by S. G. Sonysa
When I stepped out of the car, my body started quivering, and to hide it, I clasped my dad’s arm. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, and we made our way inside the chapel. With every step I took to enter the chapel, my heartbeat accelerated to the point where I felt my chest would burst open at any moment.
Despite all the nervousness, I continued walking down the aisle towards the nave of the chapel where the priest and a man in black tuxedo were standing. I couldn’t see the man’s face because he had his back to me.
When I reached the center, my dad cleared his throat, making the man turn to me.
With my abnormally beating heart, I took the risk and glanced at him, freezing the moment my eyes landed on his face. The first thing that came to my mind was that this good-looking, almost perfect man was Chase Edwards. I stared at him, taking in all his features, from his straight nose to his perfectly crafted sharp jaw and the arrogance he had on his face. Then, my eyes went to the mass of shiny brown hair on his head. It looked messy like he had been running his fingers through it all day. Then my brown eyes connected with his sterling grey ones, which were filled with hidden anger and hate urging me to run away from him and this chapel with the intention of never coming back. I couldn’t fathom why a good-looking man like him would ever agree to marry someone like me who was plain and naive.
My dad nudged me, telling me to stand beside the man, but my legs were wobbly, making it difficult for me to make my way to him. A man in a dark blue suit patted Chase’s shoulder and murmured something in his ear, which in return made him clench his jaw. I was ready to lift my dress and make a run for it when Chase extended his hand towards me. I was caught off guard by his stunning looks again, and his act of giving me his hand for support. It made me think that maybe he would not abandon me like other people in my life did. My hopeful nature made me thought that maybe he would be different from other people and would always be there to support me whenever I needed him.
I extended my shaking hand and placed it in his, which was large and strong compared to my soft and small one. He grasped my hand tightly and pulled me towards him. His iron hold on my hand was hurting me. I forced myself not to hiss in pain. When I was beside him, he dropped my hand as if I had burned him. I was sure no one noticed his hostile behavior towards me, so I ignored it, feeling hurt I faced the priest.
The priest started saying something, but I wasn’t hearing him. My eyes were cast down, staring at nothing in particular but I was thinking hard about the consequences of this arranged marriage that I would have to face. I couldn’t change my mind now. If I refuse, my dad and granddad would be humiliated in front of these people and guests.
The priest’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.
“Do you, Hailey Watson, take Chase Edwards to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?” the priest asked.
His words sounded jumbled in my mind, but one thing was clear: He and everyone in the chapel were waiting for my answer.
I took a deep breath and mumbled softly, “I do.”
The priest’s head tilted towards Chase, who was standing beside me stiffly, his face set like stone.
The priest repeated the same lines to him. “Do you, Chase Edwards, take Hailey Watson to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part?”
“I do,” he said.
His husky voice made me shiver.
“Please exchange the rings,” the priest said, making me freeze.
I turned to see Emily with a small velvet box in her hand. A thick platinum band was snuggled inside of it. I picked it up with trembling hands and waited for him to extend his hand. When he extended his hand, I hastily pushed the ring onto his finger.
Chase had a similar band in his palm, but it had a tiny diamond in the center. I extended my shaking hand, allowing him to trap my finger in his strong grasp and slid the ring on harshly.
My hand dropped to my side, and Emily had a satisfied grin on her face. I didn’t know why she was suddenly so happy. Maybe it was because she was finally free or because she witnessed his insensitive actions and my pain made her happy.
The priest’s announcement pulled me out of my thoughts. “By the power vested on me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the priest said.
The simple word kiss made my legs wobble. I never thought about the part where I would have to be kissed by my husband. My heart was drumming in my ears because of my nerves. I had never been kissed before. Let alone stayed in the presence of a boy or a man for longer than a minute, other than my dad and granddad. The mere nearness of a stranger made me want to scream “bloody murder” and make a run for it.
I was proud of myself for remaining composed for so long in this chapel full of strangers, but the idea of a kiss turned my world upside down. I wanted to experience something beautiful: a kiss like the ones in the stories, but I was scared of my reaction, and I might embarrass myself in front of everyone. If he kissed me and I did something wrong, he might dislike me more. In the past half hour, I had already concluded that Chase Edwards didn’t like me at all, or maybe he was just angry because he was bounded by marriage at a young age. But whatever reasons he had, it was clear that he was not happy.
I took the risk of glancing around the chapel and saw everyone staring at us, waiting for us to do something worth cheering at after enduring the boring ceremony. I looked at Chase’s face, which looked torn between pushing me down and doing what everyone expected of us.
Suddenly he took a step forward, leaving a centimeter’s space between us and leaned his head down. I had been anticipating this moment since the first time I read how beautiful it felt to be kissed by your husband, but I was cursing myself for being so inexperienced and nervous at the same time.
I searched my mind for all the information I had learned from the romantic novels I got the chance to read a few months ago while hiding from the prying eyes of my librarian who forbade me from touching any book that wasn’t an encyclopedia.
