I waited for night to fall before I retrieved the pristine white engagement party dress and white veil my mother had so carefully prepared for me for my engagement.
I slipped into the dress and then secretly made my way into the pigsty. The overwhelming stench should've repelled me, but it only seemed to fuel a thrilling, unspeakable sense of exhilaration within me.
I held the white corsage in my hand and surveyed the pigsty, finding that while most of the pigs were fast asleep, one remained wide awake with its eyes fixed on me. It seemed baffled by the strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
I knew right away that it was the big, 330-pound pig our family had been raising for years. Its body was caked in mud, and a foul stench radiated from it, but I didn't care. I made up my mind instantly—it had to be the one.
I looked at the massive pig adorned with the white corsage and wasted no time in holding a wedding ceremony with it. If Hannah wanted to steal my love so badly, then I'd let her have her fill!
Having done that, I stayed home and refused to go out. I even ignored Anthony when he came looking for me.
In the meantime, Hannah kept coming to my house, just as she had in my past life. She claimed that it was to strengthen our bond, but in truth, she was discreetly probing into my relationship with Anthony.
I saw the malice behind Hannah's concerned smile and bit down hard, suppressing my fury. I pretended to be heartbroken as I opened up to her, saying, "You have no idea what it's been like, Hannah. Anthony and I got into a fight recently."
Hannah's eyes immediately gleamed with excitement. She then pressed eagerly, asking, "What's going on? You and Anthony seemed so perfect together! What could you possibly have fought about?"
I sighed dramatically, feigning distress. "I don't know what's wrong with Anthony these past few days, Hannah. He seems completely different now. He doesn't even recognize me anymore. I mean, he even walked right past me on the street when we saw each other yesterday.
"Isn't that too outrageous, Hannah? I barely argued with him, yet he said he wanted to call off the engagement!"
Upon hearing my complaints, Hannah slightly cocked her brow. She then pretended to comfort me, though her eyes gleamed with undisguised delight. "You're overthinking this, Natalie. I mean, everyone in the village knows how much Anthony adores you.
"I have heard from those educated city folks that this is called 'pre-wedding anxiety.' You can rest assured that a couple as solid as you two will get through this!"
"I hope so," I said, feigning a troubled sigh.
Upon noticing my disheartened expression, Hannah quickly changed the subject, saying, "I actually came here today to tell you some good news, Natalie!"
"What good news?" I asked, looking at her with a doubtful expression, even though I had a pretty good idea of what she was about to tell me.
"I'm getting engaged! It's happening tomorrow!" Hannah announced, her face lit with a triumphant smile.
"You're getting engaged? Who are you getting engaged to? You've really kept it under wraps, Hannah!"
"You'll find out tomorrow! You'll definitely be surprised, Natalie!" Hannah exclaimed, speaking in a way that teased me completely.
If I hadn't already known she intended to steal my love life, I'd probably be blindly congratulating her right now.
I immediately set about spreading the news of Hannah's engagement far and wide the moment she left. I wasn't about to let her be the only one enjoying such a big spectacle tomorrow, after all.
