After their marriage was arranged due to a business agreement between their parents, Jason and Aria had no choice but to get to know each other quickly. A few months in, the couple were expecting their first baby. But now that Lily is seven months old, Aria begins to wonder if Jason is really happy…
I wasn’t supposed to overhear it. But maybe I was meant to.
There’s something about family gatherings that always feels familiar. Warm. Chaotic. Comforting.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
Today was no different.
Our daughter, Lily, was seven months old, and every time we visited Jason’s parents, she was the center of attention. Jason’s mom fussed over her, while his aunts and uncles passed her around, taking turns cooing and doting on her.
I sat on the couch outside, watching them, feeling a sense of contentment wash over me.
A smiling baby girl | Source: Midjourney
“She’s just such a beautiful baby, Aria,” Jason’s aunt said. “Look at those eyes!”
I smiled at her, wondering how different everything could have been if Jason’s family hadn’t accepted us as we were.
Jason was in the kitchen with his mom, helping prepare dinner and getting everything ready for the grill outside. He always seemed so at ease in these moments, slipping effortlessly into the role of devoted son, loving husband, and doting father.
Platters of meat for a grill | Source: Midjourney
It hadn’t always been that way. At least, not in the beginning.
We were married young. I mean, I was only 20, and Jason had just turned 21. Our marriage was arranged by our parents in an effort to strengthen a business deal.
At first, I hated everything about it. I mean, Jason and I were only given two months to get to know each other before the wedding.
A close up of a young couple | Source: Midjourney
I wasn’t sure if love could grow in such a short amount of time. Especially between two people who were practically strangers.
But we tried.
And day by day, we learned each other’s quirks, built trust, and started creating a life together.
A young woman looking out a window | Source: Midjourney
“I know that our relationship is based on our parents, Ari,” Jason said one day when we were getting ice cream together. “But we’ve both decided that we’re in this for the long haul. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed, adding chocolate sauce to my sundae.
“We can be happy, Aria,” he said, picking the cherry off my ice cream.
A couple getting ice cream | Source: Midjourney
Things moved fast after that. We got married at a vineyard my father owned. And just a few months into our marriage, I found out I was pregnant with Lily.
The news hit us unexpectedly, and we were both hesitant about keeping our baby.
“What do you want to do?” he asked me one morning when I sat and looked at the pregnancy test.
A newly wed couple | Source: Midjourney
“Keep her. I think the baby is a girl,” I said.
And just like that, it was decided.
Neither of us were prepared for it, but Jason stepped up in ways I hadn’t expected. After the business deal went through, my parents moved to a different state, leaving me to fend for myself in my marriage with a baby on the way.
A woman holding a pregnancy test | Source: Midjourney
Instead, Jason spoke to his parents and decided to take a year off work from his job at his father’s company to support me.
From that moment on, he was by my side, through every bout of morning sickness, every doctor’s appointment, and every sleepless night.
I leaned into his support, but at the back of my mind, I wondered if he ever felt the weight of it all. Jason was many things, but emotional wasn’t one of them. He rarely talked about his feelings and what this new life together meant to him.
A smiling pregnant woman | Source: Midjourney
But today, as the noise of family surrounded me, I couldn’t help but think about how far we’d come.
I stood up and quietly headed down the hallway, planning to check on Jason and Salma, my mother-in-law, in the kitchen.
But halfway there, I heard his voice.
I paused, not wanting to interrupt. He was speaking in a tone that I’d never quite heard before.
A woman walking down a hallway | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t know what I’d do without Aria and Lily, Mom,” Jason said softly.
I froze in place, my heart pounding. I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but something about the way Jason said my name held me captive.
His voice lowered.
A smiling man in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“She’s changed my life, Mom. Like before, I was just interested in parties and chilling on the boat. But now? I wake up every day and think about how lucky I am. I mean, I never really imagined this kind of happiness.”
I stayed hidden just around the corner from the kitchen arch, straining to hear every word. My mind raced as I tried to process the depth of his emotion.
Jason wasn’t the kind of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve like this. And if I’m being really honest, I had been wondering whether our little life was good enough for him.
A young man partying on a boat | Source: Midjourney
We had gone from strangers to married to being parents in less than a year. Everything was rushed. So, I wondered whether his feelings for me were true.
But now? Hearing this?
I wasn’t so insecure anymore.
“I wouldn’t be half the man I am without her,” he continued.
A smiling young woman | Source: Midjourney
There was a pause, and all I could hear was something being chopped.
