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Natasha was having a dream of herself becoming the best student in her college and a famous novelist and journalist when the alarm clock rang. She turned the alarm clock off and tried to continue sleeping. But she did not realise the open window and the bright and warm sunlight was carresing her face. Natasha groaned as she woke up. She had dreaded this day. It was finally the day of her wedding.

" Rise up sunshine. You're gonna have a fairytale of your own soon, only if you wake up now." Natasha's mother exclaimed as she entered her daughter's room.

"Then, I just want to go back to sleep. I don't want a fairytale. I want a reality where I can be a successful person, not a princess in a fairytale who marries a charming prince but is locked at the tallest towers of the castle."

Her mother's smile died down and she sat beside her daughter. "I know this is ridiculous. Getting married at 16. I was in that situation too, you know?"

Natasha's eyes went wide. "What?! Were you tried at 16 too, Mom?"

"No dear. I got married after my graduation at high school. Your father and I were a couple for 3 years and our parents approved our relationship. But, when they know we were going to have a hard time studying in college because your father and I would be far away, they got us married. They did not want us to break up. It was devastating for me. I had lots of dreams in me. I wanted to be an architect but that marriage stopped me from becoming one."

"Mom, if you understood my situation, then why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you stop Dad from making that decision?"

Natasha's mother sighed. "Victor isn't a man who can be easily persuaded. When he makes a decision, he would fulfill it no matter what he has to put in stake. I tried convincing him to use another way but he wouldn't. He was so adamant with his decision of getting you married."

Natasha saw tears forming in her mother's eyes. She regretted for showing her temper towards her mother when it was her father who made the decision. She wiped the tears from her mother's eyes and shook her head, indicating that it was not her fault. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to hurt you at all. I was just upset. But if this is what Dad has decided, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna marry Damien Watson. I don't care if the two of us do not talk or look at each other after this. All I care now is Dad. If he wants me to get married to Damien so that he could be business partners with Mr Watson, so be it."

So, Natasha got ready for the wedding. She had a shower and wore a white bathrobe her mother had prepared and she sat on her bed while waiting for her wedding dress and make up artist to arrive. She felt really bored so her mother called in Sallie who had arrived early at her home.

"So, how do you feel, Natasha? What you're going to do after this?"

"I really can't do anything now. If I had to marry Damien for the sake of my father, then let it be."

"You can do something, my friend. You should say 'I don't' later. Just object the wedding. We don't know what would happen to you after the wedding. Maybe they'll never let you go to school again. Maybe they'll only let you out of the house with Damien. I would never see you again." Sallie started weeping. She really loved Natasha. The thought of separating with her best friend of 10 years was heartbreaking.

Natasha reached to Sallie and wiped out Sallie's tears. She hugged her friend and said, "Sallie, we don't know what would happen. I don't know what Damien's character is. I have heard from some women that he was a cold person towards women. But, I hope he would be good towards me. If not, I can manage it. Don't worry about it. "

"Natasha, it's just that I'm worried about you. My cousin Ruby was once in your situation. Her marriage with Pedro was arranged by her parents. After she moved in with her in laws, she was not allowed to visit her family anymore. Ruby also loved meeting up with her friends because she felt disturbed as she never got to see her family. But, her parents in law forbade her to meet her friends. Ruby was only allowed to go out of the home with Pedro. Two years ago , I saw the both of them at the mall. She looked completely different. She wasn't the happy Ruby she was once ago. She lost a lot of weight and looked dull. Then, one day, Pedro saw her laying motionless on the bed with a bottle of poison in her hand."

"She even went to commiting suicide? Her in laws were that horrible?"

"Yes. She got rushed to the hospital and was saved. She talked about the problem to Pedro in the hospital. He realised that if he continued staying with his parents, Ruby would die soon due to the pressure his parents were drilling on her. So, after Ruby was discharged from the hospital, Pedro packed their bags to leave. Before leaving, Pedro's parents blamed Ruby for stealing their son from them."

"So, are Pedro and Ruby okay now?"

"Certainly. Ruby was much happier now. She found out how caring and loving Pedro was towards her. They even had a son last year."

"That is a good news indeed for Ruby, after going through the hell set up by Pedro's parents."

"Natasha, sometimes I don't really understand something. Some parents in law would blame the daughter in law for stealing their son from them. But, in order to live with her husband, the girl has to be leaving her own family. Aren't her parents in law stealing her from her own parents? But I really hope you will live a great live after this. Maybe you'll get to see a side of Damien which he doesn't show to anyone."

Then, the door of Natasha's room was knocked. Sallie stood up and opened the door. It was Natasha's mother. She was holding the wedding dress which had been delivered and the make up artist, Megan was beside her.

"Looks like its time to get married." Natasha said in her thoughts.