I had foresight on this engagement, i am feeling something bad was going to happen but i ignored that feeling. I have cooked up so many scenarios on how badly my engagement party could go but i didn't think it could be this bad. I have been crying non-stop as i made my way to my room. I just kept crying and crying because i was really heartbroken.Today was supposed to be a day of joy,a day of peace, happiness,and celebration. But it turned out to be the direct opportunity,I have never really heard about any bride to be crying or feeling sad on her engagement day,well i guess this is the first time of everything.i got to my room and kept on crying not wanting to be disturbed as my engagement was already ruined.

My friend Essabella followed me to my room, she was with me throughout, even though i asked her to go home. She refuses and decides to stay with me instead. "What kind of a friend will i be?if i let you cry here all by yourself. I'll stay until you stop crying ."Essabella responded when I told her to go home, she can be quite stubborn and Persistent when you least expected. She followed me to my room and keep convincing me to stop crying.

"Zahra i know this is hard, but you have to stop crying,You are only going to hurt yourself if you keep crying. Don't worry i promise everything will move slowly." She assures me when i won't stop crying. Instead of the tears to stop it only flowed out more ruining what was left off my make up. She pulled me to her self and hugged me trying to make me stop crying but it was like my tears had a mind of it own, it just kept coming out more.

Miss smith walked into my room shortly after. She also had a sad face on her as she pitted me, it was really a sad thing to get your engagement party ruined and it was hard  to just forget about it in an instant. "dry your tears Zahra, I pity you, really i do but you have to stop crying now dear." Miss smith said, she was trying to pacify me to stop crying. I could see the pity in her eyes and i didn't like it,i just wished i had power to change my situation. She keep telling me to stop crying and i did my best to stop.

After a while when miss smith noticed my tear was slowly reducing, she went to receive a call. i over heard some argument on the telephone, it must be miss Smith and the person she was talking to. My tears had full dryed up now as i was curious to who she was talking to. Miss smith was talking in hush whispers that it will be impossible to listen to there conversation. Once the conversation was over she came to meet me with a smile on her face to cheers me up. " Don't worry dear everything will be alright. i was on the phone with Mr kamal, he would like to meet you in the main palour."

I sniffed and finally left my bed  and the comfort of essbella arms. i went to wash my face so that i could follow miss smith and essbella to the palour. Once we get there i met Mr kamal, Salman,Aliya,My Mom and Dad they were all there waiting for me.i announced my presence by saying "Assalamu Alaikum"my eyes are still red from too much crying but that didn't bother them.And they all answered me with "Waalaikumusalam"They were all  standing  there with their faces very red with anger. My parents were the one that were angry the most.

"I am sorry for my behavior. I didn't meant for it to happen." I said trying my best to apologize. My eyes was already getting blurry again I can't believe i was about to cry again. I thought the tears had stopped i thought  they we're not going to fall again that i had no tears left to cry. But  I was wrong so wrong about it so wrong about it as my tear flowed freely again. I guess the sight of my parents being very red and angry with me made the tears come out freely .

"I am so sorry i let you down. I am so sorry." Mr kamal  held me close, he was close to me holding onto my hand. I never thought Mr Kamal was kind enough to do this but he did, he was holding my hand and wiping my tears, a man old enough to me by father,even older than my father, but he was wiping my tears. "i know, i know, Aliya and i also apologize that your special day was ruined." He said wiping my tears some more. Once I had calmed done a little bit he gave me a side hug be letting me go.

He was indeed a kind hearted  man as he held onto me.  He turned and faced Aliya his daughter and without a second thought he told her to apologize . Indeed Aliya did owe me an apology, after all she was the one who slapped me, twice for that matter all because i spilled my drink on my husband to be . Aliya was supposed to apologize to me but she refused to do so. Was she really going to disobey her own father in front of every one, in front of me too.

"No dad,i will not." She said and i was surprised, did she really say no to her father in front of everyone?I was shocked, did she really say no?she wasn't going to apologize to me? What did she really have against me,why did she hate me so much,why do i always have to be at the receiving end of all her hate, why why why, before i could voice out my thoughts Mr Kamal was quick to respond saying.  "and why is that hmm? Why have you chosen to disobey me and not apologize to her?"

