“What?The engagement ceremony?”
The words left my mouth slowly, like if I said them fast enough they might become real all at once and crush me beneath their weight.
“Yes,” he said calmly, as if he’d just told me we were out of milk.
I stared at him, waiting for the punchline but none came.
“When?” I asked finally.
“Soon.”
“Soon?” I echoed as my heartbeat picked up. “Leon, what does soon mean to you exactly?”
He glanced at me with an unreadable expression. “It means the family has already started preparations.”
My chair scraped softly against the floor as I stood. “Preparations? Without talking to me first?”
He sighed, setting the spoon down. “Aria—”
“No,” I cut in, surprising myself with the firmness in my voice. “You don’t get to say it like that,like this is just another meeti
