Unexpectedly Married To You

eighteen

Edlyn struggled to carry her bags while Jake walked ahead of her, searching for the gate to their flight. He had coffee in his hand as he looked around, examining the stores.

"Jake, can we walk slower? The bags are too heavy," she begged tiredly. He sighed out of annoyance, "Who told you to bring too many bags?"

"We're going to Australia. Not Jeju," she argued again and tried to keep up with his pace. He turned around and silently took the lightest bag from her. She scoffed since she thought he was going to take the heaviest one.

This jerk, she cursed internally.

Edlyn watched as he put the baggage in the overhead bin. She went to her seat and looked at the view outside the window. She missed the feeling of waiting for the plane to take off. He took a seat next to her and leaned back against his chair, closing his eyes.

"You're not going to wait until the plane takes off?" She asked. He sighed, "I've spent hours giving the students marks for the surgery test yesterday."

She thought for a while, "Since I ran away from class, I failed, didn't I?"

"You failed. You can try again next time," he said blankly. She nodded slowly and looked away. The plane took off and she fell into a deep slumber.

•

The first thing that greeted her was a large cow farm with green plants. It looked like she was watching a milk advertisement live. The car drove safely to Jake's grandparents' house. She got out and inhaled the fresh air, feeling energised as she looked at the blue sky.

She looked at the big house in front of her. The entrance door opened and an old lady greeted them, "Jake!"

He hugged the lady, "Grandma!"

She gulped nervously and bowed at her as a sign of respect. The old lady smiled softly, "Do come in! The weather is hot today."

Edlyn went in and widened her eyes in awe. The house looked cosy and calm. She looked around, from the living room to the kitchen, then the guest bedrooms and then the garden outside.

"You have a nice house, Mrs Sim," she complimented. The lady chuckled, "You can call me grandma too. You're my granddaughter-in-law anyway."

Mrs Sim led them to a bedroom, "Jake always sleeps here whenever he comes here. You both can take a rest before dinner."

With that, she closed the door, leaving Edlyn alone with Jake. She looked around awkwardly and walked slowly to the bed, about to lie down but Jake pushed her, "You're sleeping on the couch."

"But-"

"It's my room!" He argued back. She scoffed and threw a pillow at him, "Yah! Be a gentleman for once! I just want to sleep comfortably after a long flight!"

"No!" He argued back and tucked himself under the blanket. She scoffed and was about to punch him but stopped herself. I will kill you in your sleep, she thought before lying down on the couch across the room.

•

"You didn't save me. You left me all alone in the car," a female voice said. Her voice was eerie, giving me chills. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. It's like she doesn't let me wake up. It's like she's telling me to die.

"You dared to leave me alone in the car! What kind of a daughter are you?!" She started choking me. I opened my eyes and saw my mother's figure near the corner of the room. I gasped and tried to run, tried to breathe. My throat felt like it was closing up. I couldn't breathe.

Blood was trickling down from her head, she looked scary. I shouldn't be scared of her, but I am. I looked at my hands and saw blood. My mother's eyes were filled with anger. She walked towards me slowly. Her hands were trying to reach my neck. Was she trying to choke me? Was she trying to kill me?

Edlyn gasped and woke up, trying to catch her breath. She got up from the couch and looked at Jake who was sleeping soundly. Her hands trembled in fear as she checked to make sure there was no blood. She looked at the corner of the room and sighed in relief when her mother's figure wasn't there.

She hugged herself and buried her face into her knees, sitting on the cold floor. Her mind was filled with thoughts and frustration. She was hoping for the nightmares to end but couldn't. She pulled herself together and opened the door before walking out.

She went to the kitchen to drink some water and saw Mrs Sim cutting onions, probably cooking dinner. The old lady turned around and greeted her happily, "Edlyn! Are you looking for something?"

"I need some water," she answered softly, still shocked from the nightmare. Mrs Sim sensed something was wrong so she washed her hand. She watched her granddaughter-in-law gulp down the water.

"Did you have a nightmare, sweetie?"

Edlyn smiled, "It was nothing. I was just thirsty."

"When Jake used to have nightmares, his grandfather would always tell him stories until he fell asleep. It was such a sweet sight. Sometimes they both would stay up until sunrise, telling stories."

"I just remembered about my late mother. That's all. It's nothing. Thank you for your concern," Edlyn thanked her before walking back to the bedroom.