Chapter 4 Revenge

• They arrived. Calvin stopped behind a black car. At the door of the church stood two men in suits on each side. They were both wearing sunglasses, hands folded below their bellies. With their glasses, she could still feel their gaze on her.
• One of the men at the door stretched out an arm to stop her from entering the church.
• They didn’t speak to her, their lips tilted in a grim smile. Everything in her head yelled at her to turn back and join her brother. It wasn’t too late. But she ransacked her bag for the invite Calvin gave her and offered it to the man on her left. He took a long look at it and nodded. The man on the right opened the door, and she stepped into the church. The doors shut behind her, and her heart drummed faster.
• Why did she feel like she had walked into a death chamber she willingly signed up for? No one turned as she padded to a seat at the back. The priest’s voice from the altar dragged her out of her thoughts, and she remembered her reason for coming here.
• Revenge.
• Thankfully, Camilla was right in time.
• Bile flooded her mouth when she spotted Vanya at the altar with his bride. They were both wearing white. His bride had a veil over her face, so Camilla couldn’t see her face, but she pitied the poor woman. If fate was on her side, the woman would use this chance and dissolve the marriage. A cheater deserved to be alone and miserable.
• The choir sang at appropriate points, but for the most part, an instrumental played in the background. Surprisingly, no one turned in Camilla’s direction, and she used that chance to observe them. The men were all frowning, their profiles rigid. Vanya didn’t have a best man or men in suit with him, while the bride had a group of six ladies behind her. So, he was a one-man squad, huh? This would make her job easier.
• As the ceremony continued, Camilla perked up when the priest started on the question she had waited for. His eyes roamed the church hall as he asked, “If there’s anyone here who has a reason these two shouldn’t be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever remain silent.”
• Camilla said nothing. Oh, she had much to say, but she wanted them to relax. If she remembered correctly, this had to be asked thrice. Most of the men in the church looked around with their menacing scowl. If Faye hadn’t come to her room crying, their scowls might have frightened her.
• “Once again,” the priest stated. “If there’s anyone here who has a reason these two shouldn’t be joined together, please speak now, or forever hold your peace.”
• Camilla stood. “I do.”
• The instrument in the background stopped. A sharp gasp passed through the front of the church as her voice carried. There were elderly women in the first pew, and all of them spoke to each other at once. The scarf on one of them fell to reveal grey hairs. Her grandmother would have a heart attack if she ever found out about this stunt, but it was too late for her to back out.
• “Bozhe moy,” one of them cried out.
• “Kto ona?”
• Another woman placed her hand on her chest and said, “Svyataya Bogoroditsa.”
• When no one said anything more, Camilla stalked to the middle of the church. The red rug muffled her footsteps as she cat-walked to the altar and stopped before the couple.
• Shock passed through Vanya’s face, and she hid a smile. He blinked fast, as if expecting her to disappear. But too bad for him. She was real and here to make him pay.
• The priest wiped a bead of sweat on his forehead. “Are you sure, young lady?” he asked. “Perhaps you misheard the question? Do you want to put a stop to this?”
• Fear leaked into his voice. That should have been Camilla’s sign to leave, but she had never been the most logical McKenna.
• “Yes, I do, father. I’m certain of it as I am of this child he has put inside me,” Camilla stated, her voice louder than before. She grabbed the fake pregnancy test in her bag and slapped it against Vanya’s chest. The next thing that followed was yanking the ring she bought herself a few days ago from her middle finger and tossing it at Vanya’s feet. “You propose to me. You impregnate me, and then you want to get married to someone else? You are cruel.”
• Camilla didn’t have to force herself to sound angry. The anger that seeped into her words was genuine. She was hurting for her best friend.
• Spinning to face the stunned bride, Camilla said, “If you will go through with this wedding, at least know the kind of man you plan to spend the rest of your life with. Know that you’ll be sharing your time with him and our kid. Is that what you want?”
• Not satisfied with that, she turned back to Vanya, slapped him, and said, “Bastard.”