And Then It Rained (Sequel to Rain Again; Stand Alone Book) (Completed)

Chapter Thirteen: The Wedding

"Dear, it's either your wedding that will erase that filth of a scandal you created or a new scandal that your late mother was a drug junkie and other vile things that will do it. I will cook up enough proofs to present the image of your mother as such, which would be enough for the media to believe that you've been traumatized since childhood because of your unerasable memory of your gone astray mother when she was still alive. Choose carefully, Victoria."

It was the final threat of Rex Davies that cut through all of Victoria's armor.

She could bear the blames, humiliation, and scandals, no matter how they scorched her from the inside out, but she could not bear the demolition of her late mother's name. Her mother's sacred memories were the only good thing in her life. Victoria would rather kill herself than let anyone mock them.

And so, she picked her poison. She picked the wedding.

Her last wedding dress was ruined entirely, receiving all kinds of rough treatment after she ran from Adi in the rain, dirt, and disasters. However, back then, the fashion counsel her father hired had the time to pick the correct one and customize that one according to her size and shape. 

But now, the stark white dress arranged overnight was so loose around her shoulders that the sleeves looked a little bloated and kept slipping off.

Her father's arm felt like the body of an anaconda as she had to slip her hand into the crook of his elbow.

Up at the altar, Victor was standing like a statue. His matt black coat had no special touch, giving him the look of yet another day in the office. He was turned towards the direction of the hall's entryway but was not sparing her a single glance. Perhaps, the wall behind her was a more appealing sight for him than her.

Not many people were in the hall where the function was taking place. Nonetheless, the few people present were all Victoria's side of relatives. Of course, her aunt and her viper son, Ricky, were present. No one came from Victor's side, apparently. She guessed he didn't inform anyone—friends or family.

The media and paparazzi were there, of course, not forgetting to click pictures of her when Victoria arrived with her father. Blinding flashes of wild clicks made Victoria snap her eyes closed instantly as she stepped out of the car. Yet, she had to pose for them following her father's strict gesture. The grand show was all for the cameras, after all. Also, most of the people present would have lost the motivation to act sane if not for fear of starting yet another scandal in front of them.

Victoria felt like a puppet. Agonizing, invisible strings were fastened around her limbs, pulling her in the cruelest direction. And a mad urge befell upon her—to resist it—to resist it with all she had.

As the bridal processional song started playing, she found herself unable to move.

This was a scene from her recurrent nightmare, which she often had to endure after running away from Adi.

At this exact point in time, her thrive to attain free will and need to obtain deliverance from the chains of rules and values her family had set around her feet faced tremendous backlash. Her dream to marry the man she would love crashed before her eyes.

What kind of evil game the heavens had played with her!

Seeing that she was not moving her feet, Rex detached his arm from her hand and slipped it over her shoulder. With a smiling face, he started to usher her forward, albeit with some discreet pushes.

There was no way to run, was there?

Her heart felt like it was shrinking as she reached the altar.