Since I was a young girl, I’ve always dreamed of meeting my prince charming. I read fairytales when I was young and wondered if there was someone—a prince who was waiting for me or when I will meet him. I got older and continued dreaming about the perfect guy, I fell in love with male leads in romance books, envied the book couples’ relationship.
My friends got into relationships and their significant other helped them get over their problems, healed their scars, comforted them, loved them like the world was ending. I was happy for all of my friends; they all found their true love in their teenage years and now were happily married.
As for me, all my hopes crushed when I got married, it wasn’t a love marriage, it was an arrange marriage and I had no choice but to say ‘yes’. People say arrange marriages work when the couple spend days together, they would eventually fall in love and in many cases, it has been proved right but not in my case.
It has been ten months since I’ve gotten married to one of the richest CEO of New York City and I haven’t even shared sweet talks with him—don’t get me started on kisses. Not. Even. A. Peck. On. The. Cheek. And Juliet had it worse than me, please. Ryan is one the coldest man I’ve met in my life. He doesn’t even smile. Yes, I, his wife, have never seen him smile. That guy doesn’t smile at all, he doesn’t even laugh at my jokes. I’m very offended.
I’m not going to lie. I don’t hate him, he’s darn good looking, every girl would drool over him—some even do. Green eyes, brown hair, sharp cheekbones, perfect jawline, tall, broad shoulders. He was everything a girl would want in a guy. Just, that, he doesn’t believe in love.
I remember once asking him, his reply was “love is just a word to tell the other person they’re special to you. People use ‘love’ for everything, everyone. It’s nothing special.”
His words left me speechless. I couldn’t sleep the whole night, I was even zoning out the next day, processing his words, how can someone be so.. dry? Oh, I know who. Ryan Hartford. Fucking handsome bastard. I still wonder if I could make him change his mind…
“So, what are you planning for your anniversary?” Bree—Ryan’s younger sister’s voice brought me back to my sad reality.
Anniversary.
The word echoes in my head. our one-year anniversary is coming up and I have no idea what to do. I’m for sure Ryan’s not planning anything romantic—who am I kidding, he’s not planning anything, he’s probably going to work late that night so he doesn’t have to come home.
“I’m not sure. We haven’t talked.” I answer to her question, tracing circles on the counter.
Bree lets out a hum before continuing “maybe I should throw some sense in him. Tell him how to treat his wife.” Her aggressive voice in the end made me chuckle.
I love Bree, I knew her way before I knew Ryan. We’re best friends since high school, I knew about Ryan but I never met him—well, I wouldn’t say ‘never’ I did meet him, on family gatherings when Bree would invite me. I never made any conversation with him, although I always tried to like ‘so how’s the business?’ ‘anything special happened?’ ‘oh you know I completed my assignment earlier this week. Shocker! It never happens, it’s a miracle’ his response would only be ‘fine’ ‘I don’t know’ and just few hums. Favorites.
I gave up after few more hard tries because I sounded desperate and I wasn’t. I just thought I might be that girl in books who breaks the guy’s ‘I don’t believe in love’ shell but here I am, married to him with no progress.
Bree always wanted us to be together, she even tried setting us up a few times but failed because Ryan would make up an excuse and shatter our hopes. She was excited when she found out I would be her sister-in-law. I always treated her like my real sister since I was an only child. Bree always got furious whenever I would update her with the same old news “no. no sweet talks from Ryan” she hates how Ryan acts around me. She even threw tantrums sometimes but it didn’t help. Ryan was Ryan.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m…” I trail off, trying to figure out how I should say I feel. Was I sad? Kind of yes. Upset? I didn’t know. Hopeless? I might be.
“Don’t give me ‘I’m fine’ shit. I know you’re not.” I sigh at Bree’s confession. I wasn’t fine. “You deserve all the things you read about in books, even better than that.”
“Why thank you Bree but I don’t think it will come true.”
“It could.” Her little hope made me smile. She knows how much of a romantic I was.
“Oh well” I glanced at the clock hanging at wall. Ah shit. Ryan is about to come home in an hour and I still haven’t made dinner. Stupid. “Hey Bree, I have to go. I need to prepare dinner.”
“Oh okay. I should go check up on Sarah.” Sarah, Bree’s daughter, my niece is the sweetest person on this planet. 1. Because she is an adorable toddler. 2. She always made the people around her smile—except Ryan. But if the little curl on the side of his lips counts as a smile then Sarah is the only one who could make that cold creature smile.
“Give her a kiss from me.”
“I will” Bree says, “talk to you later, bye”
“bye” we hung up and I placed my phone down on the counter with a sigh.
I place my hands on my hips and turned towards the stove. Pulling my sleeves up, I put my hair into a messy bun before starting to cook.
Ryan might be the coldest person on earth but that didn’t stop me from hoping there was a soft side of him. And I would find it. I will. Hopefully.
YOU ARE READING
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐟 𝐖𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞
Romance*editing* 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦 is an ordinary reader who dreamed of finding true love and spending the rest of her life with him. But unfortunately, her dreams are shattered after her father's death and is now married to one of the coldest man in N...
