Ayesha
Lying on the picnic blanket, I gaze around at my favorite spot in Hacienda Santilian, a serene and beautiful place where birdsong and the soft sway of flowers in the gentle breeze are the only sounds.
Though I'm a city girl at heart, I can see myself living in this beautiful paradise because I dream of marrying the Santilians' son, my longtime crush or, should I say, the man of my life. From a very young age, I knew he was the one. But after the tragic loss of my parents in a car accident, the Santilian family, who were my parents' closest friends, took me in. I had little choice but to accept my new reality.
What options did I have? I was still just a teenager. Though my parents owned a small business, I wasn't prepared to manage it alone. Before the accident, Auntie Esmeralda and Uncle Santi had promised my parents they would look after me.
What was supposed to be a joyful vacation at the hacienda with the Santilians turned into a heartbreaking tragedy. My mother, Sabel, my father, Enrique, and Megan Santilian, my bestie and the only daughter of the Santilians, all died shortly after arriving at the hospital that day. Though Megan survived initially, she died after three days in a coma. Only Auntie Esmeralda, Uncle Santi, Kraken, and I survived. I was hospitalized for a month, and now I'm more than okay; even my heartbeat, which was never good since I was a kid, now feels revitalized. For some reason, after the accident, I feel reborn, healthier than ever.
The Santilian family and mine had been close friends since before their marriage. Megan and I had been best friends as well. But Kraken always remained distant, as far back as I could remember. I never understood why; perhaps he simply didn't like me, or maybe because he knows my feelings for him, he didn't want to give me false hope that one day he would like me back. And since his sister's passing, he has grown even colder. Sometimes I think I did terrible things to him, which is why he hates me so much.
Perhaps it was because, after that accident, his parents always looked after me and cherished me as if I were their own daughter, Megan. They carried a guilt that weighed heavily upon them, especially knowing that it was Uncle Santi who was driving at the time. I often heard him blame himself for what happened. But honestly, I could never blame them; I believe that when God decides to take someone, it doesn't matter where they are or what they are doing—they will be taken. It's simply that I am so lonely and perpetually mourning their loss. I try hard to hide my emotions, but maybe, being adults, they could see through me and sensed what I was feeling. Still, God knows I truly do not blame them for what happened.
Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. I stood as he appeared.
"The princess is here," he remarked with a sharp edge of sarcasm. "While everyone in the mansion has been desperately searching for you, here you are, sitting calmly, completely unbothered. Can you stop pretending to be vulnerable? You're not the only one who lost parents. Since the accident, I've been losing mine too. And let me remind you, I lost my beloved sister as well."
I swallowed hard, locking eyes with the most strikingly handsome man I had ever seen—his vivid brown eyes shining, every feature perfectly sculpted. Yet beneath his alluring exterior, I sensed the anger he bore toward me, mixed with subtle mockery in his words.
I admit, I have liked him for as long as I can remember. Our parents would often tease us whenever our families gathered. Perhaps that's one of the reasons he hates me: because he didn't like me at all, and then all of them teased us because of it.
I often told them that I wanted to be his wife someday. That's one of the reasons I couldn't blame Uncle Santi for the accident; I didn't want to hurt Kraken more.
"Your parents are still alive, Kraken. Don't curse them. I promise, losing your parents is unbearable. And remember, your sister was my best friend—someone I cherished and truly considered my own sister."
I saw Kraken's jaw tighten, his anger mounting with every second. He struggled to hold himself back, likely trying to avoid raising his parents' ire for bullying me again. But deep down, I understood that his pain stemmed from feeling overlooked when his parents chose me over him. Though it wasn't my fault, I still empathized with his feelings.
"I'm not cursing them," he said, his voice trembling with anguish. "It's just that ever since that day, it feels like you took my parents away from me. I hate you for that. And I hate you even more because I heard they plan to adopt you legally. If that happens, I swear, I will hate you forever."
His words hit me like a blow, and my eyes widened in disbelief. I could see that he wanted to say more, but if I stayed, I knew all he would say would be sharper than a knife. Without another word, I shook my head and ran toward the mansion, leaving Kraken standing behind me.
As I arrived at the Santilian mansion, I went straight to Auntie Esmeralda and Uncle Santi, who were seated in the living room engaged in conversation.
I cleared my throat, and both of them turned to look in my direction.
"Please don't adopt me," I said. "I know you want what's best for me, but I want to remain a Sinclair, at least until I get married."
Auntie Esmeralda stood up and hugged me tightly.
"Oh, darling, we just want you to be our daughter and to show our sincere love to your late parents—that we will truly take care of you until our very last breath."
I lowered my head, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"I'm sorry, Auntie. I really appreciate both of you, but… I think it's too much. Please, don't do this," I pleaded, while Kraken's angry face lingered in the back of my mind. If I couldn't stop his parents from adopting me, he would hate me even more. I couldn't let that happen. His constant anger toward me was already more than I could bear, and I didn't think I could handle any more.
"But, sweetie, this is the only way I know to make amends to your parents for what happened. Please, let me do this," Uncle Santi pleaded, his voice trembling as if on the verge of tears, ready to beg.
I shook my head, wanting to explain, but no words came out. How could I tell them they couldn't adopt me because Kraken would surely explode with anger? I didn't want Kraken to hate me even more if his parents blamed him for my decision. Truly, I just didn't want to change my surname.
Auntie Esmeralda smiled slightly, but I almost fainted when she said, "Oh, I remember! Maybe you don't want to be our daughter legally because you have a crush on Kraken! Oh God, how could I forget? Okay, instead of adopting you, we'll announce your engagement to our son! Oh my, I'm so brilliant."
My eyes widened in shock, but before I could react, Kraken shouted, "What the hell! This is my life! How can you decide who I'm going to marry in the future?"
I stared at Kraken's furious face; the hatred toward me intensified.
Was he really that angry with me because he didn't want to marry me in the future, even though our families were close enough to arrange such an engagement? Was I not good enough to be his future wife? Or maybe he simply didn't like me at all and was sure he would never love me.