Chapter 1

DELANY

17 August 2024, 10:00am.

Christ Our Love Chapel.

“Do you, Adrian Cole Harrington, take Delany Maeve Davenport to be your wife, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish from this day forward, according to God's holy law?” The officiating minister asked, and Adrian briefly turned to me, with a pleased smile on his face, before turning back to the minister.

“I do,” he responded. 

The minister nodded firmly before turning to me. 

“Do you, Delany Maeve Davenport, take Adrian Cole Harrington to be your husband, to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, according to God’s holy law?” He asked me, in the exact same words as he had just asked Adrian. 

I slowly looked up at Adrian and held his gaze, counting in my head. One, two, three… I turned to the officiating minister.

“I do not!” I responded sharply, my loud, determined voice piercing throughout the entire church.

A loud gasp of shock rang in the congregation. 

“You’re joking!” Adrian whispered sternly, wide eyed, trying to pin me in place with his stern voice. But I was no longer that girl.

I raised my hands to my head immediately and tore the veil off my head. 

“Nathaniel and I are in love!” I added. And the congregation erupted in loud murmurs, each turning to their neighbors to whisper whatever, the church auditorium instantly became rowdy with small talks.

By now, my stepmother and my supposed husband’s parents in the front pew, were already on their feet, glaring at me, like they were about to reach for me and tear me apart. I turned to Nathaniel, his forehead was creased in a small frown asides that, he was almost expressionless. But I know he was just as surprised.

And before anyone of them had time enough to say Jack Robinson, I stormed towards the congregation, grabbed Nathaniel’s hands, my supposed husband's older brother, and dragged him out with me. 

****

ONE YEAR FORWARD

18 October 2025

8:00pm 

I sighed deeply as I pushed open the huge mahogany doors of our house and walked in. I wonder what version of my husband I’m walking into today. I clutched my chest tightly as a painful cough escaped my throat. I know my cough is not getting any better, but the doctor keeps saying it is. I need to go back to him as soon as possible.

“Really, when are you going to divorce that wench!” I heard my sister, Lenny’s moan as I walked up to our room. Oh, it’s my sister in his bed today, at least not a stranger. I should be grateful for that I guess. 

Normally, I would have walked into the room, while he whispered disgusting sweet nothings to his lovers, changed my clothes, and gone down to make food for him. But today her question about the divorce struck me, so I decided to stay out and listen to their conversation. Adrian roared in laughter at her question, their bare flesh still slapping against each other. 

“Ughhh!” Adrian groaned deeply and judging by the dropping sound I heard next, I could tell they were done with their disgusting make-out session. 

“I need a good basis for divorce,” he finally responded to her question. My heart skipped a beat. Honestly, deep down, I wanted a divorce too, but my step-mother would literally end my mother’s life if I brought that up. The price for keeping my dying mother on life support was this excruciating marriage. So hearing that he had plans for a divorce, too, was quite relieving; the pain, the torture, the torments were finally going to end. 

“Not providing you a heir is good reason right? How is that going?” She asked him.

My brows furrowed at her question as I held my breath even more and pressed my ear harder against the door. What does that even mean?

“She has been taking the drugs for one year and six months now, the last time I made her go for check up, her womb was already in ruins plus she has been getting more sickly these days,” He responded. 

“I prefer she dies a natural death. A divorce will be too much scandal for my career,” he added.

I felt my heart drop to the ground, as I staggered backwards slowly, my hands flung to cover my mouth as I tried to process what I just heard, they weren’t my most trusted people but this? .. this was just extreme. Their vicious voices still did not stop speaking. 

“She does look like a cancer patient!” Lenny chuckled.

“Till this day, I still wonder why your parents chose her to be your wife,” she added in a grumble. 

“She’s the gullible picture perfect wife. They knew they could control her,” he responded. 

“Plus, she’s the heiress to your father’s properties. Only her marriage can unlock it and we need the money to merge our companies.” He added. My lips dropped open in shock. What?! Me?!!! Heiress?!!!

That was it. I’ve heard enough. I grabbed the door knob and slowly pushed it open, by now tears were already streaming down my face. 

