Chapter five.
Kathleen sat at the dresser and stared at her reflection, she was dressed as a bride, she was about to become a bride to the devil himself, she desperately wished for a miracle to happen, for someone to save her from this mess and prevent her from going into this prison called marriage." You look so beautiful dear" her mother walked in beaming, " you're so lucky. You made the right choice"." Are you sure mom?" Kath frowned at her mom's words, she doesn't feel lucky and she knew that this was far from making the right choice, Dave was all wrong for her but it was so unfortunate that only she could see that.Her mother stared at her, " what's with your tone? Of cause Dave is good for you, your father is very happy"."Dad would sell me because of money and you are too blinded to see that" she retorted." I thought we have discussed this, come, let's go, everyone is waiting for you".Kathleen followed her mother with a heavy heart.Kathleen walked down the aisle on her father's arm, Dave was already standing at the altar, she felt like she was being taken to a slaughterhouse with every step she took,
"She looks so beautiful" she heard someone whispered."Awwwnnnn, they look so perfect together" she heard another and she felt like screaming, they are far from being perfect, Dave is simply a monster but no one is seeing that her body shook when her father got to the altar and left her there and the priest began the ceremony."Do you take this lady as your lawful wedded wife, to protect, love, and cherish for the rest of your life?
Dave was all smiles as he quickly answered "yes, I do". He had a gleam of triumph in his eyes as he stared at her and Kathleen's stomach churned in revulsion." Do you take this man as your lawful wedded husband to respect, love, and cherish till death do you part?Kathleen stared at him, flashes of everything he had done went through her head, he had cheated on her over and over again, even cheated on her with her best friend, he had hit her on several occasions and blackmailed her into now thinking that everything was her fault, maybe there was something she wasn't doing right."Kath?" Dave whispers her name and she realized that the priest had repeated the question for her, again and again, waiting for her response, the guest were murmuring already, whispering among themselves." Yes, I do" she heard herself say and the priest sighed." Take this ring and placed it on her as a symbol of your love"This wasn't a symbol of his love, Kathleen thought as Dave collected the ring, he was going to make her his slave forever, flashes of him and Tasha in bed just the day before her wedding kept flashing in her head, he disgust her, just the day before her wedding, he had been with her best friend and now he was here trying to place a ring on her finger as if he had done nothing wrong, he didn't even feel remorseful of his action, she felt the cold ring sliding in on her finger and she quickly jerked her hand away, she can't go through this, she wasn't thinking of anyone at the moment but herself, she wasn't thinking about her parents, all she knew is that she had to save herself.The ring fell on the floor at her sudden withdrawal and Dave's eyes widened in shock, the congregation murmured among themselves, her heart was full, she was suffocating and she can't take this anymore, she hold the long gown in her hands and ran out of the church amidst the commotions, she ran and didn't stop nor look back, she just kept running, she wanted to outrun the pains, the trauma, she needed to breathe, she didn't see an oncoming car, she heard the screeching of tires and metal hitting body before she was enveloped in darkness as she lost consciousnesses.Derek was driving home, he had been estranged from his family for months and just the other day, his mother had called for him to come back home that his father is seriously sick, and being the one and only heir of his father, he was expected to go back home and take over the family's business and leadership, he remembered he had left home in anger, he and his father had never gotten along simply because he does not see life from the same perspective as his father, his father thinks he was too carefree and a Playboy, while he thinks his father takes life too seriously, so he had left home and was happy with his life until when his mother called, requesting him to come back so this morning, he had decided to go back home, it was a matter of life and death after all.