I waited to feel his lips on mine with my heart pounding at a hundred miles per hour. But I never felt them because he had curled them in his mouth so he would avoid touching my lips. There was no kiss, just the presence of his mouth near mine. It looked like he was kissing me. His breath fanned over my cheek, and his jaw touched the side of my chin, but I just kept staring into his eyes as he did the same.
I would definitely hyperventilate from the closeness of his strong, hard body if I wasn’t too shocked and hurt by his actions. Everyone applauded, clearly missing what just happened between us. He moved away from me, breaking the eye contact while sending me a glare as if telling me to keep my mouth shut.
I felt an ache in my heart, making me want to cry. But I had to keep standing straight and pose like the happy newlywed bride I was supposed to be. I had long accepted that I was not made for love so I thought his rejection wouldn’t hurt me this much, but it did. I felt like he had reopened the old wound in my heart.
Afterward, we left the chapel, and I had to share the ride back home with Chase. He was busy typing something on his cell phone, ignoring my presence for the entire fifteen-minute ride.
My granddad was feeling generous, so he had arranged a very nice reception in our backyard. The celebration lasted for two long hours. The guests we invited were immediate family and friends: just a few of dad’s friends, and my uncle and aunts who were as happy as Emily to finally get rid of the freak.
After spending long hours watching other people dance and enjoy the celebration more than me, I was fed up and ready to bolt to my room upstairs. At that moment, my mom came to remind me that I needed to get changed out of my dress because I would be leaving in an hour for New York.
I was aware that I had to leave earlier than the rest because I
needed to meet Chase’s granddad to receive his blessing and show him that we respected his wish and fulfilled it. Mom came and helped me to my room because it wasn’t easy for me to walk up the stairs in my gown and heels. When I reached my room, I thanked my mom, and she left me alone.
I hurriedly stripped off my wedding dress and got changed into simple jeans, a loose black off-the-shoulder top that looked comfortable for traveling. Almost everything that I owned was loose except for my undergarments.
When I went downstairs after getting dressed, I noticed my bags were already in the trunk of the cab while Chase was standing there. He had also changed into simple jeans and a white shirt and was looking impatient.
I hugged my dad and granddad. They both placed a soft kiss on my head, making me want to cry, but I held back my tears. I loved my dad and granddad; leaving them felt more difficult than I thought. Despite all the harsh words my mom had thrown at me last week, I hugged her and kissed her cheek. Emily made no effort to hug me nor did I. Her eyes were full of hate as if she was cursing me as I slid into the cab beside Chase.
That day, I left my old self at my house with hope in my heart that I might make this new family love me. And I made a wish that hopefully Chase Edwards would be the first one to fall in love with me.
Chapter Four
The Beginning of Something New
Hailey
When we landed in New York, the driver was waiting for us outside the airport to take us home. He took the bag from my hand and put it in the trunk of the car. Chase got inside the car after dropping his bag on the ground for the driver to put in the back with mine.
I glared at his back for being rude to me then got inside the car. Chase stayed busy with his cell phone, avoiding me again. I stared at the tall buildings for a while then dozed off because of exhaustion from the wedding.
Next thing I knew, someone was shaking me brutally, making me groan and slap the hand on my shoulder away.
“Wake up! I don’t have time for this.” I heard an angry voice.
Groaning, I opened my eyes and found Chase staring at me in anger. In seconds, I was awake and out of the car. I looked around the neighborhood, and the beauty took me off guard. The beautiful two-story white house in front of me had a vast garden and gave out a peaceful and calm vibe.
Chase took our bags from the driver and made his way towards the house. I followed him like a lost puppy. Suddenly, he stopped outside the door and searched his pants’ pockets then pulled out a key. He unlocked the door and went inside without even bothering to invite me in.
I was hurt by the way he was behaving. I was not expecting him to accept me as his wife in one day, but he could at least welcome me in his house. It looked like my dream of happily ever after was not going to come true any time soon.
I could understand that he wasn’t ready for such a huge life change neither was I, but we had no choice other than to accept our fate. At least he should be thankful that he had spent twenty years of his life with his family who loved him and gave him the freedom to do everything. Unlike me who stayed cooped up behind the walls of my room and tried everything to feel accepted by my mom and this cruel society.
I entered the house and shut the door. When the lights were switched on, I gasped at the expensively decorated living room. Everything in the house looked extravagant and perfect.
I was pulled out from my daze when I heard Chase’s voice.
“Follow me. Your room is upstairs,” Chase said, making his way upstairs with our bags.
I nodded even when I knew he wasn’t looking at me and followed him upstairs. After the long flight of stairs, four rooms came to view. Passing by the first three rooms, Chase made his way towards the last room in the left corner.
He twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door. Then he stepped inside with my bags and switched on the lights of the room.
I stared at the room with my mouth agape.
