Chapter 2 The Wedding Day

• The day Eve had been eagerly anticipating had finally arrived. Her wedding day. She had difficulty to close her eyes all night. She felt anxious yet happy because, in a few hours, she would become the wife of the man she had loved for almost five years.
• The bright sun shone through the dusty window of her attic room. She woke up to the chirping of birds and the scurrying of mice running out from under the bed.
• “Good morning,” murmured Eve. It had been a long time since she didn’t feel disgusted by the presence of those mice.
• Eve rubbed her eyes, still feeling sleepy and slightly dizzy. She grabbed a towel from the towel rack near the door and opened it, descending the spiral staircase to the bathroom.
• “It’s not good for a bride to wake up this late.”
• Eve turned and found her stepmother, Berlina, standing in the kitchen doorway. She handed her an apron and a spatula. “Get breakfast ready. We need to leave for the venue as soon as we can.”
• Eve furrowed her brow. Her hand clenched beside her, refusing to accept the items from Berlina. “But I’m the one getting married today. I should be the one leaving for the venue first.”
• As if deaf, Berlina ignored Eve’s words. She threw the spatula and apron at her face and then turned to leave. “Breakfast should be ready by the time your sister and I finish showering.” Then she glanced over her shoulder. “You know what will happen if you don’t obey.”
• Another reason why Eve had to be careful around Berlina. Because she had locked up Fisco, her and her father's beloved dog. Berlina threatened to kill Fisco if Eve dared to defy her.
• With a long sigh, Eve headed to the kitchen and began preparing breakfast for her stepmother and stepsister.
• Two hours later, Eve finally arrived at the venue where her wedding was taking place. Her friend, Gloria, was pacing back and forth with her phone pressed to her ear and a worried expression. She widened her eyes and ran towards Eve as soon as she saw her old car entering the parking lot.
• “Eve!” she exclaimed, then stretched out her arms and hugged her. “I thought you weren’t coming! I was just about to think you changed your mind and called off the wedding and ran away!”
• “Gloria, please,” Eve rolled her eyes. “There’s no way I would do that. Marrying Mason is my ticket to freedom and happiness.”
• “Are your stepmother and stepsister causing trouble again?” Then, realizing it wasn’t the time to chat, Gloria dragged Eve into the building next to the main hall. It was the building for the wedding couple and their family to get ready. “Come on, hurry! The makeup artist has been waiting for you!”
• Since she rarely got to go out with her coworkers for dinner or spend time hanging out with anyone, Eve didn’t have many friends. Gloria was the only friend she had since her teenage years, who remained loyal to her, caring for her like her own family. She was also the only bridesmaid today.
• After finishing with makeup and hairstyling, Gloria helped Eve put on her wedding dress.
• “Genieve, you look stunning!” exclaimed Gloria as she adjusted Eve’s wedding dress to make it look fuller for the photoshoot.
• Eve glanced at the full-length mirror beside her and smiled. She was indeed beautiful, like her mother.
• This dress was a replica of her mother’s wedding dress, which was intentionally removed by Berlina after she heard Eve was getting married. Fortunately, Eve had kept a photo of her parents’ wedding so she could make a replica of her mother’s wedding dress.
• The photographer took pictures of her from various angles. Eve couldn’t stop smiling. All her frustrations from this morning, caused by her so-called family, slowly faded away.
• Less than an hour before she would meet Mason at the altar and they would pledge to spend their lives together. Her heart pounded as she waited for each passing minute. Gloria accompanied her, chatting to ease her nervousness.
• The makeup artist and hair stylist checked her appearance once more, and she heard her phone ring.
• A video message from an unknown number.
• At first, Eve didn’t want to open the video, but when she read the text that followed it, she was stunned.
• Look what your fiancé is doing on your wedding day.
• Instantly, Eve’s stomach churned. With trembling hands, she played the video, and her body stiffened.
• No. This couldn’t be.
• Eve dropped her phone to the floor as she jumped up from her chair.
• “Eve, what happened?”
• Eve ignored Gloria’s question. She ran out of the room, and down the hallway to Mason’s preparation room. Without knocking, she flung the door open. No one was there.
• For a moment, she thought the video was just a prank. A video showing her stepsister, Tatiana, giving Mason a blowjob in the bathroom.
• The bathroom.
• Eve’s eyes darted towards the closed bathroom door. She approached it, her hand reaching out, momentarily pausing at the doorknob.
• Then she opened it and muffled a scream at the horrifying sight behind it.
• “E-Eve??” Mason stared wide-eyed and immediately pushed Tatiana, who was kneeling in front of him. His pants were slipping down to his thighs, and white fluid stained Tatiana’s lips.
• “Hi, sis.” Tatiana grinned, wiping the fluid from her lips and licking it. She casually stood up while Mason quickly pulled up his pants.
• “Eve—” Gloria, who followed her, was shocked to see what Eve saw. “What the fuck—”
• Anger burned through Eve’s entire body. Her chest felt incredibly tight she couldn’t say anything. Tears and screams of rage welled up in her throat, threatening to burst out at once.
• “Eve… I can explain—”
• Eve glared at Mason. She approached them and slapped them both in turn. “Next time, lock the door,” she growled.
• She turned to leave, but she wasn’t satisfied yet. So she turned back and kicked Mason in the groin until he screamed in pain and doubled over.
• “You bitch,” she hissed at Tatiana.
• Tatiana just stared back at her, shrugging. “He likes it,” she said. “And I’m gonna tell Mom that you slapped me.”
• “Fuck you.”
• Eve half-ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door so hard it swung open again.
• “Eve, wait.” Gloria ran after her to the parking lot.
• From there, she could see the wedding guests seated neatly in front of the altar.
• There would be no wedding. There would be no happy future for her and Mason.
• And as she realized that, her sobs exploded with a heartbreaking sound.
• *
• “Is that job offer still available?”
• Eve nodded, thanking Gloria, who handed her a warm cup of tea. After the incident earlier that afternoon, Eve didn’t go back to her home. Through the wedding planner, she announced that the wedding was canceled, and then she stayed at Gloria’s apartment.
• She couldn’t go back home and see Tatiana’s face without remembering that disgusting incident.
• Brandon’s cheerful voice came through the phone. “Of course, Eve!” he replied. “Thank goodness I hadn’t offered the job to anyone yet. I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”
• “You know I didn’t really change my mind,” Eve murmured sadly. “I just... need a distraction. I have to leave this country for a while.”
• “I’m sorry,” Brandon said. “But you do deserve a man much better than Mason.”
• “Thank you.” Hearing Mason’s name made her heart ache, and she teared up again. “When do I leave?”
• “You get your passport ready?”
• “Of course.”
• “Because you came with a special invitation from the most powerful person in Servaxia, you can leave tomorrow.”
• “Great,” Eve nodded. “That’s really great.”