The Unwanted Marriage

Chapter 28

THEA

I felt a gentle rub, running circle on my back, making me feel calm. I was already awake but my eyes felt so heavy so I let them close. I was tired after crying, and I felt a headache started to kick in. I let out a sigh as I remembered my twin. I hadn't had a chance to meet her, to let her know that she was not alone, to let her know how happy I was to know that I actually had a sister.

Not being able to go back to sleep, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was Arthur's concern face staring at me.

"Hey," he brushed my cheek with thumb. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What time is it?"

"It's 3 am."

"You haven't slept?" I asked, looking at him. He shook his head in response. "Why are you still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep, knowing my wife is upset."

Snuggling into him, I let out a sigh. I needed to tell him about my twin sister. I had found the whole the truth, now I could tell him everything.

"Do you remember the photo I showed you who look like me?"

He seemed to remember it. "Yeah, what about it?"

"She was my twin sister."

At the first he didn't react at all, he just stared at me like I had grown two heads. Seeing that I was serious, he looked even more confused. "Twin sister? I thought you are an only child?"

"I thought so too but I found that photo along with some information about her. I even came to your mother to prove it, she told me the truth."

Now he looked even more confused. "What happened?"

I told him everything I knew about my twin sister, everything was still unreal to me. I still couldn't believe with what had happened to my family, why it was so messed up. Arthur listened to me silently, his expression was calm but surprised at the same time.

Truthfully, there was a time when I imagined having a twin sister, or at least a sister or a brother. I grew up mostly being alone without having many friends so sometimes I felt lonely in the house. Though that I felt the love and affections from my parents but still, I didn't really have someone to talk to or play with in the house.

By the time I told him that my twin sister had passed away, his calm expression turned into disbelief. I guess he didn't expect to find out that his sister in law had died. It brought me to tears to remember about my sister. I didn't get the chance to meet her. I lost my parents, and I lost my sister too.

Couldn't life even get more unfair to me?

"I'm so sorry, Thea. I really do." Arthur said after a while, holding me closer to him.

I just nodded in response as I kept letting all my tears fall. I was not sobbing, though I couldn't stop my tears either.

"You are so strong, you know. I never doubt that."

I sniffled. "Why is that?"

"You've been through a lot all these years," he brushed my hair softly with his fingers. "You know, when I came to the funeral, I may or may not watch you the whole time. You didn't cry at all, you had this.. little smile plastered on your face for the sake of everyone. You never let anyone knew how fragile you were at that time, your had your guards up around you. At that moment I knew, I knew you are a tough girl. And you still proved me to this day."

I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't expect he would think about me that way, didn't think he watched me at the funeral, I didn't know he could see right through me. Because he was so right, I didn't let my guard down at the funeral. I didn't let anyone knew how shattered I was that day. I didn't want any pity from them.