*Jason*
I drove as fast as I could, honking and overtaking the cars in front of me. Steve is a psycho, and I don’t know what he may do to Lucia. I don’t care if he does anything to Bruno, but Lucia must not get hurt. “Get out of my way, you mother fucker,” I cursed a blue Bugatti who refused to take the other lane.
The venue for the wedding was a hotel. I had my men research it to make sure it was safe for the wedding, and I was surprised when I heard that Bruno owned the hotel. That guy was rich. I don’t have to worry about Lucia not being given enough. Thinking about her being with another man made my chest ache, but there was nothing I could do. I have already let her go, and I will save her from any plan Steve has.
I drove into the hotel like a madman, getting weird stares from some of the people who walked around. I pulled my car in front of the hotel, flung the door open, and stepped out. The morning sun was already up in the sky; bright clouds moved slowly past it.
I didn’t need directions as to where the wedding was held. I hurried towards the hall, my shoe clicking softly on the tiled floor as I walked down the hallway which led to the hall. When I saw some men in black suits standing outside a door, I was convinced that the wedding was being held there.
The men didn’t try to stop me as I walked through the open doors.
There were a few people in the hall, none of whom I recognized aside from Rave, Bruno’s cousin, whom he had ordered to blow off my skull earlier. Everything was calm. Things were going smoothly, and there was no sign of Steve or any attack. Bruno was walking to take his stand beside the priest, who was the officiating minister. Lucia would be here at any moment, and the wedding would commence.
I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was trying to pull my legs. He knew I wouldn’t want to be here, as it broke my heart to see Lucia being married to another man. I dipped my hand in my pocket and took my phone. I walked to the side and dialed Steve’s number.
After a few rings, the line connected.
“Steve, where are you?” I asked not to bother to play nice.
“You must be happy now that my sister is dead. And Lucia, she has been smiling all morning, I guess she must be the happiest woman on the earth right now.” He said.
I looked around. Was he perhaps here, with the way he spoke, it was clear that he had seen Lucia. Has he been watching her? “you know that’s not true. I loved Sarah. She was my best friend. We’ve been friends since childhood; how can you say her death made me happy?” I asked a bit heartbroken that he thought that. I had cried with him the night we watched Sarah die.
Of course, it was partially my fault that she had died. That doesn’t mean that I was happy or anything.
“No,” Steve yelled from the other end. “You never loved Sarah, not the way she wanted. From the start, you knew how she felt about you, but you never reciprocated her love. And that was what ruined everything. She had to watch the man she loved love someone else. I bet you know how that feels now that you watched the woman you neglected marry another man. But you know what?” He asked.
“Steve, tell me where you are. Let me speak to you in person,” I said, trying to be calm. I would be calm, not for him, but for Sarah. Because he was her brother.
“No. I have another gift for you. I want you to feel another type of pain. The pain that I have been dealing with for the past two months. I want you to experience that type of pain, too. Just watch. Just as Sarah was taken away from me, Lucia would also be taken away. She will pay for what she did to my sister,” he said.
“You know that Lucia wasn’t the one who killed her. Stop this madness before you make a mistake,” I said. My eyes moved around the hall, taking note of everything and everyone. Steve was close. He may be in this hall, and if he was, I needed to find him and stop him before he did something stupid.
“Well, I guess we need someone to blame at the end of the day.” He said.
“Steve, listen, don’t do what you want to…” beep. He has disconnected the call. “fuck,” I punched the air. If I walk down to warn Lucia, they’ll think it’s because I didn’t want the wedding to continue. “What do I do?” I whispered as I walked out to the open. Lucia was there, a flower in her hand, held up in front of her stomach, a veil cascaded down her face, but anyone could see her beauty and elegance behind the veil.
I looked around. If I take another step, they will know I was here, and I don’t want that. There should be a way I sort all this without bringing attention to myself. Where would Steve be? From the few guests in the hall, I couldn’t find him, but he sounded like he was watching everyone and everything like he was waiting for the right moment to strike.
I took a step forward.
That I didn’t notice. They were too busy staring at themselves to notice me and I was grateful for that. Lucia was close to the podium where Bruno was standing close to the priest. I turned when I felt someone walk into the hall.
Black hoodie.
Black boots.
Black mask.
Gloved hands.
A gun at the side. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that it was Steve.
