They say a wedding is a once in a lifetime for any woman.

For me, this was the worst day ever. It all started when my parents called me downstairs on the weekend before my nineteenth birthday. In my ignorant bliss, it did not prepare me for the great news they were about to share with me.

Heading into the kitchen, my parents looked at each other then at me. I could already tell this news would not be something I was going to be happy to hear. I looked between my parents, my blue eyes were confused and wary of what they wanted to talk to me about.

“Gwen,” my mother began, faking a bright and cheerful smile. The one she always used when doing interviews with the media. “We have some wonderful news for you.”

My father remained quiet. I knew from his silence that this wasn’t wonderful. He was always quiet whenever he didn’t agree with something my mother had planned, but he never once went against her. Their dynamic was always strange to me, but I never questioned it.

“What news?” I asked hesitantly. I took a bit of hair and twirled the blonde strands in between my fingers. Did I want the answer to this question? I offered a small smile, hoping my fears were not correct.

“We’ve had a proposal from someone for your hand in marriage!” My mother chirped happily. “It’s actually later today. Don’t worry, we’ve already prepared your dress and everything else, so as soon as our people show up, we’ll be getting ready!”

My dad offered a quiet grunt in reply. His attention remained on the newspaper he flipped through.

“W-what?” I stammered. Was my mother joking? She had to be joking, right? No one in their right mind would arrange a wedding and not mention it until the day of the wedding! I felt sick to my stomach.

“I know it’s sudden,” my mother continued to ramble on. No kidding! That this was sudden! What did she think I was? Some kind of object they could just marry off to get rid of me? The look on my face must have said everything I wanted to say out loud because my mother hesitated with whatever rubbish she was trying to give me.

My father flipped another page on his newspaper and then, finally made his opinion known, “the company isn’t doing well. This will give us the funds to keep us afloat. Our lifestyle isn’t cheap, you know?”

My heart sank. So that was it. They were using me as collateral damage, so to speak. Selling me to the highest bidder. I looked from my father to my mother and then closed my eyes. I could still say no, but then we would be poor. We’d not survive without our company or large house! And there was no way I wanted to give up my Princess! She was a thoroughbred! Sure, she had retired, but she was still everything in the world to me.

“Do I not get a choice in this?” I asked, somewhat hesitantly. I knew there was no choice for me. Not unless I ran away from home. Again, that posed the same risk as merely turning this person down.

“He seems nice? And he asked for you by name, so I assumed you knew him?” My mother attempted to smooth things down with me.

I folded my arms. “What’s his name?” I asked, still annoyed, but until I had mulled over my options, I didn’t want to make any rash choices. I could at least try to figure out who this person was. Maybe it was someone I knew from school? Or the university? I wasn’t all that social growing up, but there was the chance a boy remembered me, even if I didn’t remember them.

My mother tapped her lower lip in thought. “Jay Marshall, he runs a lovely resort town by a large nature scene. He’s handsome?” My mother offered the last part, hoping I’d be all over this man. “Isn’t he dear?” She tried to encourage my father to speak up again, but all he responded with was another grumble.

I let out a long sigh. I didn’t remember any Jay. He sounded like a jerk. Asking some random woman to marry him out of the blue like this. That my mother didn’t respond to my question of if I had a choice or not spoke volumes to me.

I waited for a moment before shaking my head. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” I mumbled unhappily. “Well, if I don’t like him, I’ll divorce him, right?” I half-joked. Truth was, I didn’t want to go through with any of this. I liked my parents, but I had no experience in the real world. I knew without money, I could not keep Princess, nor could I live in luxury and attend parties or anything else I loved doing. Working with the common people was out of the question!

“I’m sure you’ll like him,” my mother assured me again with that fake smile. One I returned to her in kind. I shook my head slowly and headed to the fridge, grabbing myself some avocado. If I was going to be forced into some sort of wedding, then I wasn’t doing it on an empty stomach!

My parents sat silently while I ate and it wasn’t until I had finished that the doorbell rang. A sign that my freedom was soon ending. I put my plate into the dishwasher and waited with a held breath to see who my mother answered the door to. Would it be this Jay person? Or someone else?