He cursed when someone suddenly ran into his car, " Damn" he came down from his car and ran towards his victim, he saw that it was a woman in her bridal cloth, he looked around and didn't see anyone else, she suddenly opened her eyes and whispered "save me" before falling into unconsciousness.This wasn't what he needed right now, who was he to save her from? Was she running away from her wedding, wait, her face even kinda look familiar, he quickly carried her unconscious form and put her in his vehicle, his journey would have to be delayed because of her, he would just leave her in the hospital and go his way? His phone rang and he checked the caller ID and frowned." mom" he said into the receiver."Where are you? Are you coming?"" I'll come but not now mom, something came up, I'll call you soon"" What came up?" His mom's exasperated voice reached him from the other end." Not now mom, later, bye" he quickly hung up before she could ask further questions.He reversed his car and headed towards the direction he was coming from, he had to get her to the hospital ASAP.Derek brought her in as an emergency patient, he signed the necessary documents and watched as they wheeled her to the ER, he should just leave already and be on his way but he knew he was the reason she was here and he had to make sure she was okay before leaving, he sat in the waiting room for over an hour before the doctor came out, " how's she Doctor"
The doctor stared at him, " are you her husband?"Derek was shocked at the question, " what?" " Your wife is fine, she just sustained some minor injury but I've given her some dose and she's fine, but she will have to stay till tomorrow for few observations"."Can I go see her?" He asked ignoring the doctor referring to her as his wife." Oh, yes, you can, I see you just wedded, congratulations" the doctor walked away before he could refute that claim, he shrugged and went in to see her.Kath felt as if she had been hit by a truck, her headache, she turned her head when she heard the sound of the door, she had seen this face somewhere but she couldn't recall where " have we met before? She asked.
" Oh yes, I met you by the tire of my car, how are you feeling? "Like I've been hit by a car" she responded"Sorry about that, the doctor said you'll be okay, do you have any family members you want to call?Her eyes widened in alarm as she shook her head frantically making her aches increased and her head swarm with pains." Relax" Derek calmed her, " I see you're running away from someone given how you're dressed" he waved towards her wedding gown.She suddenly tried to sit, reaching for him, " please, I don't want to go back there, please" she sounded desperate and Derek tried to remove her clutch from his cloth."What do you mean you don't want to go back? What do you want me to do?.Her eyes were Misty, damn, this was far from what he needed right now, " please save me" she pleaded.He frowned at her words, was she in any kind of danger? If so, she should involve the police and not him, " how miss, how do you want me to save you?She stared at him as if coming up with a conclusion before saying, "marry me".Derek was astonished at her words, he laughed almost hysterically, he guessed she had hit her head so hard and it was affecting her thinking, "hold on, I have no intention of getting married anytime soon"She rose from her bed and looked at him desperately, " you have to, please, you've got to save me""Calm down, you don't even know me, you can't just get married to a stranger"."I bet you are better than the devil I am fleeing from, it would be just for a while"He looked at her as if considering it, "what do you stand to gain from this?""The protection of a husband" she answered frantically"And what do I stand to gain? She considered his question for a while, "I'll be forever indebted to you. you'll have my gratitude"Derek considered her statement, in reality, he needed a wife, his mother had been on his neck and had even gone ahead to arrange a marriage for him with Cassandra, he was supposed to get married immediately he got home and
They've just signed the marriage contract and Kathleen's stomach quivered as they came out of the magistrate office, she glanced at her husband, the only thing she knew about the man she had married was his name, Derek Deloux, her husband, her heart pounded as the reality of what she has just done hit her, she had sought shelter from him, what if he turned out to be worst than Dave, well, she can handle it, there was nothing like emotions attached to this marriage, it was simply marriage by name alone, she would have nothing to regret.Derek looked at her, "regretting already? The deed has already been done, now let's go home"."Home", the word sank into Kathleen, she have no idea where home is, she had no idea about anything."Where exactly is home?"He smirked at her question, "home is where the heart lies baby"Her cheeks burned at the name he called her, "that's not the answer to my question" she fired back trying to cub her discomfort."I see