“That’s beautiful, honey,” Salma said. “I’m glad that you feel this way. You know, when Dad and Aria’s father came to their arrangement, I wasn’t sure about it because of your age. I thought that we were setting you two up for divorce or failure in general. But you guys hit it off and made something wonderful.”
“I don’t tell Ari enough, but she’s everything to me. And Lily, my God! That little girl has taught me more about love than I ever thought possible.”
A smiling older woman in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“That’s the love of a parent, my boy,” Salma said. “And the feeling that comes with being in love and at peace with your relationship.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to escape.
Jason had no idea that I was there, listening to the most beautiful confession I had ever heard. I wanted to run into the kitchen, wrap my arms around him, and tell him how much those words meant to me.
A close up of a woman | Source: Midjourney
But I stayed rooted to my spot, overwhelmed by the weight of what I’d just overheard.
Instead, after a few minutes, I walked outside to join the rest of the family as they played with Lily.
I sat down, pretending everything was normal. I mean, it was, but it was also so much better. The world seemed brighter.
People in a backyard | Source: Midjourney
I had been worrying about our future and whether we even had a future lined up. We were young, I knew that. But a part of me always felt like we were doomed from the start.
And I had always known that he cared, but I didn’t know he felt this deeply.
How had I missed that?
Was I too caught up in being Lily’s mother? Had I been ignoring Jason?
A pensive young woman | Source: Midjourney
That evening, after we returned home and put Lily to bed, the silence between us felt heavy. Jason sat beside me on the couch, his hand resting on my knee as he ate some of the leftover dessert we brought home.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said, his voice soft. “Is something on your mind?”
I bit my lip, unsure of how to begin.
A couple sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
I wanted to tell him everything I’d heard, but I didn’t know how Jason would react.
Finally, I took a deep breath.
“I overheard you today… when you were in the kitchen with your mom.”
Jason’s eyes widened for a moment before he glanced down.
A shocked young man | Source: Midjourney
“What did you hear?” he asked.
“You said… you said that you wouldn’t be the man you are without me. You said I’m everything to you.”
“You heard that?” he gasped.
I nodded.
“I was coming to see if you guys needed help. Lily was with the rest of the family. Jason, I had no idea. I mean, I knew you loved me, but hearing you say that…”
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Midjourney
“Aria, I meant it,” he said quietly. “I don’t say it enough. I know that. But it’s true, Aria. You’ve made me a better person, and I can’t imagine my life without you. Without Lily. You two are everything.”
The next day, I wanted to show Jason how much his words meant to me. I spent most of the day cooking his favorite meal, and I decorated the house with candles and notes detailing all the things I loved about him written down.
When Jason walked in that evening, his face lit up.
Candles in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
“What’s all this?” he asked, smiling.
“This,” I said. “Is my way of saying thank you. For everything.”
We put Lily to bed and had our romantic dinner. And in that moment, I realized that arranged marriage or not, we were happy. And we were in love.
And that we had made it.
A romantic dinner set up | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |
My Fiancé Humiliated Me in His Wedding Vows — He Regretted It Later
As Emily walks down the aisle, she feels as though she is finally living her wedding dream. The dress is perfect just like the venue, music, and her groom. Until it’s time for the vows when Jason completely humiliates her in front of everyone. But later, he gets a taste of his own medicine.
It was the day that I had been waiting for. After months of wedding planning and dieting to fit into my dream dress. This was the moment.
Bride walking down the aisle | Source: Midjourney
“Come on, darling,” my father said, holding out his hand, ready to walk me down the aisle to Jason.
“How do you feel?” my father asked me, kissing my forehead.
“Happy,” I said simply. “I’ve been dreaming of this moment for years now, Dad.”
We walked down the aisle to soft music that I had chosen months ago. The guitarist perched on a wooden stool.
