Adan’s Mistake

Twenty Two

My jaw refused to rise from the floor and my eyes refused to go back to their original size due to the giant rock which now inhabited my finger. I couldn’t believe Adan had the audacity to put a ring on my finger. What the f**k was he planning? What did the ring signify? I wasn’t stupid enough to think he actually put the ring on my finger because he wanted to marry me. That would never happen. Perhaps it was a promise ring, or maybe it all just a facade because he wanted to get rid of Zilpah. The latter made the most sense to me which was enough for my heart to calm down.

“What the hell?!” Zilpah shrieked and stood up so fast she nearly caused her chair to topple backwards. Adan’s parents shot her a pointed glance but other than that they didn’t interfere. “What is the meaning of this, Adan?”

“What does it look like, little sister? I just chose a bride for myself and I’m sharing this news with all of you,” Adan replied and I would’ve freaked out over the word ‘bride’ had I not already concluded that this was just a farce and Adan was only doing this so she would stop chasing him. As soon as we went home, I was sure Adan would tell me to remove the ring and give it back to him and I had no problem in doing so.

“Bu—but… you can’t! Sh—she’s not worthy of you! H—how can you choose her?!” She cried and I did my best not to roll my eyes. It wasn’t that her words didn’t sting—they definitely did—but I knew she was right. I wasn’t worthy of being Adan’s bride and if the Universe was right on its axis, then of course he would never choose me for a bride. But I wasn’t going to tell her that. I was glad she was rattled and hopefully after tonight she would stay away from Adan and I.

“I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her,” Adan stated and for a moment I believed him. He’d chosen me because he cared about me, and if I wanted I could be delusional enough to think he loved me. But marriage was not something that was in the cards for me. I knew as his slave I would never be worthy of being his wife and if he married me, he would never treat me as his equal because I would never be.

“No, you don’t! Th—this is a mistake!” She almost shouted.

“Zilpah,” Mrs. Diamandis admonished. “Compose yourself. This is no way to behave.”

“No way to behave?!” Zilpah exclaimed. “Don’t you see what he’s doing? He’s making a mistake and you both are just sitting here. Tell him not to do this. He deserves better; you know he does,” she stated and if I liked her I would’ve felt sorry for her because Adan’s parents continued to look at her without a care in the world.

“If he wants to marry Evangeline, then he has every right to do so. Aston and Mack married their slaves, so there is no law that prevents Adan from doing the same,” Mr. Diamandis said and smiled at Adan.

“But he deserves better! She’s nothing. Absolutely nothing! She’ll never be his equal, so what’s the point of marrying her?!” Zilpah asked, her voice only rising in volume until I was sure the servants in the kitchen could hear her.

“That’s between Adan and Evangeline,” Mr. Diamandis said. “You have no business interfering.”

“How can I not? I’m his sister, I… I want the best for him!” She argued, her eyes blazing with purpose. I wished the ground would open up and swallow me whole or Adan would take me home but it was obvious neither one was going to happen.

“He is more than capable of choosing the best for himself,” Adan’s Mother interjected. “We have raised you both to make decisions for yourself, so you really have no right to question his choice.”

Zilpah sputtered and I winced because the embarrassment was getting too much for me to handle. I just wanted to go home and forget this entire thing.

“We have the right to guide him if he’s in the wrong!” She argued and I heard Adan scoff beside me.

“Would you calm down? You’re only embarrassing yourself here and it’s getting boring. I’m going to marry Angel and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it. Of course you can show up to the wedding when it happens. But if you think I’m going to choose another woman, then that will never happen,” Adan stated, his words causing warmth to bloom inside me. I knew he was only saying all this to trigger his adopted sister but I couldn’t help but internalize those words. That’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be the only woman in his life. I didn’t want him to even think about another. And he just said he wouldn’t.

Perhaps you should tell him how you really feel.

No, I couldn’t do that. He would never reciprocate my feelings and I’d be just like Zilpah and embarrass myself in front of him, and I already did that. I didn’t want him to laugh or pity me. And worse, I didn’t want him to tell me how he didn’t feel the same way and was actually in love with somebody else. That would hurt me. I knew it would. So it was best to protect my heart because he wouldn’t hesitate to rip it out of my chest and stomp on it.

“I’m not going to sit back and let you make this mistake,” she stated and jutted her chin out as her eyes continued to blaze.

“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do?” Adan asked as he tightened his hold on my hand.

She fell silent after that. I held my breath as I waited for her to speak but it looked like she had no intention of doing so. I nearly shrieked when she shot me a deadly glare before storming out of the dining room, leaving the rest of us staring after her.

“What the hell is her problem?” Adan asked. “Why can’t you tell her to stay away from me?”

“We’ve tried,” his Mother said as she picked up her spoon and buried it in the mound of ice cream in front of her. “But she has her eyes set on you.”

“We can’t very well control her heart,” his Father said and chuckled as he began eating his dessert.

