PROVE YOU WRONG | Reiner Braun

Chapter one | where it all began

We were only seventeen. I was naive and blinded by my feelings.

We met at my families work party. His mother's company and my father's were working together at the time so naturally we ended up meeting each other regularly.

"You look like you're having so much fun" I had said to him.

He was alone when I approached him. He was the only one in the room who was the same age as me.

His jaw was clean back then. No stubble. His eyes were brighter too. It was that day that he captivated me. His mysterious personality making me excited.

"Well all the adults are talking and I'm apparently not supposed to be bothering with them" he had an empty wine glass with him.

"Aren't you the heir to your mother's company?"

"Aren't you the heir to your father's?" He had thrown the question back at me.

"Touché. Do you wanna dance?" I would of never asked such a thing to just anyone.

I remember the look he gave me. He was embarrassed.

"No I think I'll actually head out now. Thanks for offering though" he shot me down.

I couldn't hide the disappointment on my face when I looked over to my father. A sympathetic look plastered on his face.

The parties after that, he never showed. I'd always look for him whenever I was people watching.

My father asked me about him once too. I brushed him off though, claiming I had no idea who he was.

Then the summer after that I saw him again, I had just turned 18, so had he, he was at my favourite coffee shop. It's like he was waiting for me.

And then suddenly he became a part of my life.

We would regularly meet up to talk or to just hang out when we were feeling lonely. He looked uncomfortable at first like he was holding himself back.

But as time went on our relationship developed. He wanted to start taking me on dates, wanted to buy me nice things and show me off to his friends.

I didn't want to admit it at the time but I was falling in love with him. He was the first man I had ever been with intimately. He treated me like a queen.

A year had passed already and he had just turned nineteen. He had a party of course, his mother going all out to spoil him for his birthday. He had actually told me that night that he wanted to spend it with me alone, he didn't like being around other people that much.

When the night came to an end he took me to the balcony of his house and we looked at the stars together.

He told me he loved me.

I was shocked when he said it. I never expected him to be the first to admit it. I of course said it back because, by then I was sure of my feelings for him.

Then when I turned nineteen a few months later, everything changed.

The morning after my birthday I was called into my father's office early in the morning.

I was confused, Reiner and his mother were also there too. A guilty expression on Reiner's face, his eyes looked sad.

Nothing could of prepared me for that moment. It felt like my heart had been ripped out.

I felt betrayed.

"Our companies are going to be merging and in order to keep this a family business you two will be in an arranged marriage. Not that you both would protest to it anyway given that I've been paying Reiner to become close friends. We don't even have to force you two to be together, the boy has done a brilliant job"

It was all a lie. My whole relationship was fake. He was being payed to date me.

I remember the way it pained me. My hand clutched to my chest.

I couldn't even process the arranged marriage part. I had fallen in love with a lie.

When I tried to leave the room he grabbed my arm, his touch revolted me in that very moment. I had let a liar into my heart.

"Don't even think about touching me. I'm not doing this. None of it. Dad how could you? You played with my emotions. You forced someone to pretend to fall in love with me just so you could merge the company? And you Reiner. You make me sick. How could you take the money knowing that you'd be toying with someone's emotions? How could any of you do this to someone? It doesn't make any sense. I'm sorry but I'm not doing this"

That day my eyes had been opened. I could see through all of the lies. But my heart was left wide open. The year I had spent with him had been a lie.

In the end I had no other choice but to accept the arranged marriage, father had told me it would benefit me as the new boss of the company.

Reiner had tried to explain himself, he tried to tell me he genuinely loved me but I couldn't believe him. Our relationship was built on lies and it was now up to me to keep this marriage a business arrangement only.

I couldn't let him play with my feelings anymore. I had to toughen up.

My friends told me I was stupid. That I shouldn't marry him. But it wasn't him I was marrying. It was securing my future. 

Even now another year later, I've kept him at arms length. I only ever speak to him at wedding rehearsals or if he needs to talk business.

We're due to be married soon. Then we have our honeymoon. I'm dreading it the most. To everyone else we'll look like a married couple but behind closed doors we barely talk.

He hasn't given up trying to apologise though. But every apology leads to an argument.

I'm in my office about to head off for the day when he enters. Papers in his hand.

He looks older now, his face full of stubble, his brow wrinkled.

"What do you need?" I stand in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Just bringing these papers in for tomorrow morning. There's a meeting which requires us both and then we have another engagement party" he hands them to me and I place them on my desk.

"Thanks. I'm off now" I grab my car keys from the desk.

"Hey wait" he rushes

"What?"

"Just wanted to know if you wanted to grab a coffee?, maybe talk for a bit?" He suggests.

"No. I'll be going now" I say walking away.

Even being in the same room as him hurts. I can't even look him in the eye when I refuse him.

The guilt in his eyes and his presence makes me want to forgive him.

But I can't.

I have to show him I'm not the naive little girl he thought he could lie to anymore.