Chapter 11 Samantha Brandon

• GENESIS
• Everyone stood up and watched him walk away without casting a second glance at me until he was completely out of the glass house. Then, all eyes turned to me.
• I blinked rapidly in attempts to push back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I held my flower as tightly as I could; I didn't want to cry. I couldn't afford to cry, not in front of so many people. But I could feel the pain rising in my chest; I could feel my heart racing, my nerves waking up like the darkness it was to claim me. I was so confused; I was hurt and devastated. It was my wedding, and of all the things I expected, what he did shocked me.
• I looked around the crowd for help; my eyes fell on Tiana first, then my mom and Mom Leona. They saw the look of helplessness in my eyes and immediately came to my aid before I would completely break down in front of a thousand people and cameras.
• Hours later, a driver drove me to a different hotel—the one I was meant to go to with my husband. Instead, I was driving there alone after bidding farewell to my family and loved ones. Mom Leona had said something urgent came up and he had to leave that way, at least that was what she explained to the press, but I knew that was a lie. I could still remember the way he stared at me, like a criminal. A dirty thing in front of him.
• I should have been happy about starting a new life as Mrs. Jordan Chase. I should have been in the car, holding his hand, or chatting about trivialities as we often did over the phone. I should have been nervous about our wedding night and our future together. But none of that happened. Instead, my husband abandoned me at our wedding and didn't return, even as night fell. I found myself driving back to the hotel alone, confused, and utterly heartbroken.
• As the car came to a stop, a guard opened the door. It still felt strange to be surrounded by so much security. Reluctantly, I stepped out and began walking, flanked by two security personnel. Most people bowed their heads in respect, a gesture that felt unfamiliar since I knew none of them. I was treated differently, all because I was a Chase. But was I truly a Chase, considering how Jordan left?
• The moment I pushed open the door to my hotel room and entered, I collapsed onto the bed, breathing heavily. I felt miserable, pained, and utterly frustrated. My world was crumbling, yet many envied the position of being Jordan Chase's wife.
• A single tear escaped my eyes, then another and another, until they fell like rain. I missed my family, I missed my friends, and I wasn't as happy as I expected to be on such a day.
• "Why did he leave?"
• "Where did he go?"
• "Did I do something wrong?" I kept asking myself so many questions.
• After crying for a while till I could cry no more, I picked up my phone and scrolled through the buzz of social media. My wedding was all anyone was talking about, and the comments were overwhelmingly positive. No one mentioned Jordan leaving his wife at the altar. They all seemed to think it was a perfect wedding and truly, at the beginning it was, but I wasn't so sure now. I couldn't even be certain that my life would be perfect from here on.
• "Maybe something happened. He must have had a good reason to leave me like that. He'll call and apologize, and everything will be fine," I told myself, clinging to a glimmer of hope.
• I had to hold on to hope. My marriage couldn't begin like this. But deep down, I knew I was being foolish. I stayed awake, waiting for his call as he had been doing for the past few days, but none came. I waited for a text, but nothing. As the night wore on, my hope dwindled, and I fell asleep alone and miserable on my wedding night.
• I woke up to a beautiful breakfast placed in front of me on the bed, and my heart leaped with joy immediately.
• "Maybe it's Jordan," I thought excitedly.
• My stomach rumbled in anticipation at the aroma of the food wafting through my nose, and I dug in without waiting to see who had brought it.
• "You must have been very hungry," I heard Mom Leona's voice from the door.
• My heart sank at the sight of her. It was Jordan I wanted to see, not her.
• "You...I..." I stuttered as I tried to come to terms with the fact that Jordan didn't bring the food.
• "Where is Jordan?" I asked instead, and the faint smile she had on her face disappeared.
• "He is not here yet," she said and came closer to the bed. Tears burned the back of my eyes once again, but I blinked hard to keep them at bay.
• "Come on, eat," she said and sat close to me on the bed.
• I stared at the food and didn't feel like eating anymore. My heart was heavy and confused; I didn't even know how I was supposed to react. Was I supposed to get angry? Or get sad?
• "Come on, you have to keep your energy," she persuaded me. I stared at her with sad eyes for a while, but I reluctantly did as she said and continued with my breakfast.
• While I ate, she stared at me, her eyes filled with pity and sympathy. It made me feel worse; I felt terrible.
• "Where is Jordan?" I asked her again, and she looked away.
• "Business trip," she simply said.
• "He left without uttering a word to me. I am his wife, am I not?" I found myself getting emotional again.
• "Yes, you are, my dear," she replied, taking my hand in hers reassuringly.
• "Jordan is just being Jordan. He will be back, and everything will be fine," she added. But her words gave me no reassurance. Her words gave me no feeling of hope and happiness; something wasn't right, and my confusion grew even further.
• "He didn't call or text. I don't think you are telling me the truth," I said truthfully.
• "Genesis. I also can't reach him, even Liam, his father, can't reach him. Maybe that's why he hasn't called or texted. It's going to be fine, I promise," she said and pulled me into a hug. I clung onto her like I would hold onto my mother if she were actually there with me.
• "You guys can come on in," Mom Leona yelled after a while and pulled away from the hug. Pretty young ladies with pink, sexy uniforms came marching into my room.
• "Who are they?" I asked her, and she smiled knowingly at me.
