3. The wedding day and night

MIRABEL

My reflection stared right back at me in the mirror, dressed in a wedding dress that was chosen by my grandfather and about to walk down an aisle to marry a man that had done nothing but make my life miserable since high school.

He did all those horrible things to me and didn’t even remember me.

How could he not possibly remember the face of the girl he had tortured almost every single day? How could he even stomach funding and leading a campaign against bullying when he had not even changed a bit?

What kind of monster was Giveon Jameson? And the worst part was, I was about to get married to that same monster.

I could barely swallow anything and the more I tried to shove down my emotions, the more it rushed to the surface and the urge to break down in tears became so overwhelming.

Grandfather simply refused to let me see mom so I was all alone even though my grandfather was right beside me, leading me down the aisle.

There was no need to raise the veil for me to see him, he was already standing at the altar with the priest dressed in a pristine white suit that complimented his features in a way nothing else did.

The devil looked really good. Looking at him dressed in such a manner, he looked like a proper gentleman, a real groom and for a second, I was almost lured into the fantasy of actually marrying him.

He had a thin smile on his face as grandfather handed me over to him and the moment he touched me, I flinched.

A slight tremor raced through my entire body as the memories of every single thing he had done to me came rushing back.

He would bring his big and scary dog most of the time to school just to let it chase me around. My uniform was always dirty because of this and he used the opportunity to tease me about how we were so poor that my parents couldn’t afford to give me a bath.

Giveon made the entire school know the only reason I could attend school with them was because of a scholarship his family was sponsoring and felt entitled to making my life miserable because his family was paying my fees.

All these years and I was still not over the pain he had caused me and the fear that seized control of me anytime he was close.

My hands trembled as my heart began to race beyond control as I stood directly in front of him.

The priests didn’t waste any time at all, he rushed the entire thing and soon enough, it was my turn to say the words I never assumed I would be saying to someone like him and in a situation like this.

I had never pictured myself getting married like this.

“I do,” I murmured a response to the priest in a zombie-like manner.

“You may kiss your bride.” He said and I remained still because I was certain he wouldn’t do it, not after what he said to me the other day in the restaurant

My eyes widened in shock when I felt his hand wrap around my waist and pull me towards him roughly. His grip on my side was too strong that it soon began to ache.

He leaned closer as if he was about to kiss me and my heart skipped a beat at the thought of it,

“You can leave any silly thoughts you have in your head at this altar because I do not and will never love you.” He whispered harshly before his cold lips made contact with my cheek.

His lips simply brushed over it before he pulled away, his eyes dark and void of any emotion as he stared down at me with a deadpan look on his face.

The rest of my ceremony was rushed too and the moment it was over, grandfather turned to who I assumed was Giveon’s father and they shook hands energetically.

They congratulated themselves as if they were the ones getting married and it proved beyond doubt that my marriage to him was really nothing more than a business transaction, it was simply a means to an end.

Other than grandfather, there was no other familiar face and it just made me miss Mom even more. I wished I could see her and was afraid I would never be allowed to again.

They all ignored me as if I wasn’t there and a few minutes later, I was seated at the back seat of a luxury car with Giveon and speeding down the road to what was to be my new home.

He looked restless and eager to get away from the whole thing, he couldn’t even wait to get out of the car before he began pulling at his tie aggressively and he even slipped his jacket off.

He kept staring out the window and tapping his thighs impatiently. I was sure that if it was left to him, he wouldn’t be seated next to me in that car.

As soon as the car pulled up in front of the house, he alighted and hurried up the flight of stairs that led into the mansion without even a glance in my direction.

How could someone be so cruel?

It was more of a mansion than a house, it was enormous and the designs were breathtaking. From the chandeliers to the staircase, everything was stunning.

The hallway that led into the main parts of the house was designed tastefully with art pieces and portraits of his family.

I had no idea what direction to turn to so I just remained standing in what I assumed was the living room while the maids and everyone else went about their duties without a single word.

