CHAPTER ONE

"Mum... I don't care. I don't want to know about him or anything because I am not going to marry him!", Rachel shouted at top of her voice, fuming.

She just came back from South Korea, having completed her education only for her mother to inform her about her arranged marriage with an unknown man.

She has never thought of getting married this way. I mean, who in this era is still bound by arranged marriage, she thought. Since she arrived, her mother has been pestering her about the issue and she has no idea how to accept that.

"You think it's a choice, lady?.. This was your father's wish to marry the son of his childhood friend.", Madeline pointed out, as she set the table for breakfast while

Rachel bothered herself with the unclean dishes. Hearing her father being called made her weak. Her name is in her while before continuing. Seeing her so quiet, she regretted mentioning her father but it is already late. She finished washing the dishes without uttering another word.

"Come let's eat," Madeline said as she settled down on the chair. Wiping her hand with the kitchen towel, she sat opposite her mother without saying a word.

"I will be going for an interview at Dante's company tomorrow. I applied on my way back and they asked me to come for the interview,'' Rachel said after moments of silence. She hasn't eaten much, only touching and playing with the food.

"But don't you think you should rest, you just arrived two days ago", Madeline suggested;

"I have already rested enough."She replied, standing up with plates in her hands.

"Will you be doing anything today"

"Yes, I would like to get a suit for the interview", with this, she went straight to her room without a word.

Rachel is a jovial and cheerful girl, little issues don't get to her easily but when it comes to her father, it is a different case.

She grew up with both her parents but she is more fond of her father. Being an only child, she has received extra care, attention, and love from her father so much that people usually call her Daddy's girl.

He does not let any harm come to her and even if he wants to go to work, he would take her along leaving their mother at home. Her mom is usually left out but that does not mean they love her. The whole family loves each other.

She would always trouble her mom and run to her father but she is not here anymore. She rarely talks about him because it only adds to her pain.

She missed him, she did. She can remember the night he called her before he took his final breath. It was five years ago but the incident is still vivid in her mind

He called Madeline and asked her to give the phone to her. Unknown to them, he was having his final breath

.

"Hello... Princess", he said over the phone, in a raspy voice. He struggled to hold his abdominal bleeding, they just had an accident while he was coming back from work. It was a hit-and-run accident. The driver who caused the accident refused to stop. He came out of the car after struggling so much but he already knew he wouldn't make it.

"Yes .. daddy. I can't wait for you to be back. The birthday party was fun and you need to see how I danced. So amazing", she said with excitement evident in her voice.

"I am so proud of you dear. I-love--you", he said, stammering while struggling to breathe.

"Can you hand over the phone to your mum?"He added and Rachel was quite confused because of her father's voice, "Is something wrong", she wondered as he handed over the phone to her mother.

Madeline walked out of Rachel's room while talking to him and a few minutes later, her mother screamed in tears.

Rachel rushed out to meet her mother who was crying profusely.

"Mom.. what's wrong?"She asked while trying to calm her mother.

"Rachel... Rachel, your dad", Madeline said amid tears as she tried to find words in her mouth.

"Mom tell me, what happened?"... She is curious to know what her father did for her mother to panic like this.

"Death..". Her mother ended with tears.

"W–Wha- what?", She was too stunned to speak, before she could say anything else.

She collapsed on the floor and her mother screamed, rushing to her.

Shivers went down her spine as she tried to dismiss the thoughts of what happened years later. She took a long, refreshing bath.

Wearing Cargo pants with converse, she wore her sweatshirts and hung her sidebar on the shoulders while tying her head in a bun.

She set out to go to the supermarket, promising herself to forget about whatsoever that happened between her and her mother.