Chapter 6 The Third Envelope

Eva stood behind her curtainless window staring at the beautiful trees that were well aligned in her mom's garden, very close to her bedroom window. She drew in oxygen from the trees' youthful air into her lungs and grinned.

She stared down and admired some of the tree branches that had gone haywire. She wondered why her maids left the branches untrimmed. 

Eva was so obsessed with nature. She loved trees and talked to them as though they were humans. She saw them as the best gift given to humanity. That was why her parents gave her one of the rooms that faced the trees. 

They also had the bedroom curtain removed and mounted a shelf in front of the bedroom window for partial coverage. Her parents filled the shelf with a house plant in a decorative vase. 

When she was a child, she would stand behind the shelf and stare at the trees, loving how they swayed when a soft breeze blew. 

She ran to her bedroom and stared at the trees whenever she was annoyed. She found the view quite therapeutic. 

A feeling of joy crept through her as she stood behind her window, inhaling some fresh air. Her wedding came up in six days and everything had been arranged. 

They had finalized the seating arrangements and sent them to the wedding planner. 

James had earlier double-checked their flight time, confirmed their hotel bookings and dinner reservations. 

James's father loved him so much, so he invested a lot of money in his son's wedding. The news about their wedding had become a top search on the internet and the latest trend on social media. People couldn't wait to watch the wedding videos. 

Eva turned gracefully when her bedroom door swung slowly. Her mom and her maids stood behind the door staring at her with smiles on their faces. 

Eva looked down at the wrapped gifts the maid were carrying, tilted her brows, and grinned. People had been sending gifts to her since the news of her wedding went viral on the internet. 

"Sweetheart, I was about to come to your house when Leah told me you were here," Molly said as she began to walk towards her. Leah was one of her maids. 

"Mom, I went to a jeweler to get our rings professionally cleaned. I want to add more sparkling to them," Eva grinned, stared at the rings she kept on a table, and looked through the window again. "I missed my favorite view already." 

"Thank God you are here. Eva, you don't pick up a wedding dress and save it till the day of your wedding. You need to try on the full ensemble, including shoes and jewelry to finalize your look. 

You will walk down the aisle in six days and you need to practice and make sure everything feels comfortable. 

Your shoes are brand new, and you will be wearing them for a while on the big day. You also need to wear them for a short period each day and walk around the house on different surfaces. 

Eva, Bruce Daniels is a very influential person and you know his friends are moneybags. I want everything to breathe perfection!" Molly smirked. 

Eva walked towards the gifts the maids kept on her bed with smiles. Her mom sat down on one of the sofas in her bedroom. She was holding about ten envelopes from her friends and well-wishers. She began to pass the envelopes to her daughter one by one. 

The last envelope looked so familiar, Eva's face changed when she saw it. She sighed and stood up from the bed. 

Molly looked at the envelope and wondered why the sudden mood swing. She became worried as the envelope looked quite different. 

"Sweetheart, is there anything I should know?" Molly asked. 

"No, not at all mom. It's something I can handle." Eva replied. Molly frowned her brows. Eva was her only child and she had been the one handling her affairs. 

"Have you been receiving a letter with this kind of envelope, sweetheart?" Molly asked. Eva nodded without looking at her. 

"Who is the sender?" 

"Julian Hampton." 

"Julian Hampton, the famous footballer?" Molly asked with her hands akimbo. 

"According to the address he included in his first letter, yes. I checked the internet, it was his residential address."

"What does he want from you?" 

"I don't know mom." 

"Is James aware he's been sending letters to you?" 

"Yes," Eva responded. 

"What did he say?" 

"Nothing, I...mean what would he say?" Eva sputtered. 

"You don't know what he wants. Does it mean he never included his intention in any of the letters?" Molly asked. 

"The first letter was an invitation to come and see him, but James, after reading the letter, thinks there is more to it. The second letter was more like blackmail. He said he wants to know why I did it….but you know what mom, I don't care!" 

Molly turned and signaled her maids to leave the bedroom. They all stood up and walked out. They were enjoying the small drama and wanted to know what was inside the envelope. 

"What did you do, sweetheart, talk to me, I'm your mother," Molly moved closer to her. 

"Nothing, mom." 

"Think, my dear; you must have done something to him unknowingly," Molly said with a smooth and low voice. 

"Mom, I haven't seen Julian in person. I only see him on the television, in newspapers, and on social media. I don't need to think, because I'm sure I did nothing to him." Eva said. "Mom, give me the envelope, I need to get it burnt. You won't like what's inside, trust me," Eva tried to take the envelope from her mom, she quickly hid the envelope behind her back. 

"If you are sure you are telling me the truth, then allow me to read what he wrote," Molly said, still hiding the envelope behind her back. 

"Just make sure you dispose it properly after going through it," Eva picked her car key and her diamond ring from the table and began to walk towards the door. "No one can stop the wedding," she muttered on her way out. 

"Wait, Eva!" Molly said. "Are you sure you don't want to read what he sent to you?" Molly asked. Eva waved at her and began to hurry down the stairs. 

Molly glanced down at the envelope and began to open it slowly. 

"Oh my god!" She screamed and sank into a sofa.

Eva walked back to the bedroom to take the phone she left on her bed, she saw her mom staring into space with tears racing down her eyes. 

She walked slowly towards her. She knew the content of the letter was the reason why she was crying. Probably, she had read the part where Julian threatened to turn her wedding day into a day of weeping. 

Eva stood still and continued staring at her mom. 

"Mom, I wanted to set the envelope and the letter ablaze, but you declined. If I had burnt it, you wouldn't be here crying over it." 

"It...is... not... a...letter," Molly stammered with a tear-smothered voice, without looking at her daughter. 

Eva, who did not care about the envelope and its content became panic-stricken. There was a chilled black silence in the bedroom. She couldn't control the spasmodic trembling in her hand as she lowered her hand to take the envelope from her mom.