COLD BED - (ORMLING)

2

Lingling arrived home late at night. As she climbed the stairs, she heard her parents talking, and it seemed like a serious discussion. She slowly opened the door and peeked inside her father's office. She saw that her father looked extremely stressed, staring at the papers on his desk, while her mother was beside him, patting his back to calm him down.

"Mr. Sethratanapong has helped me-our family so much. I don't know how to tell him to call off the children's wedding."

"We can't also force our child if she truly don't want to. And the consequence is that our company will close." Mrs. Kwong said.

"I love my child. So even if I want to restore the company to its former glory, I'll still choose what makes her happy." He said and sighed.

As she listened to her parents' conversation, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. Her father had given her everything she ever wanted since she was a child, even until now. She couldn't say anything bad about how kind her parents were and how well they raised her. She quietly closed the door and walked to her room.

The next morning, Lingling went down to the dining table for breakfast. She approached her parents and kissed them on the cheek. "Morning mom, morning dad." She greeted before sitting down on her chair.

"Good morning to you too, honey. Eat up." Her parents said. They started eating, and in the middle of breakfast, she looked at them, watching them eat before clearing her throat. "Uhm, dad?"

Mr. Kwong looked at her and smiled. "What is it, darling?"

"Dad, Mom, I've decided to agree to marry Kornnaphat."

Upon hearing this, her parents' smiles widened as if they were doused with cold water. All their problems seemed to have solutions suddenly.

"Is this really what we're hearing, Ling? You agree to get married?" Her mom asked again, voice filled with disbelief and joy.

She smiled, nodding. "Yes, mom. You heard right."

"Daughter, you don't have to do this if you're being forced." Mr. Kwong said, his voice laced with concern.

"No, Dad. I'm not being forced. You raised me so well, and I should follow what you want. This is the least I can do for you." She said softly.

Mrs. Kwong looked at her husband who has a huge smile on his face, and took his hand. "Thank you for agreeing to this honey."

They continued eating while chatting, she then raised her head. "When is the wedding going to happen?"

"Next week."

-

"...because i'm getting married"

Metawin abruptly stood up from his seat, dropping his spoon on the table as he heard his girlfriend's words. "What are you saying?!"

Lingling met his gaze, eyes filled with sadness. "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm getting married, so we need to break up."

He aggressively wiped his face with his hand. "To who?"

She averted her gaze from him, looking down at the table. "To Mr. Sethratanapong's daughter. Kornnaphat."

Win couldn't believe it and let out a laugh, a sound that was more painful than it was funny. Lingling couldn't bring herself to look at him, the pain in her heart mirroring his own. "Don't you love me anymore, Ling?"

She stood up and walked in front of him. "I love you." She said. "but I love my parents more. They're asking this of me, because if I don't, our company will close down completely. I hope you can understand." She gently caressed his cheek.