Chapter 8"Your wife?" His mother's tone was that of surprise as she blinked, "but.....but....""But what mom?" Derek interrupted"I thought..." His mother stuttered and once again Derek cuts her off, "that's the problem with you mom, you're always thinking, I'm sorry I didn't inform you about her but right now my wife needs to rest""Oh! Sure" his mother left the entrance so they could both go in, her voice wasn't sounding happy and the expression on her face was that of anger, she narrowed her eyes on Kathleen as she went in."Your room has been prepared for you" his mother informed him"Thanks, Mom, right now I want to see Dad, where is he?"He's in his room" his mother replied him and he raised a brow, "I thought he's supposed to be in the hospital, why is he home?""Well, I am trying to avoid too much publicity, the doctor is coming here to administer treatment, I think it's better that way""Alright then, I'll see him shortly" he tu
He entered his father's room and saw him lying on the bed with his eyes closed, he looked aged and worn and for a moment he felt guilty about abandoning him, his father was his only family related to him by blood, his mother had died years back and his father had remarried, although, Derek wasn't cool with the marriage because he felt his father had made the wrong choice as he had married his late mother's best friend, he had made his misgivings known to his father but his father had gone ahead to marry her, he had no choice than to accept the marriage but that was the first step that created a gap in father and son relationship, his father had made many mistakes but he was still his father, he wondered why his father was so obsessed about him taking over the family's business, afterall, he has a Step brother, his step mother's son from her previous marriage.Dave was so much interested in the family's business but his dad had never given him the chance, that alone had ma
Chapter tenKathleen woke up the next morning, Derek hadn't come back the previous night, she wondered where he had spent the night leaving her all alone, she knew that their marriage was impulsive but he had promised to treat her as a wife, in the eyes of everyone, they were a new couple and so supposed to be spending time with each other but on their wedding night, her husband had gone missing, a knock sounded on the door, finally, he must be here but why was he knocking, she hollered that he was free to come in, the door creaked opened and a maid walked it, Kathleen frowned where was her husband? He had no obligation to her anyway but it would have felt better if he was at least with her on their marriage night, " breakfast is ready ma'am" the maid informed her, head bowed and Kathleen grimaced, she wasn't used to this kind of treatment, "please raise your head" she quickly instruct the maid who nervously raised her head but still refused to look at Kathleen in the eye
Chapter elevenKathleen was just coming out of the shower, her body still wet and droplets of water falling from her hair. She was in the process of drying it when Derek walked suddenly walked in, she shrieked, losing her balance, in a flash, he caught her before she hit the floor, her side eyes stared into his and her mouth parted in shock, Derek was drawn to her, his bride was indeed very beautiful, she quickly moved away from his hold, "how dare you startle me like that"Derek raised his brow trying to hide his sudden attraction to her, "should I remind you that this is also my room?""Oh, you definitely need to remind me because I've been the only one staying here since we got married" she snapped and he smirked, moving closer to her, too close for her comfort, his blue eyes danced,"I see my wife misses me" he put his hand on her cheek but she slapped it away, "in your dreams"She moved away from his closeness before he would notice how his nearne
Derek was pissed, he was pissed with himself and also his wife, she had tried to talk to him and like a bull, he had gone charging out of the house, he was pissed at her for making him feel something for her, she had made him feel what he thought was dead to him, in just a matter of days, she was trying to resurrect it, he was damn attracted to her and he needed to stay away from her, he hadn't slept at home again that night, after his meeting yesterday, he had gone straight to his favorite club and had drunk a lot, he had managed to go to one of their family's house extension and had crashed there, he woke up this morning with a pounding headache and was preparing coffee when his phone rang, it was Jake, he picked up at the second ring."Yes, Jake, what is it?""Er....em...Sir, I...." He frowned into the receiver, what was he stammering about?"Speak up Jake, what is it?""Sir, er...have you seen the morning papers?"He frowned, he hadn't gone out tha
Chapter thirteenDerek frowned, so she was the lady arranged for him by his mom, his eyes traveled down her frame, not bad, good looking but what was she doing here? No doubt his mother must be behind this, he wondered what she was up to, "what are you doing here?" He demanded and she gestured inside, "can we talk inside? Or do you want more press confrontation". Derek eyed her for a moment before paving way for her to enter the house." so, we are inside, can you now tell me why you're here?"She sat down and crossed her legs slowly and seductively, her gaze inviting, Derek's eyes followed the movement."Can I get something to drink at least?" Derek felt impatience with her but kept his cool as he brought out a glass and a bottle of wine, he made attempt to pour out the drink but she stopped him, "won't you drink with me, it the least you can do for ditching me"Derek made no reply as he simply went to get another glass for himself, she had already op