~
*Lucia POV*
I couldn’t believe what Jason said. As I watched him leave, I felt a tug on my heart. Jason, my first love. I smiled sadly. I was glad he had given up, glad that he was tired of all the fight and hassle. I hoped and prayed that he would find someone to love him as much as he had loved me. And the person should be with him forever.
“What did he talk about?” Bruno asked me. We were seated side by side in the car. He had refused to use another car, saying it was useless since we left the same house. I still didn’t know what to do with him. But I love his clinginess.
“Sarah didn’t die because of the stab,” I said. His face held no reaction to the statement. “He wanted me to get married with a clean mind; he didn’t want me to worry about her death,” I said.
“How kind of him,” Bruno said sarcastically.
“Now that everything is over, let’s concentrate on ourselves. I want to go to Maldives after the wedding for our honeymoon. Let’s spend a week or two there, like every normal couple, without any fight or clash. Nothing,” I said.
“I’ve already made the arrangements,” he said. My smile widened. I was glad he remembered what I had told him. “We’ll leave immediately after we get married. That’s where our wedding night will be,” he said.
“Our wedding night,” I whispered.
Bruno and I have made love so many times. But there was something different and special about this. Maybe it was the way he said it. Maybe it was because it would be the first time after we were officially husband and wife. I just couldn’t help but keep fantasizing about how it would feel. “Thank you,” I said. He raised a brow, “for?” He asked.
“For everything. Thank you for this day.” I said. My chest tightened, not in pain, but joy. I was trying so hard to hold the tears in. The last thing I wanted was to ruin my makeup.
“You don’t want to ruin your makeup right?” He asked. I shook my head like a baby. “Then don’t cry and if anyone should be grateful, it should be me. Thank you for allowing yourself to get sold and for putting up with me.” I heard him say. I smiled.
Thinking back, we’ve been through so much.
No.
Let me rephrase that correctly. I’ve been through so much, from being sold to being kidnapped. I’ve had near-death experiences countless times from Sarah and Natasha. But Bruno has always been there with me, by my side. He had killed Natasha. When I asked him what he did with her in the dungeon, he said he killed her, and he would do it again. I knew she deserved it. For all she made me go through, she deserved everything that happened to her.
When we got to the venue, the hotel. We parted ways. We still have fifteen minutes before the wedding begins. I was thrilled at the way the hall was decorated. It was beautiful. The balloons, the photo of me and Bruno at the side.
From the outside, it looked like every average couple’s wedding hall. It was just the way I wanted it. I sat in the room beside the hall. The lady who did my makeup, Jane, was with me.
“Nervous?” She asked.
I nodded. My hands were sweaty.
“You don’t have to be. But it isn’t something we can control. Everyone was nervous, just like you,” she said. My eyes moved to her finger. She didn’t wear a ring.
“You are married?” I asked her. She smiled, but her eyes held sadness.
“He died.” She said.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” I didn’t know what to say. She spoke her head. “It’s okay. It has been long since he died.” She said.
“It must be so hard for you,” I said. I couldn’t help but keep wondering how she was able to cope. I didn’t even want to imagine a life without Bruno.
“He has been with me,” I raised a brow, “here,” she touched her chest. “And I find joy from seeing new couples.” She says. Before I could say the next words, there was a knock on the door. The door opened slowly, and a head popped in. “It’s time.” The person said and closed the door.
“Are you ready?” Jane asked.
I took a deep breath. “Yes,” I said. I stood up. She helped me cover my face with the veil that was already attached to my hair. I held the flower tightly in front of me as I walked out.
They say the walk down the aisle begins at the end of the aisle.
As I looked at Bruno from where I stood, I couldn’t help but think about how our life would be together. I prayed and prayed that we would be happy forever. He had a smile on his lips. He had the most natural and beautiful smile I have ever seen on him. He was happy, just like I was. I took a step, then the next. I couldn’t see any other person, just him. He was all I could see. And each step drew us closer. Closer to being husband and wife.
When I felt his eyes shift from me and his brows furrowed, I stopped. A look of worry spread across his face; he was already walking towards me. And then, gasping from the audience, the hall became rowdy. I turned slowly, and in front of me was a man in a hoodie; his face was covered. He was pointing a gun at me.
My heart raced.
Who would want me dead?
Before I could say anything, he pulled the trigger. “So this was how I was going to die,” I whispered, tears dropping. The sound of gunshots filled the air. Someone held me and turned me around. The bullet passed me. I fell on top of him. Bruno. My hands were on his shoulder. “Are you alright?” He gritted his teeth. I felt something wet on my hand.
Blood.