Olivia's POV
Embarrassed could barely describe how I felt. I ran up the stairs and to my room as fast as my legs could take me. This was by far the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me. Have I ever cried in front of a guy? Yes, when my dad had shouted at me when I was a little girl, and a few times in front of Ryan just so he would pamper me. Both men that had seen me cry had not tried to make fun of me. But the record breaker, Alexander, had to be the first to taunt my feelings till I cried.
I was embarrassed because usually I had tough skin. But in my defense, this was not my fault because if my parents had not forced me into this cage, I would not be with a man that found it difficult to compliment me, and demanded reasons why he should. I hope they could see from the cameras they had set up all around the house, how stupid it was of them to marry off their daughter to a douchebag.
As I wiped the tears away from my red eyes in my room, I relived the moment I cried, and the expression on Alexander's face. He looked like he wanted to hug me, slap himself or join me to cry. I did not know if I should cry again or laugh. I had to admit his face was funny.
But the douchebag had seen me cry! The embarrassment I felt was more than my anger and sadness. I needed to hide away in shame for days.
I tried calling one of my friends, Vivian, who I had told about my forced marriage.
Vivian was in my school, studying business. She came from an average family, neither rich nor poor. She studied hard and didn't have a boyfriend during her school years. In fact, she claimed it was impossible for her to fall in love with anyone, whether a man or a woman. That was a weird thing to say, but since I did not pry much into her personal life, I hadn't figured out what she meant by that. She was a beautiful woman, so it was not because of her looks that she did not have a man. I was pretty sure it had something to do with her claim of not being interested in romance or relationships.
We became friends at school. She was my closest girlfriend at school, and I loved her. We complimented each other a lot, and we were able to face difficulties together and not break apart. The friendship that I had with her was one that I would wish for anyone that I loved. Vivian was a great person. Well, except for her claim of non-sexuality, and literally disliking most men and women who tried to hit on her.
Vivian did not like Ryan; she had tried convincing me on several occasions that did not seem like a genuine man, and was just good at pretending. I had not taken her seriously, though, because she disliked most men, and she had no evidence against Ryan.
When I told her about Alexander, she said she did not like him either, although she preferred him over Ryan. Ryan was a sweet soul, and I wondered why people like my parents and Vivian did not appreciate him. I loved Ryan, and nothing could change my mind. Or so I thought.
"You won't believe what happened to me", I said once Vivian picked up the call.
"Oh tell me girl, which of the men have done something now", she said laughing.
"Oh silly me. I didn't even ask how you were. How are you?", I asked, ignoring her sarcastic remarks.
Vivian had travelled back to Nigeria. She was half Nigerian, because her dad was from Nigeria. Immediately after our graduation, she travelled to Nigeria to visit her grandparents, and some of her family there.
When we texted each other, she usually complained of the heat, and how she felt like she could not survive with such a weather condition. This was the second time that she had ever been to Nigeria, it was not difficult to understand why she talked about the harsh temperature of the country.
"I'm okay. It's so hot! Don't get me started before I bore you with all the happenings over here like the mosquitos. Generally, I am having fun, they're some lovely people around. But, I can't cope with the heat, so I may not stay here for a very long time. Maybe I'll just stay for about eight months trying to see what business I can set up here before I leave", she said.
"That's great", I said.
Vivian was a hardworking girl. She studied way more than I did. She was determined to be a wealthy woman, and I admired her for that.
"Thank you. Now back to you. What happened to you?", she said.
I described everything that had happened between Alexander and I. There was a few seconds of silence before she burst into laughter, while I rolled my eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But your love stories become funnier each time you tell me about them. Your life sounds like a movie. First, you told me that your parents arranged a marriage for you; it sounded like something out of a movie where rich folks just marry off their daughters. Then, you talked about Ryan, and he's planning something you have no idea about, yet he refuses to leave you even though he knows how powerful your family is and how they could easily end his life if he tries to meddle with your marriage plans. Then, there's Alexander, who actively tries to make you feel less of yourself like it's his hobby, but somehow wants to go through with the marriage and doesn't want it to end, even though he knows you're in a relationship with someone else", Vivian said.
She was trying to stifle her laughter, but was failing woefully at her attempt.
"Vivian, stop mocking me. He made me cry and I'm embarrassed", I said jokingly.
"Right right, sorry", she said, though I could see her still holding in her laughter from a thousand miles away.
"I feel like I want to run away. This was all my parents' fault. I need to leave. I can't let this marriage happen. Not many men can make me cry. It's very dangerous that Alexander can make me cry. Heck! He even saw me cry", I said.
"You know what? Fuck it. If you feel like running away would give you a fresh life and start, then do that. Do you know how many times I've had to run away from home? I trained my parents to respect me. You should too. You're not an eight year old, they can just command to do whatever they please", she said.
"But I can't run away and leave Ryan. I love him so much", I said.
"Here we go again", Vivian said.
I knew that she rolled her eyes at that very moment.
"Come on Vivian, Ryan has worked so hard for his license in this country, he has a lot of money. I can't just run away and leave him here", I complained.
"Olivia, you're the smartest and most independent woman I know. Don't allow men to deeply affect whatever you choose to do with your life. If Ryan is as rich as you say, then he can always meet you at wherever you decide to run to. He could even work his way into living at your new location. You also have me that will be willing to fly to any country for you. Girl, make decisions without the influence of a man", she said.
I loved Vivian because she was straightforward, and did not sugarcoat whatever she said to me just because we were friends.
She was right. I could move anywhere, and the relationship that I have with Ryan will stand firm because Ryan loves me. It was also possible for Ryan to work anywhere because I had connections from all over the world, and Ryan was smart and rich as well.
The truth was that I lacked courage. I was the only child of my parents, and I knew their threat of disowning me might not have been as serious as they had made it sound. They had treated me like a princess; I never lacked anything, and although they dictated a lot in my life, I always found it was for my good in the end. Even the things I didn't like, I later realized were beneficial for me, which made me wonder if what I would have chosen on a normal day would have benefited me as much.
Was it the same with picking my life partner? Was Ryan truly bad for me? Was Alexander the one for me? My Parents were convinced he was, not me.
In life, one had to make tough decisions, and running away from home was going to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest decision that I had to make.
"Thanks Viv, I love you, and I miss you", I said.
"I love you too Olivia. You're always welcome. If there's any problem, you know you can always call me, and even if it means that I would have to travel to come to see you. I will come to see you. And If you don't know where to escape from your parents, you can always come to Nigeria, I'll accommodate you", she said, laughing at her last sentence.
"No, I'll pass. I'll get burned down to the ground before the third day", I joked, laughing as well.
"Okay Olivia. I will text you soon, there's something that I have to do now, talk to you later", Vivian said.
"Okay bye, Viv."
Her words echoed in my mind.
"Olivia, you're the smartest and most independent woman I know. Don't allow men to deeply affect whatever you choose to do with your life."
She was right. Most of my life, I tried to please my Parents, most especially my father. I was not really a people pleaser to anyone else, but I loved Ryan a lot, and thought highly of him when making decisions. One selfish decision wouldn't hurt, would it?
Before I could finally decide if I was going to run away or not, my phone beeped, and I picked it up thinking Vivian dropped a message for me. But the location was from Alexander.
"Make sure you're dressed by 5pm for the masquerade ball. Your clothes and everything you need will be sent to you in the morning. Goodnight *thumbs up emoji*"
I could feel my face go red. It was settled. I was going to leave this house, and I was going to leave now. I was never going to take this level of disrespect because of my parents or a complete idiot.