Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
“I might not be as mature and sophisticated as the women you’re familiar with, but I’m growing up and I’m way more fashionable and stylish, just saying. Your mum is also my godmother and we love each other so much, so we’ll be like the coolest mother and daughter-in-law. You’re welcome for the lack of conflict in the future and the fact that you’ll be marrying someone of your status.
“You might need to work hard to get Papa’s acceptance but I’ll help! He looks stern and all, but really, he can’t resist my puppy eyes. I’m not saying we should get married now, but maybe in three or four years after I finish uni.
“FYI, I want three children, preferably two girls and a boy. The girls’ names will be Sierra and Zoey. I’ll leave the boy’s name to you. I also want two dogs and three cats or three dogs and two cats. I’m open to negotiation as long as it’s within that ratio. You can take your time to fall in love with me from here on. I’ll wait for as long as it takes.
“P.S. I need to disclose something so you’re not blindsided. I’m sure you heard from Aunt Elsa or our mutual friends that I suffer from anxiety and depression, but in reality, it’s a bit worse than that and I might need a little monitoring. However, I swear I’m mostly self-sufficient, and I’m following this new therapy plan that I’m sure will work. You have nothing to worry about. The future love of your life you now know exists. Ava.”
Oh. My. God.
Can the earth open up and swallow me? Now would be great, thanks.
I peek at him through my fingers to find him staring at me as if he didn’t just recite my stupid letter word for word.
“Why the hell did you learn it by heart?” I ask, trying and failing not to sound strangled.
“I have a good memory.”
“You only did that to torment and embarrass me.”
“I wasn’t the one who wrote that.”
“Ugh. Let me die in shame.”
He laughs as he removes my hands from my face. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m fully aware I’m irresistible.”
“Get over yourself.” I prod his abs. “Besides, I was totally over you after that.”
“Which is why you proceeded to vie for my attention at uni?”
“Yeah, well, if I didn’t already have your attention, I wouldn’t have exploited it.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s true! You were everywhere.” I narrow my eyes. “You know, I always thought you wanted to torment me for having the audacity to like you or something, but now that I think about it, you’re not the type of person who wastes time on anything without a return on his investment. So why did I have your attention?”
“It started as mild interest. A mere thought about taking advantage of your weaknesses so I could use them against you down the line. Nothing personal. I do that to everyone. And believe me, I found a galore of faults, discrepancies, and dangerous nonchalance that I could crush you with if I chose to. You were chaotically impulsive and pathologically trusting. Two traits that would’ve led you to an early grave.”
“And what stopped you from pushing me to said grave?”
“Unlike what you liked to believe, I never hated you prior to or after your confession. No offense, but you held no importance to me. You were merely the kid Mum liked to dote on. I had no reason to develop any feelings for you. Though I do remember being inexplicably annoyed with your presence when we were children and might’ve tripped or pushed you down just because I could. That was possibly because I hated sharing my parents, and Mum cared about you too much for my liking. However, things changed as soon as you got into university.”
“In…what sense?” I ask, trying not to sound hurt that he never even thought about me before, but then again, it’s true that he never saw me any differently than Cecy and Glyn.
“You started to antagonize me. Repeatedly. I’m sure you can tell I’m not the type of man who can be provoked. By anyone. Least of all, the kid who didn’t look like a kid anymore and who certainly did not dress like a kid in those nightclubs. So that mere interest grew into deeper investment the more you and Lan plotted against me. I had to retaliate. You retaliated back. Before I knew it, that interest morphed into raw obsession and mysterious possession. I didn’t understand the reasons and couldn’t find a logical explanation, considering I genuinely found you infuriating and not controllable material. Nonetheless, I made the decision that you couldn’t be with anyone else. So I married you.”
“Is that all you ever felt toward me? Obsession and possession?”
“Of course not. There’s always been constant fucking annoyance.”