Chapter 1: Vows we never took

~Clarissa’s POV~

Ugh. How much did I drink last night?.

The question came out groggy, through my croaked voice, asking no one in particular. As my hand instinctively grabbed at my forehead that throbbed with pain from a hangover......the after effect of my drunken state.

My eyes slowly peeled open, as I took in my surrounding despite the haze that fogged my vision. A soft glow of sunlight pierced through a gap in the heavy curtains, irradiating the room before me.

My eyes snapped wide awake, as reality dawned on me that this wasn't my room but an unfamiliar place, as panic and fear now gnawed at my heaving chest.

Where was this? and How did I even get here?. I pondered.

The last thing I remember was having the time of my life at my bachelorette party last night. A rite of passage closing the chapters on my last moments as a single woman.

The club, the laughters, the hearty cheers, the clinking of wine glasses, but everything else after that is a blur........a terrifying void.

Wait. I also vaguely remember taking some shots of tequila, before I felt an unusual sense of dizziness, my mind slipping in and out, like a wave of sleepiness had washed over me, pulling me down with it.

“No! It can't be”. I gasped.

Was I drugged last night?.

The horrid thought sent a cold chill that rippled through me, as I shot up from the bed beneath me.

In a state of panic, with tremored hands I clutched the edge of the duvet and yanked it off, as my bulged eyes darted down to my body.

Thankfully my clothes were still on, despite how twisted and disheveled they looked, but it does nothing to soothe my wrecked nerves as I used my hands to thoroughly examine my stomach, my cleavages, all the way down to my thighs to ensure there wasn't any sign of force inflicted on me.

“Oh, thank God”. I heaved out a sigh of relief, finding nothing unusual after confirming my fears.

Taking another glance across the room, judging by the furniture pieces, the faint smell of cigarettes from the ash tray filled with cigarette butts, it didn't look like someone's home but more like a cheap motel.

A motel! Gosh, I can only imagine what my fiance would say if he saw me like this, despite being alone in a room I still had no idea how I got to.

He would definitely loose his head over this.

Speaking of my fiance. I desperately looked around in search of my phone, when I saw it laid faced down on the bed stand and I grabbed at it swiftly.

Shit! I cussed out.

Just after seeing the countless calls, and a message from my best friend......Diane.

“Where the hell are you Rissa? Did you forget your getting married today?”.

The wedding!

Ofcourse. How could I forget I was getting married today, as I quickly stumbled out of the bed, steadying my wobbled legs on the floor. I straightened out my crumpled clothes, picked up my remaining items and dashed out the door, closing it behind me as I head out into the bustling street to flag down a taxi.

All I could do was pray I didn't do anything stupid last night I was bound to regret.

******************

Standing in front of the full length mirror, my breathe hitched as I looked at my reflection. The dress I had taken my time to pick out months ago looked breathtaking as I grinned in admiration of how it hugged my body, accentuating my curves perfectly.

My hair was styled elegantly, framing my face, as the veil rested gently over my head. And for a moment I felt like royalty.

Today was finally my wedding day.

A day I had looked forward to and dreamt of, ever since I was a little girl who grew up watching Disney princesses get married to princes. And in a couple of hours I too would be saying “I Do!” to my own prince charming.........Eric Gonzales, my fiance, the love of my life and soon to be husband.

Eric and I met in college. He was what most people called a “social butterfly”.

Hot. Drop dead gorgeous. Rich and a ladies magnet. Seeing how ladies always fought for his attention.

While I on the other hand, was the opposite attraction. A nerd, a geek, and super introverted.

So imagine the shock factor when people heard we were going out. I too couldn't believe it at first, because how did a girl like me, land a billionaire prince like him. Brooklyn's most eligible bachelor.

Crazy right?

Most people assumed we wouldn't last up to a month. Two weeks tops they said, but we beat all the odds and would soon exchange our vows in front of our friends, family and possibly the whole world at the alter.

Just thinking about it made me feel excited and nervous at the same time, as my fingers fiddled with the helm of my dress.

“You look stunning Rissa”. Diane's voice interrupted, pulling me from my thoughts, as she stood in the doorway of my bridal suite, her eyes gleaming with joy.

Diane was my best friend since childhood and college sorority sister. We had been through every phase of life together, the high and low moments.

Heck, we even shared the same dream of getting hitched at 22 and here I was being the first to fulfill our aged long dream, with Diane as my maid of honor. I couldn't have envisioned it any other way.

“Eric’s jaw is going to drop, just seeing you walk down that aisle”. she proudly enounced, now stepping into the room, inspecting the dress, giving me one final once-over as she adjusted some loose ends to perfection.

