Chapter 20: Let’s break up.
As Arwen waited, the anxiety that had gripped her heart was long gone. Her expressions remained firm as she looked ahead at the couples entering the magistrate’s office and coming out with happy, smiling faces –celebrating their union of love.
“Ms. Quinn, there’s only a few couples left before you. Has your fiancé arrived yet?” The man from earlier returned to ask.
Arwen looked at him and smiled. “Please put us as the last couple, sir. If he doesn’t arrive by then, just cancel our appointment,” she said, her words making the man frown slightly.
He didn’t know what was wrong, but he really loathed such an attitude in men. How could they make a woman wait for them at the marriage registrar’s office? Shouldn’t they be here promptly, taking care of everything?
He felt bad for Arwen at that moment. She was so pretty and beautiful, yet her fiancé was inconsiderate to leave her waiting like this. Nodding at her request again, he said, “Okay, I will wait until the last couple has completed their procedure. If your fiancé doesn’t arrive by then, I will cancel your appointment.”
Arwen nodded. “Thank you.”
As the man turned and left. Arwen looked down at her phone. Daniel still hadn’t called her back, and Ryan hadn’t cared to send any messages either. Pressing the call button again, she dialed Ryan’s number.
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This time, the phone wasn’t switched off. The call went through but was rejected without any care. Gritting her teeth, Arwen redialed, but again, her call was rejected. This time, however a notification pinged.
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Arwen opened her phone and saw it wasn’t some text from Ryan which she had expected, but an image from Delyth. Tapping on it, she waited for the picture to load, only to see Delyth lying in bed next to Ryan. Both were asleep. And neither was clothed. Their body were wrapped in a duvet, but it was easy to tell the tale of intimacy they have shared.
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Arwen couldn’t hold back a scoff of mockery. Only now, looking at the picture, did she realize she wasn’t even surprised. It was as if she had expected it to turn out like this sooner or later.
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This only meant that her hope and belief had long died, and she was merely carrying its ashes with her.
A text from Delyth came next which read –
[Delyth: Arwen, just give up now. You can’t compare me in his heart.]
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Truly, Arwen couldn’t. And she had known this better than anyone else, but pretended to be blind.
But not anymore. That was it and now she would no longer pretend to not see the truth. Since Ryan didn’t appreciate her efforts, she wouldn’t waste them on him any longer.
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He always reminded her that she was the reason he could never be with Delyth. From today on, she wouldn’t stand in their way. With the determination in her eyes, she was ready to get up and leave when a text from Ryan pinged on her notification.
[Ryan: Arwen, let’s do it some other day. I got caught up with something important today and am already tired.]
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Reading it, Arwen tapped to reply. She had so many things to say, but she no longer felt it was worth saying to him. So, she kept it simple:
[Arwen: Let’s not drag this out anymore, Ryan. Let’s break up]
She sent the message and waited for his reply. The message was seen immediately, but even after a minute. Arwen understood that no reply would come, so she calmly went through the settings and blocked his contact.
Done with that, she felt a sense of relief. She was ready to leave when suddenly her phone rang. For a moment, she thought it was Ryan calling, but soon realized it wasn’t him –it was her mother.
Knowing what her mother was calling about, she wanted to reject the call but then she accepted it. “Mama,” she answered.
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“Arwen, how is it going? Did you get your marriage certificate? I have been waiting for your call, but you never did, so I ended up calling to ask. Come on, tell me, did you get it done?” Catrin asked, clearly sounding both excited and impatient.
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When Arwen heard her mother’s tone, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed inside. “We didn’t get it, Mama. Ryan didn’t come,” Arwen said.
“What do you mean he didn’t come? Did you upset him?” her mother asked, and Arwen couldn’t help but open her mouth to retaliate.
“Mama, I –”
But before she could say anything, Catrin interrupted her, not giving her the chance. “I don’t want your reasons or explanations, Arwen. Ryan is your fiancé. If he is upset with you, you should appease him. After all, that’s how you both will live happily together. You can’t argue with him and let him stay upset,” she spoke as if this was truly the key to Arwen’s happiness.
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Arwen frowned. “But Mama, what if I don’t want to live happily with him? What if I don’t even want to live with him? Will you still suggest the same?”
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“Arwen, what are you saying? Don’t start this again.”
As expected, her mother was beginning to lose patience, just like the last time. Arwen had faltered before, but this time, she was determined. There was no way she would let anything or anyone change her decision.
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“No, Mama. You got it wrong. Last time I might not be serious, but this time, I am. Ryan and I are over. I already told Ryan, and now I am informing you. With this, my arrangement and engagement with him are over.”
“Arwen, you can’t –”
“Mama, I think you have missed something in my previous statement. I said I am informing you of what I have decided, I never said I am asking you.” This must be the first time Arwen had spoken like that because Catrin was silent for a while. It was as if Arwen’s determination had taken her by surprise.
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But after a moment, she recovered and said, “A–Arwen, I don’t know what you are thinking, but let me make it clear what I have decided for you. You and Ryan will get married. If you haven’t gotten the certificate today, then I am sure you will get it tomorrow or someday in the future because I am not letting you ruin the friendship between Beca and me.”
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