𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Sixty Two ~

"Wait... you mean to tell me that this douchebag skipped your concert so he could sleep with another girl?" Victoria gaped as Dusk let her in on the details of the failed romance. "Mhmm," she could only answer as she focused on the road. "The audacity! Now, I really want to see him burn!" Victoria scoffed.

"As much as I'd love to host another Sebastian barbeque, I have something else in mind for him," At the next red light, Dusk hit the brakes and reached her hand between the empty cupholders, grabbing two pieces of paper containing a map and the vineyard's address. "Can you do me a favor and navigate, please?" the raven asked. "I'm not good with these maps, but I can sure try," Victoria offered, taking the papers from her friend.

The redhead's pointer finger trailed the paper as she figured out their current location. And within about ten to fifteen minutes, the two women had pulled into the parking lot just outside the venue. The time on the console now read 5:34 pm, meaning they had less than half an hour before the bride was due to walk down the aisle. The two women unbuckled their seatbelts and got out, walking up the wooden stairs leading to the entrance.

But Dusk stopped, realizing a staff member was checking off the names of guests on his clipboard. "What's wrong?" Victoria questioned, noticing her friend's worried look. "We're gonna have to find another way in," She whispered, gesturing to their current obstacle. Victoria's lips formed into a tight thin line as she went deep into thought. Her gaze darted around the front of the property, and just as the string lights automatically turned on, Victoria got an idea.

There seemed to be no way around it, with a few more staff walking around, seemingly patrolling the area. Out of the corner of Vic's eye, she saw the outskirts of some woods that led behind the vineyard. Maybe we can sneak in that way! Without warning, Victoria grabbed Dusk's wrist, leading her into the endless evergreen.

At first, Dusk was confused but quickly caught on. They took off their heels before stepping over the hedges, walking past the nearly 10–15-foot trees. The pine needles pricked at their feet, making the raven mutter incoherently to herself. She always hated the woods and anything to do with them. Dusk often heard horror stories of people being killed or having their bodies thrown in there, and the thought of that happening to her or someone else was most unsettling.

Another ten minutes had gone by and they finally broke out of the woods, stepping onto the white gravel, leading to their destination. Dusk and Victoria smoothed out the wrinkles in their dresses and put their shoes back on. "Hey, Dusky?" Vic spoke up. As Dusk turned around, Victoria reached into her dark locks, pulling out a few stray pine needles.

As they walked past the last leaf-covered wall, dozens of white wood chairs were lined up, some with people already sitting and waiting. More string lights wrapped around the archway covered with white flowers. The minister stood in the middle, the groomsmen and Sebastian were also present, talking amongst themselves.

The women sat in one of the middle rows, and they could hear the start of the wedding anthem. One by one, five girls wearing sage green gowns walked down the aisle with smiles. Dusk held back the urge to vomit, as the color did not look good on any of them. There was no doubt in her mind that Sebastian coerced his fiancée into dressing those girls like that.

FLASHBACK BEGINS...

"What do you think we should do about the color scheme?" Dusk asked, looking through different inspiration boards she had compiled on her phone. Some ranged from a mix of pink and black to dark blue and gray. For the most part, the wedding planning was going smoothly, as they already picked out a caterer, mixologist, and venue for their engagement party and wedding.