I felt so out of place and pitiful standing there in a wedding dress.

There was no sight of Giveon anywhere but the…

“Please come with me.” A soft voice said behind me and I turned around sharply to find a young maid standing there with her head bowed slightly.

She led me upstairs to what I believed was my room and I was barely given a chance to say anything before she slammed the door shut behind me.

I was left standing alone in the room. Not sure what I was supposed to do, I decided to take a shower and get some sleep. After all I had just endured, all I could think of was a refreshing bath and a long peaceful sleep.

As I looked around, I felt even more miserable for myself because I had pictured my wedding night over a thousand times and it was nothing like this.

I never imagined that I would be standing alone in a room that felt cold even though it wasn’t, never believed I would have to marry anyone for anything other than love and be treated like nothing more than a burden.

The room wasn’t given any elaborate design, just something simple yet pleasing to the eye so while taking everything all in since I would most likely have to sort myself out on my own, I began to undress.

I sighed heavily in relief the moment the wedding dress slipped off my shoulders. It was so heavy and uncomfortable and I couldn’t help but wonder how I had managed to endure it the entire day. The dress was nothing like I had hoped to wear on my wedding day.

Underneath the dress was the red lingerie the designer grandfather had hired to dress me up for the wedding, made me wear. It was beautiful and had a very sultry appearance. Hooking a finger underneath the strap, I was about to pull it down when the door burst open.

A loud yelp escaped from me as I jumped backwards while my hands flew up to cover my almost naked breasts.

I had been so lost in thought that I forgot to lock the door.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?”

A chill raced down my spine at the sound of his voice, my entire body trembled lightly as my heart beat increased.

I tried to scurry further away into the room so as to hide my half naked body but it was of no use.

“Are you deaf? I said what are you doing here? How the hell are you even here?” He yelled as he approached me, his strides precise as the frown on his face deepened.

It was all happening so fast that I had no idea how to react or what to say.

I was confused and totally lost, he was the one that had just barged into my room without knocking so why was he asking me all this.

“T-The maid,” I stuttered as I tried to reach for the blanket on the bed.

“You’re not supposed to be in here, this is not your room.” He thundered.

“I…uhm…”

“What is this?” His face scrunched up in disgust as he glared at me, “even after I warned you, you still go ahead and do this.”

“What?” I looked up at him in confusion.

“You’re trying to seduce me right? Because why else would you come into my room without my permission, dressed like this?”

“I…”

“Do you think I find you attractive?” His eyes scanned the length of my body, irritation visible in his expression.

I had never desperately wished for the ground to open up and swallow me like I did at that moment.

I felt so embarrassed.

“Let me make this easy for you to understand because it is obvious that you’re too dumb to understand what I said earlier,” he began as he inched closer to me, his gaze glued to me and even though I had somehow managed to wrap the blanket around my body in a tangled mess, I still felt bare before him and my entire body felt like it had just been lit up in flames.

My cheeks stung from the embarrassment.

“If you still think that you can win me over by simply dressing like a slut then you’ve got it all wrong because,” he took a step closer and I immediately took one back but that didn’t stop him.

He kept coming closer until my back slammed against the wall and I tripped over the bedside drawer and accidentally sat on it.

“You are nothing like my type,” he hissed, his face so close to mine that mine burned from the intensity, he definitely still had that intimidating aura from high school.

This reminded me of how he would constantly back me up against my locker and tease me about all the things he hated about me until I burst out crying.

He always enjoyed it, watching me cry.

“Now… get the fuck out of my room.” He snapped as he pointed back at the door.

Without a second thought and my heart almost pounding its way out of my chest, I jumped up and rushed out with the blanket still wrapped around me.

I had barely made it out of the wide open door when I tripped over the blanket and fell flat on my face.

The tears I was holding back for so long immediately sprang to my ears and began to fall down my cheeks.

Why was I being forced to relive all those horrible things he did to me in high school?

Of all the people that could have been Giveon Jameson, why did it just have to be him?