Runaways

AREUM

jared.

my boyfriend. well, a boyfriend that I was forced to be with. our parents set us up and we've been dating for a couple of months now.

I never had feelings for him. but as the daughter of the ceo and cfo, I had to oblige.

I never knew how he felt, all I knew is that he wanted to hurry on and marry me so he could get inside me and then leave.

but there was a weird part where I knew he had the slightest bit of feelings.

his parents were as rich as mine, all four of them wanted the same thing. our mothers wanted grandkids and more after that, our fathers wanted their legacy and bloodline to continue.

sickening.

but I wanted more than that.

I just turned nineteen, I had already wasted a couple years of my life with a good-for-nothing man.

I wanted to live my life freely, rebel against my parents and their beliefs.

I didn't even want to be a mother, at least not yet, I wasn't ready for kids.

jared would always speak of marriage, how our parents thought it was a "lovely idea".

but jared, I saw past your lies and manipulation. all of that bullshit for your parents and mine. I bet you thought no one would find out about the whore you've been seeing.

I was smarter than that jared, I know a cheater when I see one, I know a cheater's behavior and you displayed it perfectly for me.

and I'm telling the truth when I say, I didn't feel the slightest bit of pain.

honestly, one of us was bound to cheat, I just knew it'd be more on jared because I wasn't the type of person to do that, but if I wanted to commit a petty act towards jared, cheating would be my top choice.

I don't blame him though, we both weren't feeling the relationship, no matter how many fake faces we put on for our parents.

but it sure will be disappointing, won't it mom and dad?

too bad, so sad.

I knew his parents would be furious, and I would simply stand in the corner and admit that I didn't give a damn. not for one second.

I've waited months for the opportunity. to tell my parents I didn't want children and they wouldn't be getting any anytime soon. that my boyfriend was nothing but a cheater and a manwhore.

that I didn't want to take part in their lives and their shitty business they wanted me to run one day, and that I wanted my own life, without them in it.

I would pack my bags and tell all of them to kick rocks.

me and jared sat in a separate room from our parents, who were drinking expensive wine and smoking cigars. me and jared had been sitting silently.

yeah, I didn't like the man, but I hated awkward silence, I would ask how his day was and what he did as if I cared, but I still listened and vice versa.

he sighed as he flipped through channels on tv, "areum-ah, we need to talk about something."

"what?" I asked.

"marriage," he sighed. "I would like to get married to you."

I chuckled lowly, "aren't we too young to get married? is it getting married for our parents or for you? very proper proposal, jared."

he sighed, "for me. you don't want to get married to me?"

I pursed my lips, shrugging as I scrolled through my phone, he's making my stomach sick. I really didn't want to have this conversation.

"I know we really don't have the best relationship," he sighed. "but I really would like to marry you, we've been together for a couple months now, I really like you, don't you think it's time?"

I shrugged, "I suppose..."

"so is that a yes?" he asked. "I promise I'll do this right. I'll take you out for dinner or whatever you want and propose to you, properly."

I pursed my lips as I looked at him from across room. I almost believed him for a second.

I sighed, setting my phone down in my lap, "have you ever really, really, thought about what marriage is?"

"it's two people claiming their love for each other," he said. "they celebrate. it's a blessing."

love. the audacity to even bring up that word, to even think that word had any meaning in this relationship.

"for the man, perhaps," I shrugged. "but if it really is a blessing, a truly desirable state, would we need to dress up with lace, silk, and frill? letter the bride's path with rose petals? no, but we do,

"because marriage is a walk down the primrose path to a woman's destruction." he furrowed his eyes, clearly confused.

"it's nothing less than the complete obliteration of a woman's personhood," I continued. "it takes everything from her. her body, her independence, even her soul, and gives nothing in return."

his jaw clenched, his fist balling up on the table and clenching onto the remote.

"nothing she'd want at any rate," I sighed, my eyes averting to the silver screen.

"but that's my opinion on marriage. so you see, it's quite impossible for me to imagine a scenario in which we're ever married, jared."

he licked the inside of cheek, scoffing in disbelief, "and what makes you think I'd marry a cheater?"

he scoffed, "how dare you even think that I'd cheat-"

"no, how dare you even try to deny it?" I laughed. "do you think I'm stupid, jared? I know who's legs you've been in between because you aren't getting what you want from me."

his jaw clenched tighter this time, he was stunned because he was caught. he couldn't deny it any longer and he wouldn't be getting away with it.

"I'm going to save us both the trouble," I sighed. "I'm going to inform our parents what's been going on and how we are no where close to getting married and that I don't want to be with you anymore."

"I'm packing my bags and leaving this shit hole," I added. "free at last."

I grinned, raising my glass of whiskey I had slipped from my dad's cabinet.

he threw the remote on the couch, getting up and storming off like a child.

I exhaled lightly, sitting back in my chair and smiling to myself.