20; wedding day

Carla

It’s my wedding day today.

If only I was a little happier today, then I might have looked forward to the wedding a little. But everything was just a mockery of my present situation. Since I had no friends left, Zade had his horrible cousins act as my brides maids, and since they never bothered to hide the fact that they disliked me, it always felt suffocating as hell in their presence, like it’s feeling right now.

“Remember, Isabella would always be our choice and nod you.” One of the cousins, named Maya, gritted out as she glared at me, and I glared right back.

“Well, Zade picked me so suck it up and deal with it.” I told her and the rest of the girls glowered at me.

“I don’t know why our cousin decided to be with you, but I’m certain he’ll come to his senses soon, and Isabella will be waiting for him!” A different cousin snapped out this time while I rolled my eyes in irritation.

Isabella.

I didn’t even know of her existence till that dinner last week, which was an actual disaster.

I didn’t even know the full details, cause Zade just won’t tell me anything whenever I asked, but I just know that he and Isabelle once had a thing, I could just tell. And clearly she’s the one his family had been expecting him to end up with and not me, a criminal.

Which is why I already feel so exhausted before even arriving at the wedding venue, cause I just know that Zade’s family were undoubtedly gonna make today very horrible for me, since none of them approved of me and we’re all against this union. It wasn’t like I craved or cared about their approval, but I just wished they weren’t so against it. Even his mother who once used to tell me she saw me as her child, now glared at me like she wished she could strangle me to death.

I just hope today's wedding would come and go without and unnecessary drama or hassle, but I just know that was too good to be actually true.

~~~

“If there’s anyone here in the congregation that’s against this man and woman getting married, they better speak up right now or forever hold their peace.” The pastor called out into the mic, while I just wished he’d round this wedding up as fast as possible. Since the moment I had to walk down the aisle alone, I had wished the ground would open up and swallow me. I could feel Zade’s eyes boring into mine through the thin material of the veil, but I refused to avert my gaze no matter what.

“I object to the wedding!” A voice called out into the air, and I flinched, feeling like I just got slapped across ths face. Zade looked even more shocked, then we were both glancing over at the crowd, in the direction where everyone is presently staring in, and when the spotlight focused on the culprit, it ended up being Dave, my ex husband.”

“I object!” He yelled again as he got to his feet.

Murmurs went up in the air, and I wasn’t sure I’ve ever felt this mortified before in my entire life.

Zade gave a signal to someone, then guards were dragging Dave out before he could actually say anything, but now the side talk didn’t stop, and I believed this was Dave’s initial plan.

That stupid bastard.

What else does he want?!

When we faced the pastor again, he still looked lost and flustered as he tried to resume from where he stopped, then we were being joined together, and Zade was being ordered to kiss his bride.

My heart pounded hard against my ribs as he unveiled my face and I stared up at him for the first time today without the veil over my face.

When he leaned down to kiss me, my breathing stopped, my eyes threatened to flutter close, and I tried to keep it open, to hold his gaze throughout, cause closing my eyes might make me seem affected by him when I’m clearly not. His lips against mine made me shiver, and when it felt like his dark eyes were staring into my soul, I ended up letting my eyes flutter close just as his lips firmly slotted over mine. The kiss wasn’t chaste like I had hoped, it was intense, fast and hard, then it was over before I could fully breathe.

Then as everyone clapped hard and got to their feet, I tried to regulate my pounding heart and stop my legs from feeling so woobly. Zade took my hand in his at that moment, then he faced the crowd and everyone roared even harder.

“Everyone, Mr and Mrs Dalton Gomez!” The presenter announced and as we walked down the aisle together while so many pictures and videos were being taken of us, it hit me right in the face that this was now my new life for the next year, and that there was no getting out of it no matter what.

The reception wasn’t as bad as I anticipated, probably because Zade was at my side throughout so far, which probably made everyone who didn’t approve of this wedding to hold their tongues. So many officials and well off people were present right now, and so many of them were people who refused to send me invites or let me into their circles anymore after I returned from prison.

I find it ironic and almost funny that all of them were present right now, and as they all come over one after the other to congratulate Zade and I, I could barely force a fake smile on.

“What’s wrong?” Zade asked beside me and I sighed. I’ve been trying to ignore the fact that he was standing beside me, with his arms around my waist, but that was barely helping anyway cause his large hand was swallowing up half of my waist, and his touch felt hot against the wedding dress.

“Nothing,” I muttered, before adding when he frowned at me.

“Well, they all avoided and cut all ties with me after I got out from prison.” I muttered with an irritated eyeroll.

Zade scoffed before shrugging. “Well, you did deserve that for committing a crime.”

I gasped at him, instantly feeling irritated. “But I didn’t—”

“Don’t start now, people are watching and recording, smile for the cameras now, would you?” He drawled as his hold on my waist tightened a little for emphasis and I had to grin and grit teeth together, and after I swalloweddown the rest of my argument, then I turned around to resume smiling for the cameras.

After Zade went to take care of something, I was feeling extremely exhausted and the reception had barely started.

I was chugging down a glass of wine when Seb appeared in my line of sight, a wary look on his face and his hands in his pockets.

“Congratulations on your marriage.” He breathed out as he stared down at me, and a smile automatically split out across my face as I accepted the hug he offered. It was brisk and over before I could savor it, and as I stared at him right now, I desperately wished that I could tell him the truth, that he didn’t need to congratulate me because this marriage was faker than tumu’s wig on sale.

“I wish you all the best in your marriage. You deserve all the best, after all.” He continued, and it was like he was trying to tell me that I deserved better than Zade.

After he left, I let out a long exhale and felt a deep longing within me for Seb.

When I turned around, Zade was right there, his face perfectly blank, but I felt my heartbeat instantly spike up as I swapped emptily. Once he closed the distance between us and placed a hand on my waist to jerk me close, I felt my heart stutter in my chest.

“What was that?” He murmured in my ear, and I was about to respond when a voice was clearing behind me. Zade’s expression darkened as he stared from over my head, and when I whirled around, I was beyond shocked to see my mother and two brothers here right now.

It’s been years since I set my eyes on them, and they haven’t changed much. My brothers still looked handsome as hell, and they both had a pleasant in their grip. My mother looked like she just got a fresh shot of face and lips fillers, cause her face didn’t fully curve when she offered me a smile.

“Honey, you look so good!” She cried out, but as I stared at her right now, then at Ezra and Ethan, my two older brothers, a fresh feeling of betrayal stabbed through my chest, it was so tight that I almost couldn't breathe, then I was feeling a deep shrug of anger, cause how dare they show up here right now?

Usually, I’d still respect my mother when annoyed, but righh now, I was feeling too annoyed to do that.

“What are you doing here, mother? I didn’t invite you or my brothers, so why are you all here?!”