“She’s crazy and it’s about time you disown her,” Adan said, sounding like a petulant child rather than a mature adult.

“We can’t do that. It won’t be fair to her,” Mrs. Diamandis said.

“Well tell her to stay the f**k away from me because I’m done with her bullshit. And if she bothers me again, then I will forget the fact that she’s my sister,” Adan stated and sat down, pulling me down as well. I had a ton of thoughts and questions floating around in my mind but I had to force myself to choose silence until I went back to the mansion.

“That’s between you and your sister,” Mr. Diamandis said. “But I would advise getting this wedding done and over with as soon as possible. You know how malicious your sister can be.”

My heart shuddered at his words. What the hell was he talking about? Didn’t he know that this proposal was nothing but a charade to get rid of Zilpah? Adan said he discussed everything with his parents so why were they talking about a wedding? Did Adan intend to take this farce far enough that he would pretend to marry me? Was something like that even possible?

No. I wouldn’t let that happen. If Adan was planning on using me to show his sister that he didn’t like her, then I wouldn’t stand for it. I would’t let him make a fool of me by pretending to marry me in front of the whole world. He was literally playing with my feelings and he only cared about his.

“That’s why I’m telling you to disown her. She might just come to bite us,” Adan said and took a bite of his dessert.

“That won’t happen. But yes, I do think you should get married before she tries something,” Mr. Diamandis reiterated. Adan nodded and for the rest of the meal there was no other discussion about Zilpah or Adan’s wedding.

When the time came for us to leave, I did everything I could not to sigh in relief. Adan and I bid his parents goodbye and got in the car. The ride home was silent but that’s what I preferred because I needed to prepare for the argument which I would initiate as soon as we got home.

I could feel Adan’s eyes on me but he didn’t bother me with questions. I was glad but my good fortune was short-lived because as soon as he parked the car and led me back to his room the questions came rolling out.

“Why were you so silent in the car? What happened? Is everything okay? Was dinner too intimidating for you?” He asked as he removed his suit jacket and draped it over the armchair.

“No. Dinner was not intimidating for me,” I said as I turned to face him. I raised my hand and flashed him the diamond ring on my finger. “But this sure is! What the hell were you thinking?! You could’ve warned me. I would’ve been prepared. And didn’t you tell your parents that you’re only pretending to propose? Why were they talking about a wedding? I’m telling you right now, Adan, I’m not going to pretend to marry you. That’s beyond humiliating. Just tell Zilpah to back off and we won’t have a problem.”

“Woah woah, relax. What’s gotten into you?” Adan asked in a soothing voice which I never heard him use before. He ate the distance between us in two strides and cupped my shoulders. “Fake proposal? Pretending to marry you? What are you talking about?”

“This whole proposal,” I said and showed him the ring again. “You only did it to stop Zilpah from coming after you, right? You’re not actually planning to marry me, right? Like… why would you, it makes no sense. So didn’t you discuss this with your parents?”

Amusement twinkled in his eyes before it transformed into a smile which made my heart flutter. “You think I’m pretending to marry you?”

“Yes. What else would it be? I know you’re trying to get rid of your sister and I understand it’s the only way you can do it. But I’m not going pretend to be a bride. I won’t do it. And you know it’s not fair to me,” I said and did my best not to let the pain of his rejection produce tears in my eyes. I would cry when I was alone.

“Darling, let’s get one thing straight,” he said and slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him so that my chest collided with his. “This proposal is not fake.”

“What?!” I gasped.

“And the wedding which will take place in a few days won’t be fake either. So don’t come up with baseless explanations. If I want to get rid of Zilpah, I certainly would never pretend to propose and marry a woman. I would find some other way to do it. But if I put a ring on your finger, sweetheart, then you can bet your beautiful ass I expect you to walk down the aisle as soon as possible,” he stated.

His words short circuited my synapses and all I could do was stare at him with my eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Was he serious? He wanted to marry me? Why? What was wrong with him? I understood his cousins married their slaves but that’s because they loved them. Did he love me?

Why else would he marry you?

“Wh—why?” I asked in a pathetic voice.

“Because you’re mine and I want you to stay that way for eternity,” he stated. “I made the mistake of turning my back on you and letting you step into another man’s world. I will not make that mistake a second time. You will be my bride. You will be my woman and nobody else’s. Zilpah getting out of the way is just the bonus. You’re the real prize I’m after.”

“Mi—mistake,” I said, using the only brain cell I’d left.

He nodded and captured my chin with his thumb and finger. “Yes. I made a mistake. I should’ve put a ring on your finger the moment you turned eighteen. I never should’ve waited. And now I have no intention to.

“The wedding will take place in a few days. Not because my Father said so because I want you as my wife immediately. Your dress will be taken care of and all you have to do is wear it. Don’t worry about the arrangements. Grandpa will take care of everything.

“And while we’re at it. I just want to warn you that you shouldn’t think about removing this ring from your finger. If you do, there will be terrible consequences.”