,” I said, causing him to stop in his tracks. “A simple sorry would have solved the entire issue, but you just had to be a jerk”. The driver stared at me, some kind of shock evident on his face for whatever reason. I got into my car and drove off. I finally got home, parked in the garage, and went back upstairs with all the bags. “Why are you so late?” Chloe questioned as she took a few bags from me. “Eight is not that late”, I responded, dropping everything with me on the kitchen island.“What’s for supper?” “Chicken pasta and salad. Go and take a shower, I’ll call you when dinner is ready”, Chloe replied, as she sorted out everything I had bought on the kitchen island. I went up to my room to take a shower and change into something more comfortable. After cleaning up, I decided to get some things done while waiting for supper. I set my plans for the week, journaled, and arranged the little mess I made in my room. Chloe called me, letting me know that the food was ready, and the others were back. During supper, we briefed one another on tomorrow’s plan and how late we would stay out. After supper, everyone stayed back to watch my comfort movie while we all cuddled. After the movie ended, I bid everyone goodnight and went to bed. I probably need all the rest I can get for tomorrow. When I got into my room, brushed my teeth, prepared for tomorrow, ticked off things on my to-do list, and prayed. I picked up my phone to do my last scrolling for the night, when a message popped up on my phone screen, causing my eyes to go wide in fear. The longer I stared at the message, the shorter my breath got until I was gasping for air. I managed to reach the drawer for my inhaler with shaky hands. “He can not get to me again”, my mind kept repeating as I took puffs of air, tears streaming down my face as I shook my head vehemently.