“Thanks Dee”. I replied showing my appreciation, as I flashed back a smile through the mirror, while she stood behind my frame.

“But don't think your off the hook just yet. What really happened last night?”.

“I should be the one asking you that. After I excused myself to use the loo last night, by the time I was done and returned back to the table, you were gone. Hence why I kept blowing up your phone the whole night because I was worried something bad happened to you”. Diane admitted, with worry evident in her voice, as well as her countenance.

“Where did you go last night?”. she inquired, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her about the events of this morning. Waking up in a strange place and my suspicions of being drugged by one of my bridal party guests.

Diane was my homegirl, but some secrets were better left unsaid. And so I brushed it off by assuring her I was alright.

“I’m fine Diane, I just felt too tired and decided to go home. That's all”. flashing back a half hearted smile.

Her eyes searched my face, checking if I was telling the truth and truly okay like I claimed.

“Are you sure Rissa?”.

“Yes Diane, don't worry. Can we please go now?”. I reassured her again, just before we set out to the church for the ceremony.

*******************

As we safely arrived at the church premises, the wedding arrangements were already in full swing. Guests trooped in, and in no time the church was filled to an enormous capacity.

Exotic flowers were arranged into beautiful patterns and the pianist played the classical wedding march soft music in the background. Members of the press, media houses and paparazzi were already on standby, camera ready to document what the world considered a New York love story. The atmosphere was thick with excitement and anticipation.

My father........a tall, handsome figure, walked beside me with a proud smug on his face, as he firmly held onto my arm, while guiding me down the aisle, approaching the alter.

With each step, my heart hammered against my rib cage, as a nervous sensation surged through me. And it wasn't because of the empty seats, where my mother and sister were supposed to be seated at..... probably running late or the vacant seat of Eric's father who I would be meeting for the first time at the after party, since he was out of the country on a business trip.

But because Eric........my fiance, was nowhere in site, where he should have been standing at the alter awaiting my arrival. As an unsettling feeling gnawed at my chest and twisted knots formed inside my stomach.

When I pictured what today would look like, it never involved me standing here, alone at the alter, humiliated, as the prying eyes of guests etched at me like daggers and hushed whispers rose amongst them, with the collective gasps of disbelief. And worse, the whole world was watching this LIVE on every local news channel.

Minutes passed by, as the tension in the air grew rapidly. My eyes flickered momentarily at my father, whose face was visibly masked with concern and worry.

“Are you certain your groom is still coming?”. the priest asked, pulling me out of the storm that brewed inside me.

My gaze darted to the wall clock, and Eric was now unjustifiably late.

“Yes, he will. He will definitely be here”. I responded, with a forced smile stretched across my lips, masking my embarrassment, and holding on to the remaining glimmer of hope I had.

Maybe he was running late due to traffic or because he probably slept in.

Those were the lies I fed myself, as a possible explanation to why he was M.I.A on the most important day of our lives.

I glanced back at Diane, whose face conveyed a mix of emotions, but it was something in her eyes that made me realize there and then, I was holding on to nothing but air........an empty void.

How could Eric do this to me? and on our wedding day?. I desperately pondered. But I wasn't going to stand here and do nothing. I needed answers and I was going to get them.

So I held up my gown, came down from the alter and frantically dashed towards the doors, as I made my way through the flashed camera lights blinding me, and the relentless questions of reporters who swarmed around me like vultures, with Diane chasing right behind me.

“Wait, Clarissa where are you going? Stop!”. her voice thundered the question, but I don't stop.

Getting to the main road, I flagged down a taxi to take me to Eric's lakeside house, we planned to move into after the wedding, as I hoped to find him there.

“I need to do this Diane, I need answers”. I screamed back, but the rest of her words were drowned out by the roared sounds of the engine and my burning rage.

********************

As soon as I arrived at the house, I pushed my way through the towering doors, letting myself in.

“Eric! Where are you?”. I shout out. But a deafening silence loomed over.

Too quiet. Too still.

Suddenly I hear faint, moan sounds coming from the bedroom upstairs, as my breathe caught in my throat. I made my way up the stairs, through buckled knees and choked sobs, uncertain of what I was about to walk into.

As I got close enough, through an open crack at the door, there he was...... Eric, who was supposed to be at the alter, laid down underneath a woman who passionately straddled him, with her hands gripping his shoulders, as her body rocked back and forth in a circular motion, throwing her head back in pleasure. While their moans of undeniable ecstasy filled the rooms atmosphere.

The mere sight of them froze me in place. Like the ground fell out from under me.

The woman's back was turned to me, but from her features and the sounds she made, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I knew her.

The blood rose hair. The voice.

The butterfly tattoo on her back……..and then it hit me like a slap to the face.

“That’s my sister”.