<spanng="EN">Analise’s POV


    <spanng="EN">I ran towards the pool house, stopping dead in my tracks. I could see through the window, and before I could stop them, my feet took me straight over. I hadn’t had sex yet, but I knew what they were doing. Gretchen’s bikini bottoms were on the floor next to her feet, and she had pulled up her bikini top to uncover her breasts for Holden.


    <spanng="EN">She was older than I was, so of course, she filled out her bikini better than I did. I was about to turn seventeen, but I was overweight by conventional standards. I knew Gretchen had a crush on Holden. She had been furious when our families decided to pair me and Holden together. Seth tly refused to marry Tiffany when the suggestion hade up. I, however, foolishly believed what my mother and Naomi told me. That Holden cared for me, and would one day be honored to be my husband.


    <spanng="EN">Holden seemed okay with the arrangement, so I agreed to the arranged marriage as well. I was blissfully happy waiting for the day that I would be able to marry him. But just like with all fairy tales, there has to be a viin. Or in my case, several viins.


    <spanng="EN">Holden was only focused on thrusting into her, and never once noticed me. Gretchen, however, took the opportunity to start moaning loudly. She knew no one, except for me, would catch them. She hadn’t been this loud before I arrived, but the moment she saw me, sheunched into a p**n–star performance. I watched in horror as he cupped her breasts in hisrge hands before pulling her back into his chest.


    <spanng="EN">He nipped her neck and then started to suck on it. She reached up, tugging on his hair as he gave her a hickey, marking her skin as he continued to push into her. You would think that would be the worst of it, but Gretchen clearly wanted to finish me off. In her mind, only when I had totally given up on him and called off the marriage could he truly be hers. Holden groaned out loudly, finishing a short timeter. He pulled out of her and rolled off the condom, throwing it in the trash. Like this was just a normal situation. He pulled up his trunks and started to walk away. Gretchen stepped in front of him and stopped him. She didn’t try to cover up.


    <spanng="EN">She enjoyed his eyes skimming over her body, but I almost lost my lunch. He actually wanted her and enjoyed being with her the whole time. Disappointment filled me. I had to brace my hand against the wall. She smiled up at him and stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, and rubbed her breasts against his chest. She tried to sound seductive when she asked, “Up for another round, Holden?”


    <spanng="EN">“No time. Seth and Ana will be here soon. If she sees you with me, she’ll be angry. Then I’ll have to listen to another lecture from my mother about not hurting Ana’s feelings. I don’t want to hear another bitch session again. They should never have done this. She’s still too young. They should have waited until we were older to try to put this kind of pressure on us.” Holden replied.


    <spanng="EN">“So you were forced into epting the arranged marriage?” Gretchen asked him as she straightened her suit and pulled her bottoms back on.


    <spanng="EN">“Yes. My mother told me that I would lose my inheritance if I hadn’t agreed to it. I wanted to pick out my own wife, but my parents insisted I marry someone of their choosing. They said it was a great match because Ana already liked me, and not because of my money. But I’ve only ever thought of Ana as a sister. This whole situation is weird. I just don’t think of her like that, and I don’t want to. I won’t ever like her enough to be willing to have sex with her. Just the thought of it makes me sick. She’s just holding onto me because she likes me. Eventually, she’ll have to give up and let me go. It would be the kindest thing she could do for me,” Holden replied.


    <spanng="EN">“Is there nothing you can do to break the arrangement? Gretchen asked with sympathy.


    <spanng="EN">“Nothing that I can do, but once Ana gets over her little crush, maybe she’ll be willing to break it off. Otherwise, all I can do is leave the country to buy myself some time,” Holden replied.


    <spanng="EN">“Maybe she’ll take the opportunity to lose some weight in the meantime?” Gretchen said with augh.


    <spanng="EN">“I hope so, because right now, she’s definitely not my type. She’s pretty enough, but her being overweight kind of grosses me out. I’ve never been with someone her size before. I’m not in any kind of hurry to do so, either,” Holder said. I could see his expression clearly through the window. He didn’t know I was there, so he didn’t hold back the fact that Ipletely disgusted him.


    <spanng="EN">“Well, whenever you want to hook up again, just give me a call,” Gretchen offered with a wink.


    <spanng="EN">“I’m good. I’m about to go back to college. I usually don’t do things here, just to keep the peace. So, don’t start thinking that we’re a couple or anything. You need to let that dream go. I knew what you were offering, and I went along with it, but we’re not together. So don’t try to push things. I’m in more of a rtionship with Ana than I’ll ever be with you,” Holden told her.