A bride and her father | Source: Midjourney
“You look beautiful, Emily,” Jason said, taking my hand from my father.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
Old Man Goes to Visit Daughter for His 80th Birthday, She Doesn’t Let Him Enter Her House – Story of the Day
Richard visits his daughter to celebrate his eightieth birthday with her, but she answers the door in tears and sends him away. Richard suspects trouble and realizes he’s right after peeking through her front windows.Richard tapped his fingers nervously against the steering wheel as he drove. Deidre used to drive down every Thanksgiving, but that stopped after his wife’s funeral four years ago. Now, there were only weekly calls. Richard spread his arms wide as Deidre appeared in the doorway. “Surprise!” he yelled. “Dad? What are you doing here?” she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“I came to celebrate my birthday with you…it’s the big eight-o!” Richard replied, but the joy in his voice trailed off quickly. “What’s wrong, honey? Why are you crying?””It’s nothing; everything’s fine,” Deidre quickly wiped her tears and smiled a little. “I just…I wasn’t expecting you, and this isn’t really a good time. Sorry, Dad, but I, uh, need to focus. On my work. Look, I’ll call you. We’ll have dinner later, okay? Sorry.”Deidre shut the door, leaving Richard hurt and confused. Something was terribly wrong. Was Deidre in trouble? Richard stepped back from the front door but didn’t leave. He stepped over the short, flowering shrubs lining the path and snuck up to peek through the windows. Two rough-looking men were in the sitting room with Deidre. “Who was that?” One of them asked in a rough voice. “Nobody,” Deidre lied in a shaky voice. “Just a neighbor’s kid…pulling a doorbell prank and running away.” “Back to business then,” the second man said. “You’re now six months behind on your loan repayments, Deidre. Mr. Marco’s getting impatient.””I just need more time. Business is sure to pick up again in the winter,” she pleaded. “Time is one thing you haven’t got, sweetie,” the man replied, pulling out his gun. “People who owe Mr. Marco money don’t have a great life expectancy and end up feeding the fishes in the lake…” He pointed the weapon at her. Terror froze Richard in place. But soon, the man stepped back with a look of disgust and tucked the gun away in the waistband of his trousers. “Look around this dump and see if there’s anything valuable we can take to Mr. Marco, Danny,” he ordered. “She’s a businesswoman, so there must be a computer or some kind of equipment around here.” ”But I need those things!” she cried. “I can’t make money without my equipment!” The man patted the butt of his gun. ”Boo-Hoo. I can still change my mind, you know. Don’t be ungrateful, now.”The men ransacked her home before they stormed out, leaving Deidre curled up sobbing on the floor. Nothing made sense to Richard because Deidre’s business was doing well. At least that’s what she had told him. But now, Richard could sense something was amiss. Deidre needed his help. The men loaded several appliances from Deidre’s home in their vehicle. When they finally drove away, Richard followed them. The men stopped at a two-storeyed brick building downtown that looked like a bar. While it was closed, the door was unlocked. No one on the staff stopped Richard as he entered the building. The men had joined a large table where several other rough-looking men were seated. One of them stood and swaggered toward him. “The club’s closed,” he growled. “Come back later.” “I’m here to discuss Deidre’s debt,” Richard announced.”Oh?” The man seated at the head of the table rose and stared at Richard. He looked like a gentleman except for a nasty scar above his left eye. Richard guessed he was Mr. Marco. ”How much does she owe you?” Richard asked. Mr. Marco smirked. “A good samaritan, huh? Deidre took out a business loan of $80,000 from me. She was supposed to pay me back from her monthly profits, only she never made any.” ”I have around $20,000 in my savings,” Richard gulped fearfully, shaken Deidre had borrowed such a big sum. ”That’s only a quarter of what she owes us.” Mr. Marco sighed. “But there’s something you can do to make up the difference.” Richard didn’t like the sound of that, but he had to do whatever it took to save his daughter from the mess she’d gotten herself into. ”What do you want me to do?” he asked.Mr. Marco grinned at Richard and beckoned him closer to the table. ”My partner and I recently started a small business importing cars to Canada, but some of the paperwork has been delayed, so we’re having difficulties getting the…’merchandise’…across the border. A kind, innocent-looking Grandpa like you should have no trouble crossing the border in one of our cars.” Richard had no choice but to agree. Later that night, he pulled into a gas station near the border town to use the bathroom and parked beside a patrol. “Jesus!” he gasped as the German Shepherd in the back of the police cruiser began barking at him and pawing at the window. Service dogs were trained not to bark at random people unless…Oh, man. He quickly climbed back in the car, a Valiant, and started reversing as the police dog went crazy. Two cops hurried out of the gas station store and yelled at him to stop as they glanced at him. The GPS app voiced directions, but Richard shoved it in his pocket to silence the darn thing. He pushed the Valiant to its limits as he wove through traffic, leaving a trail of outraged drivers and narrowly avoided collisions in his wake. The sirens blared behind him.Richard soon spotted a narrow, unmarked dirt road veering into the forest ahead. He sharply turned, leaving the road behind him as he raced into the forest. The muddy trails were awful to navigate, but