UNEXPECTEDLY

**Marriage?**

I pondered inwardly, as a strange unease settled in my chest.

Just recently, I had been reunited with my father, and now the prospect of marriage loomed over me like a shadow. It all felt impossibly hasty, a whirlwind of events that left me disoriented and yearning for clarity. I craved answers and explanations for the rapid changes in my life and the path laid out before me.

"Papa," I said, my voice steady despite the turmoil within, "I want to keep living with you like this. I don't want to get married yet."

Nexus, my father, responded with a warm smile that danced in his eyes as he turned to me, gently stroking my hair. "I wish you could remain with me forever, dear. But marriage is one of your responsibilities. If you prefer, we can find a way to make it work; your husband can live with us too," he suggested, his voice laced with understanding.

**Huh?**