MELTING A FROZEN HEART

Chapter 7

RAELYNN

"I would like you to marry my son, Milan.", Emily said firmly, looking at me.

I froze in my place, shocked.

"WHAT?", Milan, who was sitting beside me, raised his voice, shocked.

"Do I have to repeat the sentence again?", Emily asked flatly, now turning her gaze to her son.

"Mom, what do you mean?", he asked exasperatedly.

I was too stunned to speak and the mother-son duo didn't give anyone space to talk.

"I mean exactly what I said.", she replied nonchalantly.

"You've got to be kidding me! You didn't even ask me anything about my own marriage and decided to propose to Raelynn about it?", he asked in a low voice, but I could sense the underlying anger in his tone.

"I don't need to ask you. I know what's best for my son and this family.", Emily replied arrogantly.

I clutched the spoon in my hand tightly, angry, but I didn't let my stoic slip.

"And what do you know, mom?", he scoffed sarcastically.

"You -", she was saying, but he cut her off.

"Raelynn is just a friend. I don't see her in a marriage kind of way.", he said firmly.

"Not all marriages start with a 'love at first sight' trope, son. Being friends is enough to marry.", she replied, looking at him sternly.

"But-", this time she cut him off.

"Raelynn is a very responsible woman. Hardworking and successful. Beautiful, polite, elegant, earnt her own fortune and has not slept around with random men, unlike most of the people these days. She is perfect to be the daughter-in-law of the Cello family.", Emily raised her voice slightly.

"Has not slept with random men"

Those words struck me like a lightening, a sharp stabbing pain hitting me in my chest. I could feel the slowly slipping rhythm of my breathing, the churning in my stomach and a sudden weight over my chest, the words triggering my suppressed memories.

"Marriage is not about counting attributes, mom, for heaven's sake!", Milan banged his hand on the table angrily.

"You go around roaming in the whole world without doing anything, refusing to take on the family business, so I at least want a highly capable daughter-in-law and no one can find a better person than Raelynn.", Emily argued, equally angry.

The voices were slowly starting to get muffled.

Panic.

It's setting in.

"I'm a photographer! I have 22 interns working under me and I run the world's third largest studio! Not everyone wants to just make money. If you could just look at me as a human and not as a form of trophy, you'll see how successful I am.", he retorted, standing up, frustrated.

"Then keep doing what you do, but marry Raelynn and I won't have any problem with you and your ways ever again in the future.", Emily said angrily.

"I don't like Raelynn. I don't want to marry her. Not now, not ever. She won't even fit in my life.", Milan said firmly, angry and frustrated.

"Has not slept with random men"

The words are starting to ring in my ears, louder and louder, muffling the other voices out.

Not being able to bear the suffocation, I stood up abruptly, grabbing my purse and rushed out of there.

"Raelynn", I heard the muffled voices of three of them calling me.