Arranged marriage: Skeletons(sequel)

Chapter 12

"That's all she said? Just 'take care of yourself'?" Mia asked her friend as they both lay down on Jennie's bed. Two days had passed since the call but Jennie felt the rejection still.

"Yeah. Guess it's my fault anyways. I literally ghosted her despite everything she did for me. Besides, even if she still wanted me, my father would never allow me to marry a killer," Jennie sighed, moving her hands up to massage her temples with her thumbs. She felt frustrated. Riley had clearly moved on and she was going nowhere on finding out how her mother really died.

"Probably. But have you gone to the place? The poetry house I mean. How is it?" Mia asked once more, sitting up to look at her friend better. Jennie also sat up and shook her head no.

"Will you go with me?" She asked as she gave her friend puppy dog eyes. Mia smiled at her and pulled her towards herself so that her head rested on her shoulder.

"Of course, what are friends for?"

Later on that day when Mia had left, Jennie left her room for the kitchen to get a glass of cold water, only to find the rest of her family watching a movie in the living room. The sight somehow made her sad. She longed to have the feeling of having a family. The feeling of belonging. But she was afraid of not being accepted.

She walked away from the room and into the kitchen, but her father saw her. So when she was returning to her room after drinking water, he called her.

"Hey Jen, join us," he invited her with a smile, all eyes turning to look at the girl. Jennie shook her head no.

"I'm good, but thanks," she said, then turned around and left the room.

Joshua looked back at the TV, his mood dampened. He yearned for a relationship with his daughter. Murrieta placed her hand on his, making him look at her.

"Go talk to her," she whispered and Joshua was grateful to have her as a wife. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead before standing up and heading upstairs to look for his daughter.

"Jennie, can I come in," he called out, leaving light knocks on the door. There was shuffling for a few minutes before the door opened to reveal Jennie.

"Is everything okay?" Jennie asked her father, confused about his visit to her room. They had let her be for a while now so she didn't expect any of them to start paying any attention to her.

"Can I come in?" Joshua asked as he tried to mask his nervousness with a small smile. Jennie looked at him for a few seconds as if contemplating on what to do, before opening the door wider and stepping aside.

Joshua walked in and moved into the room, turning around to face his daughter. Jennie pointed at her bed and they both went to sit down.

"Do you need anything?" Jennie asked him, feeling uneasy. The last time her father came to her looking this nervous, she found herself in an arrangement marriage with a woman. She wasn't complaining, but still.

Joshua looked at his daughter.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, the sincerity of his concern visible in his eyes. Jennie blinked a few times. She didn't expect such a question.

"I'm fine." She sounded unsure, but Joshua didn't want to push. They sat in silence for a few minutes, none of them brave enough to start a conversation. Their eyes looked around the room, but not at each other, until Jennie couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Was that all you came to ask?" She asked her father, and Joshua felt like a knife was driven into his heart. He looked at his daughter who looked at him as well, before giving her a small nod and standing up. He was almost at the door when Jennie's voice held him back. He turned and looked at his daughter, and his heart hammered violently against his chest when he saw her give him a dark look.