Episode 14

\*Two days later\*

Antonella still hasn't been able to go to work; she still has some marks on her cheeks. She spends the rest of the day locked in her room, not venturing out. She only speaks to her friend Teresa on the phone, always telling her that she's fine, even if she's not. But since her friend knows her well, she obviously doesn't believe her, yet she doesn't push her because wounds heal with time, and scars arrive on their own.

Harry occasionally comes to the house to visit Zoraya, and that's why Antonella spends most of her time locked away, not wanting to run into him by accident. She doesn't want to see his face because of everything he's done to her, which has been very difficult to recover from.

One night, Antonella leaves her room to get a glass of milk from the kitchen, so she can sleep. But as she was descending the stairs, her steps stopped when she heard her father and Rosario talking about her. She curiously stayed and listened.

"Darling, is everything ready? When will you tell Antonella?"

"Yes, everything is ready. I'll tell her tomorrow so that she can sign the engagement document. Róger is already eager," her father responded.

"(Engagement? Róger? Who is this? And what does it have to do with me?)" Antonella wondered.

"And if your daughter doesn't want to get married? What will you do?" Rosario asked.

"Well, she'll have to do it willingly or by force. She won't embarrass me in front of Mr. Anthonyson, not at all. He has invested a lot of money in our company for her to come and ruin everything."

"You need to be cautious. You know how she is, and she is capable of escaping and causing embarrassment for all of us in society."

"Don't worry, she won't do it. She has to do what I tell her, or else she will suffer greatly."

Antonella listened to everything in great detail. Slowly, she climbed the stairs, trying not to make a sound. Then she locked herself in her room. She didn't know whether to cry, escape, or laugh at her own misfortune.

She couldn't believe what her ears had heard. Just two days ago, Harry ended things with her in the worst way possible, and on the same day, her father beat her. Now she finds out that they want to marry her off to a stranger she doesn't even know.

Antonella laughed at her miserable life, but then she cried. Since her mother's death, her life has only been a series of misfortunes. She has no one else but Teresa.

Antonella placed her hands on her head, pacing back and forth. The news she heard hit her like a bucket of cold water. She only dreamt of marrying Harry at some point, but he betrayed her, and now they want to marry her off to someone else for their own benefit. It's incredibly unfair to her.

Her happiness has never been important to the people in that family. They only think of themselves and don't realize that they are slowly killing a young woman who only longs to be happy someday.

Meanwhile, that poor young woman was desperate in her room, not knowing what to do. It seems that all the doors have closed on her. She can't believe how far people's wickedness goes due to the damn ambition that tramples over anyone, regardless of their suffering.

Antonella cried bitterly because she didn't want to get married. The desire to have a family vanished from her mind after Harry's betrayal. She doesn't want to be forced to be with someone she doesn't love, especially not someone who could mistreat her like they do in her own home.

She doesn't know if this is the opportunity to escape from that hell or if it's just another door to uncertainty.

That innocent young woman breaks down in tears, holding a photograph of her deceased mother in her hands. She can only think that if her mother were here, she wouldn't allow such injustice as being handed over to a man for the sake of the company.

Antonella's mind is set on only one solution: to escape. So, she wipes away her tears and decides not to cry anymore. If she only has herself, she must fight alone. Her mother may not be there, but she has to defend herself however she can and fight to escape from that hell.

The name that her father mentioned, Róger Athonyson, came to her mind. This was the same name as the man who had made a fuss in her honor, but she didn't know him, nor did she know if he had attended the gala that night because she was concerned about Harry...

But one way or another, she had to prevent this marriage. She wasn't going to marry for someone else's benefit. She had suffered enough already, and she couldn't bear any more...

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