ᴀʟɪᴄᴇ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴡᴇᴅɴᴇꜱᴅᴀʏ!

𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝟭: 𝗱𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝘆

          What is grief if not the heart-- preserving love? To mourn the absence of joy is to admit it was once there, which to Y/n, was enough to continue her arduous life with her widowed mother. The day Y/n's father passed, she and her mother became targets of her father's work associates. Any respect that was once held to the L/n name died with her father. 

         "Y/n, dear, are you ready? The carriage is here." Calling back to her mother, Y/n took a once over her decorated form. She wore a dark periwinkle mesh dress, which was lined with black lace and sinch at the waist, with a black corset. A pair of lapis lazuli earrings, a black headband, and a black bow tied to the back of her neck. 

         "Mama, have you seen my flats?" The girl spoke from the mud room, searching for her comfortable black slip-ons. However, her mother had other plans, silently handing the girl a pair of black heels with an all-knowing look.

          "It's disrespectful to dress out of code to the party; after all, the Cavallos are hosting it in your honor!" 

           Y/n had no energy to spare her mother at the moment, trying to calm her emotions. She had no intentions of marrying the son of the Cavallos, not when she was in her right mind. She put on the achingly painful heels, hissing behind her lips to prevent a lecture from her mother. 

           She and Y/n's mother entered the carriage in time, set to leave for her "secret" engagement party. It was a silent trip; Y/n had to walk on eggshells around her mother, fearing an emotional outburst. She uncomfortably tucked her legs back, hoping her mother hadn't the mind to peak if her dress was up to code.  Yet her mother seemed to be all-knowing on this particular night.

          "No pantyhose? Y/n, where does your mind go when you outwardly disrespect me like this!" She had shouted after flipping up Y/n's skirt enough to glance at her ankles, suddenly becoming red in the face.

         "Mama, I-"

         "You are to be 20 in the fall, yet you still act like a child; it's that damned father of yours who raised you to be unbecoming! You are to wed Cossimo come to the end of August, and I expect you to act like the wife I groomed you to be!" 

          Y/n was left without words. She had the right mind not to talk back to her mother, who fed and clothed her. As much as it stung to hear her mother speak ill of her father, she knew that while he was respected in his work, all knew of his unfortunate mental state. She wanted to believe him, honestly, but seeing his final moments in the insane asylum, she had no choice but to accept the words of her elders. 

           "The good minds are lost too soon."

           "Crazy bastard, poor child will definitely grow up to be like him." 

            The emotional shower about to fall from the young girl's eyes was forced down, as was the lump in her throat; she changed her field of sight to the scenery they passed to focus her moist eyes on anything other than crying. 

            She could feel herself shake in anger, yet she knew if she were to have an outburst, she would be put under suspicion of mental disability like her father was. She couldn't have that. She wasn't crazy, nor was her father. 

            She silently prayed to any god; she wanted to be taken away. She wanted to go to a place where she was free from ridicule and expectations. This world was far too uptight for her; she wanted to be free.

           When the carriage had come to a complete stop, Y/n's mother wasted no time in throwing open the doors and climbing out to greet her daughter's soon-to-be mmother-in-law. Y/n had no interest in being here, the Cavallos estate. The party was being hosted on the back patio, which had a rather elegant garden that stretched a few acres. Y/n knew she would slip away from the commotion hiding within the rose bush maze or under one of the many towering willow trees. Flowers were abundant, white roses among many other light flowers, which Y/n had taken note of the pink tulips that were her favorite.