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Layla

This is the moment I started freaking out. The room suddenly felt smaller; I gasped for air, holding my chest. "No, no, no. Are you... God." I said as I placed my hands on my head, closing my eyes and feeling stupid beyond belief.

I can't help this is happening to me. I... I can not be married to him. No!

Daniel sat, his hands resting on his knees and looking down. "Daniel, say something. Tell me we didn't just do something so stupid as getting married last night?" I wanted him to say this was a joke. I was ready for it; I was prepared to hear those words.

He begins to nod; then, he starts chuckling as if he's heard the funniest joke in the world. "Daniel!"

He throws his head back, still laughing and nodding in disbelief. "This isn't funny! Tell me this is a joke?" I began thinking like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

He gets up and pulls me into a hug, kissing my forehead. "This isn't happening," I say, whining, placing my hands on his chest. "How can you let this happen?" I say, pushing on his chest. He continued to laugh, which only caused me to become irritated. "Why are you laughing? We can't be married, Daniel. We can't."

He then became serious, looking at me sternly and holding my shoulders. "And why not? What's wrong with us being married?" he says as if it's the simplest decision we could have ever made. Does he not get that we have entirely different lives?

"What's wrong? A lot of things are wrong with us being married, Daniel." I say, pulling away and walking a few steps away before I turn to yell at him. "For one, we haven't even dated, ever. Two- this could never work."

"Why are you so negative about this? You're not even giving this a thought! I showed you I could change, Layla. We had a good time these past few days; what if our marriage is the same?" he says, raising his hands.

I cross my hands over my chest, giving him a stern look. "Are you listening to yourself? This was a fling, Daniel. We both agreed to this. Nothing more. This marriage can't happen; we have to get an annulment."

His eyes darken, and he begins to stroll menacingly toward me; he gets close to my face, making me undo my hands and take a step back. "No!" he says in a husky tone, causing me to clench my jaw.

"Why not? Can't you be serious about wanting to stay in this marriage? Think of..." I needed to find a way out. This isn't how I dreamed of EVER getting married, especially to him. I mean, the idea doesn't seem bad. He's hot, sexy, God, he's good in bed. Plus, I'm attracted to him; we have chemistry. Damn it! What the hell am I thinking?

"What do you mean, No? Daniel, I swear if you refuse to get an annulment, I will waste no time filing for divorce. Do you understand me? We can not be married." I say, grabbing the rest of my clothes and stuffing them in my luggage. I tried taking the damn ring off, but my fingers were swollen, and the damn thing wouldn't come off.

It made me frustrated; he stood there looking at me, lost in thought, clenching his jaw. "We are not getting an annulment, Layla. This is something we both did. And we need to be responsible about it." he says, making me chuckle.

"Responsible? And getting married in Vegas while being butt drunk was a responsible thing to do?" I ask him as I become frustrated. I walk towards the bathroom to grab my toiletry essentials and get ready to leave. The sooner I'm out of here, the better.

He clenches his jaw, "Fine. You want a divorce? I'll give you a divorce, but only after we make an agreement. One year, that's all I ask. We'll make a contract, and after our agreement is over, you haven't changed your mind about me, then... I'll sign the papers, and you'll be free to go." he corners me back to the wall, making me feel like a small prey, waiting to be devoured by its hunter. "But until then... You're mine, and I will do with you as I so damn well please," he whispers in my ear, sending shivers up my spine.

I can't help but slump my shoulders as I feel his breath on my neck. "You made your bed, sweetheart. Now lay in it. Or more like... We'll lay on it." he says, gripping my waist and pulling me flush against him, planting a kiss on my lips.

"No. No deal, Daniel. A contract? Really? I am not an investment. This marriage is over, Daniel."

A loud knock is heard on our door, and Nico quickly opens the door, frantically coming in. "Guys, you gotta see this, quick!" he says, leaving the room, leaving us dumbfounded.

"We'll continue this conversation," he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room with him.

We go down the stairs quickly and see everyone sitting down and looking at the tv. A celebrity gossip show is on, and my heart sinks when I see pictures and a small video of Daniel and me kissing, followed by a small video when Daniel is putting the ring on my finger. The Elvis impersonator says the words I dread to hear. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," he says while doing Elvis's signature hand swings followed by his little uh-huh.

"And there you have it, folks, don't forget you saw it here first. Our beautiful Layla Garcia, daughter of Felix Garcia, just got married last night to the hunk, Daniel Halloway. The couple was seeing being intimate this weekend in a Las Vegas, Nevada getaway. The reasons for their sudden engagement are unknown, but one thing is for sure, the couple is now the 'IT' couple of the year. Sorry ladies, it looks like Daniel Halloway is no longer available." my eyes widen, my heart raised at a million per second.

What am I going to do now? My sister comes out of the kitchen; she looks startled and scared. Her phone is in her hand, close to her ear, "Ok. Yes, daddy. Yeah, she just got up. No, she...ok. We'll be home as soon as possible." she sighs, hanging up the phone and sighing.

I hadn't noticed Daniel was still holding my hand. Ingrid got up; she looked down at our hands and then at us. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't say anything. She took a step, making me cringe. "A girl needs to know when she's lost. I wish you two the best. I'm sorry I tried to make a pass at him, Layla. If I had known he was serious about you, I would have never tried seducing him during this trip. I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me." she says, shocking me.

I thought she hated me. I truly did. But she sounded sincere. Still... This whole situation was far beyond what I could handle. And just to think of how mad dad is? I want to prolong my stay here now. I do not want to face that man while he's angry.

"Well, I thought you looked beautiful," Daniel says, cutting the silence. I look at him with a deadly stare, earning him a smack on the chest from me. "Seriously? God, you're unbelievable." I say, rolling my eyes. He chuckles, rubbing his chest as if it had hurt.

"Oh, here. I took good care of it as you asked me." my sister says, running to the couch by the balcony. He reaches under her purse and grabs a frame from it. She returns and hands it to me, but Daniel snatches it away before I can see it.

I roll my eyes and lean closer to him to see what I gave her. My eyes widen as I see our marriage certificate. My signature is there... It's right freaking there! Next to Daniel's with an oversized signature by the Elvis impersonator and the big seal stating that we were legally binding.

"Oh, dad is going to kill me," I say, making Daniel look at me. He sighs, cupping my head and kissing the top of my head. "It'll be alright, ladybug. I'm here to protect you," he says, making me give him a deadly stare, but it only causes him and everyone else to chuckle.

Seriously, my dad is going to freaking kill me!

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