• "They are your honeymoon package. Yes, Jordan isn't here yet. But they will be in charge of you," she said, and I became more confused.
• "They will be your maids for everything. They can bathe you, feed you, shop with you, give you massages, manicures, pedicures. Anything you need them to do," she said, and a faint smile spread across my lips.
• I wanted my honeymoon to be on an island or a resort on an island. Not a honeymoon package with sexy girls.
• "Come on, get her bath ready," she said to them, and they scurried away obediently.
• "Genesis..." Mom Leona called out to me when they were out of earshot.
• "Can you do me a favor?" she asked, and my eyes met hers as I waited for what she wanted to ask for.
• "You know, you are a Chase now," she said and covered both of my hands with hers. I gave her a nod in acknowledgment.
• "You have to do everything to keep our name intact," she added.
• "That means you have to smile when you are sad, laugh when you want to cry, represent us as the only daughter-in-law of Liam Chase and keep your pain away from everyone, including..." she paused and stared at me.
• "Your family," she said, and I gaped at her.
• "You just have to be a Chase," she added, and I pulled my hands away from her angrily.
• "Really. I have to lie to my family, I have to pretend to be happy. I can't even tell them that my husband hasn't sent a text or called me after he left, huh?" I said, raising my voice a little.
• "I'm sorry, dear, but that's just the way it is. You would do anything to protect your family, wouldn't you?" she asked.
• "And that was why you agreed to this marriage in the first place. To protect your family," she paused and stared at me.
• "Same way you have to protect this family. You have two families now, and you have to protect us just as you would protect the other family you have," she said, and understanding dawned. I hated agreeing to what she had to say, but that was the truth.
• "Okay," I said to Mom Leona, and she smiled.
• "I was thinking you would travel out of the country, for the days he would be away at least," she added, and a wide smile spread to my lips.
• "Really?" I asked excitedly, and she chuckled.
• "You are a Chase now, you can do anything," she said proudly.
• "Now pick a country of your choice. I think I will appoint my P.A. to assist you while we go about searching for someone who can assist you do things. But for now, pick a country so we can get everything ready for you," she said, and I shrieked.
• I had never left my country, and all of a sudden, I had an opportunity to pick any country of my choice. Of course, I was happy; it was the first time I was genuinely happy after the wedding drama.
• "How about Italy, or Korea, or maybe Dubai... oh, wait, Paris. Every girl wants to go to Paris," I talked rapidly and she laughed.
• "Is Paris your final option?" she asked and I gave her a nod with excitement.
• "Paris it is. Now take care of yourself now, go shopping, talk to your family and by tomorrow you will be leaving for Paris, okay?" she said and I shrieked happily.
• "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I yelled.
• ‘And fuck Jordan.....for now,’ my thoughts said.
• SAMANTHA BRANDON
• ‘No, no, no, no, no... he didn't. He couldn't,’ I screamed at no one in particular when I saw the news of Jordan's marriage.
• He loved me, he wanted me. It's been so long, and he still wanted me. How could he have gotten married to someone else?
• My heart burned with rage at the thought of him with another woman. It had always been me, always. Since we were kids, through our teenage years, into adulthood. It was always me, just me, only me.
• ‘You should have accepted the proposal,’ I damned myself.
• But I didn't know he would go ahead and get married. I thought he would wait, remain single while waiting for me. Though I didn't want to marry him, I knew his secret, and I would be damned to be married to such a man. But I had him under my control; he loved me too much. Who wouldn't want a Chase, a Jordan Chase, to be their puppet?
• And that's why I was so pissed when I heard about the marriage. I smashed my phone on the table, kicked my legs, and groaned in frustration. I used my hands to ruin my hair completely. If he had a wife, then I would mean nothing to him. I would lose him.
• I regretted rejecting the first proposal, and then the second. I regretted everything because at the end of the day, I lost him.
• I turned to my couch and looked around the mess. I had completely ruined everything, yet I was still raging inside. I thought about going out to a bar or club to dissipate the anger and disappointment I felt at the news of Jordan's marriage when my doorbell rang. I groaned and ignored it. There was no way I was letting someone into my house when it was in such a state. But whoever it was didn't go away; the doorbell kept ringing until I'd had enough and angrily stormed to the door.
• "Are you dumb? Can't you..." I shut up the moment my eyes met his cold, brown gaze, staring angrily at me.
• "Jordan..." I whispered, feeling warmth spread through my body as I inhaled his cologne. My skin tingled with excitement and lust. But I brought my mind back to reality. He was angry. His eyes were cold, capable of tearing me apart. Secondly, he was standing at my door when he was supposed to be on his honeymoon. That said a lot. It said everything I needed to know. Tears welled up in my eyes immediately, and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him as if my life depended on it.
• "How could you? You left me. You got married. How could you?" I cried miserably with my arms around him. I felt his muscles relax a little .
• "I almost died when I heard the news. I almost lost it. Jordan, I thought you were mine, and I am yours. How could you?" I cried harder, shaking violently, making sure my words sank and melted his icy heart.
• He said nothing. He was always a man of few words. But there was progress. I held him tightly, crying harder as the minutes went by. Then I felt his hands move from his sides, gently wrapping around my waist.
• "You broke me again... you declined my marriage proposal," he said, and an idea struck me. I pulled away from his arms and looked up at him, making sure I looked as confused as I could ever be.
• "What marriage proposal?"