She rolled her hair and flipped her hair to the side before responding to her father. " Dad i can not apologize to her. No i will not. How can you tell me apologize to that thing,Zahra is just so useless." She said complaining.Was i really that useless or was she saying it to make me look bad?Goodness i am begging to dislike Aliya,she supposed to be my sister in- law but what kind of sister in-law was she if she keeps bad mouthing me and talking to me in a negative tone. Before got the change to continue my line of thought, she spoken again saying.

"No dad i will not apologize to zahra, no i will not. How can i apologize to Zahra...She is a mood spoiler,she disgraced us  in front of so many billionaires, she ruined my brother happiness, how dare she to keep disgracing us anytime and in everywhere." She spoke in livid anger as well and i couldn't help the tears that keep flowing from my eyes, so this was how she saw me.This was why she was always picking on me.

My heart broken further when i hear this i almost couldn't believe my ears, couldn't believe that this was the way she saw me, the way she thought about me. i sniffed, and to almost thinking she was going to become my sister in-law. If this was how she would continue to treat me then i don't think i want to settle with this family.

I don't want to settle for a sister-in-law that will rubbish all my effort, I don't want to settle for a sister-in-law that will completely ignore my existence, I don't want to settle for a sister-in-law that will continue to constantly pick on me. No absolutely not, if she she's not going to apologize then there is no way i was going to settle for her, for her family. As if what she said wasn't enough she opened her mouth and spoke again, insulting me further saying "she's so stupid, she's a local wife, she doesn't know anything about fashion, marrying Zahra and making her a member of our family, a member of kamal's family is a total big disgrace to us!"

She said voicing out her anger and passion and that only broke me further. My mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water, i couldn't believe she said all that about me, i was really surprised. It was obvious now that she wasn't just being difficult because she hated me, she was being difficult because she never wanted me to be a part of me the family for the firstplace.Before She could close her mouth or open it to say more heart breaking things about me,essbella gave her a resounding dirty slap huh

I was shocked and everyone too.We all looked at Aliya with a surprised face wondering what she would do,wondering how she was going to react. Will she slap her back since she was always so eager to slap people.We were all still processing the whole scram when Salman out of rage raised his hand so eager to slap essabella. That was when i step in, i held his hands as hit hung in the air preventing it for going any further to hit my friends. essabella was surprised as well, she  didn't expect me to stand up for her, the same way i didn't expect her to stand up for me like that.

The important thing was that we both stood up for each other no matter where no matter when, that is what matters the most. Everyone was so shocked that i could  hold Salman's  hand without any fear. More importantly the look in my eye shows that i was strong minded  and indeed i was.I have received so many insult from this family along i wasn't going to let them try that shit on my friend or insult her any how. With that in my mind i looked Salman square in the eyes and said "Don't you ever try that madness,i swear to God if you do take  your hand and slap essabella, then i will have no other option than to slap you too."

I was only being the good daughter my parents raised me to. And as a result i followed their wishes and listen to my parents as they convinced me into marriage, they convinced me to marry the only son of Mr Kamal and that is you Salman. Against my wishes, against my better judgment i went,i head with it, i accepted the idea and agreed to marry you,now if you are going to treat me or my friend like crap because of that then i am going to settle for it. After a moment of silence and i had let go of his hands i spoke again.

"Is it because i agreed to marry you that's why you are doing this to me?to my family?in that case then i am not marrying you again.let's cancel the engagement."

Everyone looked at me surprise all over there  faces even Salaman too was surprised. I  looked to my  mom and held  her hands, i pulled her along telling  her we were leaving and heading back to Nigeria.Everyone was to shocked to say anything,all what Mr and Mrs Kamal could do was to hold my  hand and apologize to me.  Essabella my one and only friend  was also holding my hand trying to  inform me and change my mind reminding me about my dream of being a model. Indeed i didn't want to let my dreams fail but i didn't a want to stay there any second longer.

Thank you for reading my story!!!
See ya
Heroine✨