Richard pushed on. He turned down a narrow track leading downhill. Then, he turned up a slight rise and instantly regretted it. The car was now stuck in a precarious position, balanced on a narrow rise above a wide river. Richard tried to reverse back the way he came, but the tires spun without getting traction. In fact, the car was sliding closer to the water. “No!” Richard desperately pulled up the parking brake, but it didn’t work.The car’s nose hit the river with a loud splash, sending a wave of dark water flooding over the bonnet. Richard shoved the car door open, desperate to escape the sinking vehicle. The pressure from the water started to push the car door shut against Richard’s legs. Richard splashed around in panic as the river filled the interior.As the water level crept up his face, he tipped his head back, took one last breath, and pulled himself underwater. Richard squeezed himself out of the opening and pushed himself up toward the surface. He took in a lungful of air and swam toward the river bank. Reaching land made Richard realize how close he was to death. He was thankfully breathing. But he still needed to do something about the $80,000. So Richard hitchhiked home.”I need to mortgage my house,” he told the bank assistant. ”And I need the cash in my bank account fast.” Richard waited impatiently as the bank employee processed the paperwork. He jumped in fright when Deidre called him. “Some thugs from a local gang were just here asking about you, Dad…what is happening?” “Tell them I’ll be there soon. I arranged to pay off your debt for you. I don’t understand why you didn’t come to me first, Deidre, but this isn’t the time to discuss that.”Richard ended the call and signed the paperwork. He didn’t want to give up the home where he had created memories with his family, but it was the only way to help Deidre.A few hours later, he pulled into the club’s parking lot in a rented car and headed toward the entrance. ”Dad, wait!” Richard looked back as Deidre ran toward him. ”I won’t let you face those thugs alone,” she said. ”I still don’t understand how you found out about this mess or how you got the money to repay them, but the least I can do is stand by you while you save me.” Richard studied the determined look in Deidre’s eyes and knew he couldn’t convince her to leave. As they entered the club, the thugs herded him and Deidre toward the table. Richard placed his duffel bag, which contained the cash he’d withdrawn after the mortgage went through, and put it on the table. ”Here’s the $80,000 Deidre owed you plus another $15,000 to cover the cost of your car. I, uh, got into some trouble, and the car ended up in a river.”Mr. Marco’s mouth twisted angrily, and he thumped his fist against the table. “You have the audacity to offer me a measly $15,000? After you come in here and tell me you sank the $100,000 shipment hidden in that car?
That doesn’t even BEGIN to cover what you now owe me.” The gangster grabbed the duffel bag and threw it to one of his thugs. ”You know, Deidre, I really believed in you, but sometimes, in business, you’ve got to know when to cut your losses.” He removed a gun from his suit jacket and pointed it straight at Deidre’s forehead. Richard pulled Deidre behind him. “No, please! This is all my fault! Don’t punish her!” ”Well, you made a good point.” The gangster shrugged, and the next moment, Richard was staring down the gun barrel.But suddenly, they heard police sirens outside. Mr. Marco turned and ran toward the back of the club as loud gunfire boomed and shook the place. Father and daughter crawled under the table. There was chaos in the club, and as Richard looked into his daughter’s fear-filled eyes, he knew he had to get her to safety, no matter what. Richard and Deidre pulled one of the tables over and barricaded themselves in a corner. They hid there until the police escorted them to safety. Thankfully, Mr. Marco was apprehended. ”Are you certain you don’t have any heart-related health issues?” Richard shook his head at the paramedic while in the ambulance. Richard swallowed hard when the police detective approached the ambulance.”Sir, what were you and your daughter doing in this club today?” the detective asked sternly. Richard explained about Deidre’s loan and how they’d come to the club that day to repay it. He hoped he might get away with not mentioning the car he sank in the river. The detective glanced at Deidre. “If we hadn’t found a car full of contraband in the river, we wouldn’t have been here to rescue you. You shouldn’t be taking loans from such disreputable people, miss.” “A car in the river?” Richard asked nervously. “It was registered to Mr. Marco’s cousin, which was exactly the lede we needed to take this gang down,” replied the officer.Richard sighed in relief. He was in the clear. The cops let him and Deidre go once they provided their statements. ”I owe you a huge apology, Dad. I dragged you into this whole mess,” Deidre apologized as they walked to the front, where Richard’s car was parked. Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know how to tell you. How does anyone tell their father that they’re a huge failure?” “You are not a failure!” Richard put his hands on Deidre’s shoulders. ”Maybe your business idea didn’t work out as well as you’d hoped, but you tried, Deidre. I wish you’d felt comfortable enough to tell me what was really going on in your life. Heck, I just wish you felt you could be as close with me as you were with your mother,” he continued. ”I don’t think you’ve been ‘fine’ for quite a while now.” Deidre burst into tears, and Richard put an arm around her. “It’s okay, honey,” he whispered soothingly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
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