He faked coughed to catch my attention. I turned to face him with the horrible blush gracing my cheeks in embarrassment at my shock.
“This is your room. The room on the right corner is mine,” he said, sounding irritated.
“Thanks for showing me the room,” I mumbled, looking down at my sneakers feeling scared to make eye contact with him.
He was quiet for a second and stared at me with narrowed eyes, making me look up.
“You’re welcome. Now I hope to catch some sleep. And if you want anything, don’t even think of disturbing me,” he said with a glare.
I nodded my head in a silent okay.
“Be ready at ten tomorrow morning. We need to go to the hospital to visit my granddad,” he said.
“Okay,” I mumbled.
He gave me one last lingering glance then left me alone in my room. I let go of my breath that I didn’t realize I was holding while he was here.
Why did he scare me so much?
Oh God! How was I going to stand in front of him and talk to him without cowering back in fright?
I shrugged my shoulders and took a quick glance at my new room. I realized that I liked it more than my old one. This room was large and beautiful than the one back at my home. The cream-colored walls and baby pink curtains were great in contrast. It was too girly for my taste but who was I to complain.
My eyes went to the very comfortable looking queen-size bed in the center of the room, calling me to sleep on it like a baby. But I decided to unpack first. I dragged my bag to the center of the room. After twenty minutes, I was done unpacking all the stuff that I brought here with me for tonight and placed everything in the closet.
My other stuff would be delivered tomorrow, so I didn’t have a lot of things with me. I just had some necessities and clothes in the bag, and it didn’t take much time to unpack.
I looked at the silk pajama shorts that my lovely half-sister put inside my bag with the note stating that I should show my fat body to my husband so he would divorce me. Good thing we were not sharing a room. I had no other option but to wear the pajama shorts if I didn’t want to sleep naked. I picked up my white tank top and shorts then made my way towards the washroom to take a shower.
The washroom was large and pretty nice with a white and pink theme. There was a large bathtub on the side inviting me in. Changing my mind, I filled the bathtub and lay inside feeling my muscles relaxing in the warm water.
After the bath, I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body, and another one on my head then put moisturizer on my body. When I was done applying moisturizer, I got changed into my undergarments then put my pajama shorts and a white tank top on.
I dried my hair with the towel because my hair dryer was something that I thought wasn’t important for one day and packed it with my other things that would be here tomorrow. And asking Chase for a hair dryer meant disturbing him and risking my life, so I had only one option, and that was to towel dry my hair.
I opened the window of my room and breath in New York’s air, which made me sneeze instantly. My eyes roamed around the neighborhood, for a few seconds I took in the beauty of other similar fancy large houses.
When I felt my eyes dropping, I made my way towards the bed then flung myself on it. The feel of soft silky sheets under me instantly made me fall into a deep slumber.
[In the morning]
I woke up to the loud banging on my door. It took me a few minutes to sit up on bed and recall where I was. When I heard an angry voice calling my name, I was up from the bed in seconds and running towards the door like my life depended on it or in my case it really did.
I unlocked the door and opened it to find Chase standing outside with a scowl on his face. I was breathless from running.
He opened his mouth to say something but stopped. His eyes moved up and down, staring at me from head to toe and his mouth opened then he closed it.
I was so scared of him, so instead of staring back at him, I averted my eyes.
The cold, chilly air came through the open window and made me sneeze. Ch
ase snapped out of the trance he was in and looked at my face. He clenched his jaw and opened his mouth again.
“It’s already 9:00 am. We need to leave in half an hour if we want to make a stop for breakfast before going to the hospital, so get ready.” He ordered with a glare.
I nodded not able to say anything to him.
Chase looked like he already showered. He was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans. His attire was casual, but just like yesterday, he managed to look perfect.
Wow! It was already a day, and he didn’t dispose of me last night. I was off to a good start then!
I closed the door when he disappeared from my sight and sighed in relief. Then my eyes landed on my night attire.
Bloody hell! He saw me in shorts! Would he divorce me now?
My mind told me to crawl under the bed and die there, but I was more scared of getting scolded again by Chase. I hurriedly went to the washroom and did my routine. Then I got changed into the first thing I got my hands on, which happened to be my black jeans and cream wool jumper. I put my hair in a ponytail then went downstairs to find Chase sitting on the couch in the living room. He was tapping on his cell phone, probably messaging someone.
I didn’t want to disturb him, so I coughed. He didn’t look at me, so I coughed again, but this time loudly.
“Do you have some contagious lung disease?” Chase asked me.
I stared at him in bewilderment then shook my head. Chase rolled his eyes at me then put his cell phone in the pocket of his black leather jacket and got up.
He walked closer to me, making me feel uncomfortable.
“Are you mute?” he asked me.
I shook my head, and he raised his eyebrows at me.
“No, I am not mute.”
“Then why were you coughing instead of informing me that you are ready to go?” he asked me.
My eyes widened, and I opened my mouth to explain.