When Jayden thought things couldn't get worse, her father arrived at her apartment with six renowned wedding dress designers in tow.
The moment she saw the sleek black Maybach pull into her modest driveway, followed by several assistants carrying portfolios, fabric cases, and measuring kits, she knew peace had officially become a luxury she could no longer afford.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
Her father truly put his heart into this wedding.
How ironic.
He was willing to move heaven and earth just to force her into a life she didn't want.
She stood by the entrance quietly as the designers filed into her apartment one after another, their polite smiles carefully masking the tension hanging heavily in the air. The atmosphere became suffocating almost immediately.
For a brief second, Jayden wondered if she should scream.
Maybe yell at him.
Maybe ask him why he was doing this to her.
But what was the point?
She had spent weeks protesting, arguing, pleading, resisting. Every attempt only made things worse. The more she rebelled, the tighter the cage became.
At this point, resistance no longer felt like strength.
It felt like self-destruction.
So she chose silence...
A calm front.
A fake submission.
While secretly speeding up her escape plans behind the scenes.
It wasn't that she doubted her parents loved her. No. She knew they did.
But theirs was the kind of love that suffocated instead of healed.
A love that clipped wings in the name of protection.
A love that decided your future before asking if you even wanted one.
Everyone assumed the distance between her and her parents started years ago when she chose her career path over the one they wanted for her.
Even she had almost believed that lie.
But deep down, she knew the truth.
The real damage began the day trust was broken.
And once trust cracks, it never truly returns whole again.
You can patch it up.
Pretend things are fine.
Smile during family dinners.
Call each other lovingly.
But somewhere beneath it all, the fracture remains.
Visible.
Painful.
Unhealed.
People always said time healed wounds.
Then why did hers still bleed?
Her father stepped into the apartment like a king entering territory he owned. His expensive shoes clicked against the polished floor, his presence swallowing the room whole.
Authority radiated from him naturally.
Overbearing.
Unavoidable.
Final.
Jayden looked at him quietly and wondered how things had become like this between them.
How had the man who once carried her on his shoulders become the same man trying to chain her future with his own hands?
If only this wedding had happened differently…
If only she had fallen in love naturally.
If only she had met the right person at the right time.
Perhaps then she could have forgiven them.
Perhaps then this wouldn't feel like punishment.
But life wasn't built on "ifs."
Reality remained cruel regardless of emotions.
And her reality was simple:
Her father had already decided her future for her.
The wedding preparations had accelerated over the past few days. Jayden noticed it clearly. Calls increased. Security tightened. Invitations were likely already being prepared.
If she pushed too hard now, her father might truly force the marriage registration immediately.
That would be the final trap.
One she absolutely could not allow.
No matter what happened, she had to remain patient.
Careful.
Quiet.
Let him think he was winning.
Let him lower his guard.
Even if he suspected something, he still didn't know the full extent of her plans.
And that ignorance was her greatest advantage.
Quietly, she had already begun strengthening her own private security and taking precautions against the spies surrounding her.
This was no longer a simple family disagreement.
It had become a battle of strategy.
A silent war between father and daughter.
And neither side intended to lose.
One of the designers stepped forward nervously, clearly sensing the tension.
"Good day, Miss Jayden," the woman said professionally. "We are from JCT Wears, one of the leading wedding couture houses in the country. We are here to help bring your dream wedding dress to life."
Dream wedding dress.
The words almost made Jayden laugh.
The designer continued carefully.
"We would first like to hear your thoughts and preferences regarding the gown. After that, we'll proceed with measurements while aligning everything with the wedding themes already chosen."
Jayden stared at her blankly.
Dream?
What dream?
What wedding?
Those dreams had died long ago.
Buried somewhere beneath obedience, pressure, and expectations.
She remained silent.
The room became awkward.
The designers exchanged uneasy glances.
Mr Cole's patience finally snapped.
"Forget the formalities and get to work," he barked coldly. "If she refuses to cooperate, then make her cooperate. She's no daughter of mine if she continues this nonsense."
The words struck harder than Jayden expected.
No daughter of mine.
For a split second, something painful flashed across her eyes.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Disappointment.
Because despite everything, a small part of her still hoped her father would choose her happiness over his pride.
But clearly, she had expected too much.
Still, she endured it.
Just a little longer.
Once she escaped, none of this would matter anymore.
An unsettling thought crossed her mind suddenly.
What if she faked her death?
The idea startled even her.
Extreme.
Dangerous.
But perhaps freedom itself required extreme measures.
The designers quickly began their work after that, wisely avoiding unnecessary conversation.
Sketchbooks opened.
Measurements were taken.
Fabric samples were brought out.
Voices stayed low.
Professional.
Efficient.
Careful.
Meanwhile, Jayden remained emotionally detached from the entire process.
Cold.
Unreadable.
If they mistook her silence for surrender, then they were gravely mistaken.
Let them believe she had accepted her fate.
Soon enough, they'd realize how wrong they were.
All she needed now was for them to leave.
Because every second wasted here delayed the only thing that truly mattered:
Her escape.
Yes.
Her escape.
She would fight for it with everything she had.
Good or bad.
Right or wrong.
She simply refused to belong to a man she didn't choose.
She hadn't even married Almond yet, and already her life no longer belonged to her.
What would happen after marriage?
Would every breath require permission too?
At twenty-eight years old, her father still treated her like someone incapable of making decisions for herself.
Fine then.
She would prove him wrong.
This was her life.
And she would live it on her own terms.
To hell with rules.
To hell with control.
To hell with expectations.
Someone who truly cared about her happiness wouldn't force her into misery while calling it love.
Her thoughts drifted briefly toward her younger brother.
Among everyone in the family, he was the only one she truly felt guilty leaving behind.
As for her mother…
Jayden's emotions were conflicted.
She loved her.
But love no longer erased disappointment.
Not anymore.
Still, compromise was impossible.
Because if she surrendered now…
If she gave in…
Then her future would become nothing more than a luxurious prison.
A beautiful cage lined with gold.
A life where she'd slowly suffocate while smiling for the world to see.
No.
That would never become her fate.
Even if she had to fight alone.
She would fight for her happiness with everything she had.