“Fuck!” Adrian whispered as his gaze met mine. 

I shook my head slowly as more tears rolled down my cheeks.

“You did not have to do this to me. You could have just put me away privately. I swear I wasn’t going to cause any trouble,” I whimpered. 

Lenny raised her lips at me in a sneer and rolled her eyes. 

“What right do you have to tell me what to do!” Adrian growled, his voice lacking the remorse I expected it to have. 

Of course, who was I kidding? Someone who had fed me poison for a year and a half? Of course, he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“Now that she knows, what are we going to do about it babe?,” Lenny asked, still seated very comfortably on the bed. 

The corner of Adrian’s lips slowly raised into a sinister smirk as he gently got up from the bed and began to walk towards me. 

My gaze flickered between the both of them as I started to take steps backwards, but Adrian was faster, he grabbed a hand full of my hair and pushed me closer to himself.

“Let’s make her natural death faster!” He said to Lenny with an amused smile, and Lenny face equally brightened up with a smile. He slowly turned to me, his eyes grew darker sending chills down my spine.

“Adrian please, I swear I was the one who cheated, I’ll tell the world that, I’ll take the fall for our broken marriage, I’ll paint you the good guy, I swear on my life. My mother needs me please don’t do this ,” I begged knowing I stood no chance with him at this point. My tears fell in full torrents.

“Bold of you to assume that I care,”

“This is fun,” he cackled.

“Do it! She’s has been a leach for long enough. A reminder that my father does not love us even in death” Lenny snorted and that was all the push Adrian needed because he grabbed my hair tightly and slammed it against the door frame. My head literally went blank as I heard continuous beeping sounds in my head. He didn’t stop there, he did it again, this time my knees gave way. I felt warm liquid slosh down my face and by the time I tasted it on my lips I knew it was my blood. The bang came again, this time it wasn’t as painful as the first or the second because I was already loosing touch of reality. My eyes flickered between staying open and staying close, I didn’t want to close them, I fought hard, and in that moment I saw the wide contented smile on Lenny’s face, the determined look to get rid of me on Adrian’s face covered in my blood. But he still didn’t stop, he kept hitting my head, even though I tried I could not hold on any longer, I felt life slipping out of me, then he stopped, he stood back, placed his hands on his waist and watched the work of his hands as I struggled for my life, leaving me to wonder what exactly was my offense to deserve this cruelty.

***

“Doctor! do everything to save my wife. She cannot die!” I heard Adrian’s pretentious voice urging the doctor.

“Who ever did this to her must surely pay!” He growled like he was in pain.

In the moment, I really wanted to stand up, tie a rope around his neck and strangle him until he stops breathing, but it was just so sad, that I was the one who’s was about to stop breathing.

They say in your final moments, your brain tends to relieve happy memories, it was just so sad to see that I had none of those memories. I felt bad for my mother, if she ever comes out of coma, I hope she’ll be able to survive the news of my death.

Suddenly everything went silent and I breathed my last breath ….. of relief. I have escaped.

Delany Maeve Davenport, Time of death, 9:52pm

17th August 2024.

6:00am, Morning Of The Wedding (ONE YEAR BACK IN TIME)

I jolted awake with a strangled gasp as icy water crashed over my face, soaking my hair, my top and the bed in an instant.

I shot upright, sputtering, droplets of water streamed down my lashes, blurring my vision. But one thing was sure, this wasn’t heaven or hell either. My heart hammered as I wiped my face and looked up to see my step mother standing in front of me. I blinked rapidly, memories of everything that had happened flooding my head. This must be a mixup or something! How??!!

“Really! Are you trying to ruin this day for me?!”

“It’s six o’clock, the morning of your wedding and you’re still sleeping!” My eyes went tightly shut immediately trying to understand what was going on, the morning of my wedding? How? I’ve heard this line before.

“Don’t you know you’ll have to prep Lenny’s outfit and prep your miserable self too?!” We said simultaneously although with me whispering. My hands dropped heavily to my side, still not comprehending what the hell had just happened to me. I slowly looked up at her and held her gaze.

“What. the . Fuck.” I whispered.