    <spanng="EN">“But I’m way more attractive than she is,” Gretchen wailed out, sobbing at the way she was so harshly shut down.


    <spanng="EN">“Stop crying, calm down. Don’t draw attention; I don’t want Ana to find us out here. You were the one who wanted to have sex with me. You knew what would happen when you started stroking my cock, so stop ying innocent. Don’t get mad because your n to force me into a rtionship didn’t work,” Holden coldly stated.


    <spanng="EN">“But didn’t you just tell me that I was much attractive than Ana? Didn’t you say that she was just a fat ass you had no interest in? Why are you trying to get rid of me now? Didn’t you say that I was better than her? Why can’t we be together, Holden?” Gretchen begged.


    <spanng="EN">Holden didn’t correct her. So I was absolutely sure he had said exactly what Gretchen just said. Otherwise, he would have said something. Holden doesn’t hold back when ites to his opinions. I turned and walked away as they went to grab some drinks from the pool house fridge. I ran to get my stuff and exited through the side gate.


    <spanng="EN">I wasn’t going to go through their house for Tiffany toe at me about my weight. Or worse,ugh because Gretchen just had sex with Holden. I was in a low enough ce as it was. I walked the two miles back home and went to take a shower. By the time I arrived home, I had realized that this whole thing had been a setup. I grabbed a shower and went to bed. I stayed up in my room for the night. I wasn’t hungry. I cried myself to sleep that night. Nobody cared enough toe check on me anyway. What hurt the most was that I felt my world had crashed down around me, but no one knew or cared.


    <spanng="EN">shback Ends


    <spanng="EN">I tried to blink away the tears that still clung to myshes. I wasn’t going to look at him. I knew I couldn’t trust the words that woulde out of his mouth. I doubt he remembered what he said that day. He would always act the same way toward me after that. He acted excited to see me when he came home for the holidays. But I had already started to avoid both him and Seth by that time. They only noticed when things got much worse in my senior year.


    <spanng="EN">I had tried to get out of the arrangement several times, but my mother and Naomi just waved it off. That Holden and I just had a harmless falling out. Their desire to be rted by marriage clearly meant more to them than I did. I was told that I was too young to know what I wanted.


    <spanng="EN">They didn’t like me pointing out that if that was the case, then why was I in an arranged marriage in the first ce? Then, after Holden graduated, he left. Just like he said he would. That was it. I started actively avoiding not just my parents, but his as well. There was no way in hell that I was going to go through with the marriage.


    <spanng="EN">“And then I opened my mouth and got Mom and Dad on you. I was so worried about saving face that I made a horrible mistake. You don’t have to marry Holden, Ana. The marriage is off. We don’t need you to hurt my sister for a second more, Holden. How could you be so hurtful? The only thing she did wrong was fall for you, and look what you did to her. Have sex with her bully, and talk bad about her. I already know those bitches made my sister’s life a living hell. If Tiffany hadn’t stopped me that day, I would have been there to help my sister. Those vindictive bitches, set us up. I’m not going to stop until the whole city knows what they’ve done,” Seth snapped out.


    <spanng="EN">“I don’t want everyone to know, Seth, but I’m sure Tiffany is going to fight when she gets arrested tonight. I told the police that I would bring in additional evidence soon. I wanted to give it to Rodney first. We’re also going to put in a request to my phone carrier to get printouts of the texts she and Gretchen sent to me,” I answered.


    <spanng="EN">“Seth is correct. The arranged marriage is over. I won’t force my daughter to marry you. You had nothing good to say about her, and acted like you were forced into it. Your mother never intended to take your inheritance away. But you were young and willful. My beautiful daughter doesn’t need you or your pity, Holden. I suggest you go home to try tofort your parents. Tiffany won’t be getting out tonight. If I have any say in it, she won’t be able to get out for several days, not after what she did. You can tell Gretchen that we’reing after her as an essory. I won’t be letting this go. You should tell your parents what’s about to happen,” my father calmly told him. My father was dead serious. He spoke like this before he tore hispetitors apart. He wasn’t going to go easy on them.


    <spanng="EN">“Please, Ana, let me exin. I know what I said was wrong, but back then, I knew nothing about love. Seth, you did the same thing I did. We take what’s offered and agree with what they say while we’re with them. It didn’t mean anything. How could I have known that Gretchen had tricked me into saying all those things? If I had known you were there, Ana, I wouldn’t have said them at all,” Holden told me.


    <spanng="EN">“Then answer me this, Holden. If you weren’t avoiding me, why did you leave the country after graduation? Your business waspleted over two years ago,” I asked.