Their Wife

Chapter-34

Two years three weeks ago

Dread. Fear and anxiety. I was fidgeting when the wedding planner showed me something on her phone. My vision was unfocused but I could make out a beautiful beachside view with a beautiful sunset. I did not know what I was doing here, or why I was here, I shouldnʼt be here knowing what fate awaited me, yet I couldnʼt brought myself to disobey Papa.

We were in our living room, Tobias by my side and Scarlett flipping through the magazine pages. A young woman in her late twenties sat in front of me, her skin porcelain and her auburn hair tied up in a professional sleek bun matching the Ruby studs and contrasting the black blazer skirt suit.

"How is it? Do you have anything in mind? A particular colour theme or venue?"
My eyes lowered to my hands to find them shivering, pulling the sleeves of the sweater I wore to my knuckles, I shook my head.

"No..." my voice came out barely audible. Tobias eyed me.

"Oh..." she exclaimed. "Then how about pastel colours, peaches and cream or Sage and white? You know what, I think forest green shades will suit your vibe the best, Ms Morris...." The woman whose name I assumed to be Tina, drawled. My body stiffened. Forest green. Bold and deep. Fierce and beautiful. The colour should bring tranquillity but in an instance, I felt heat crawling up my neck.

Ralph Romano.

ʻTomorrow at my house, promise me youʼll be there. ʼ His remorseless voice still echoed in my head. Oh god! What was I to do now? I couldnʼt leave. Papa had warned me to not leave the house till I was done with wedding planning. In the afternoon, I was to join Papa for lunch with Stefan.

My life had just become death, dread, and cruelty.

"....we can add Sage and pastel hues for decorations. The overall aesthetic of the wedding venue would be lively and soothing to the eyes. For the cake, I can suggest some flavours but it is better if you try them yourself first, sometimes the overall interior isnʼt as good as the exterior...."

After that dreadful day, the absence of Killian and Alexei only served to intensify the weight of George's death and continued to haunt my thoughts. The profound sense of regret and remorse I felt became an indomitable force, enveloping me in a suffocating shroud of heart-wrenching agony. If only I had made a different choice, if only I had not insisted on taking George with me that day.

My chest tightened with unease.

The haunting image of his lifeless eyes and the charred remains of his body plagued my every waking moment. It was as if my mind had carved a permanent, vivid portrait of that catastrophic incident. The memory, like a relentless echo, followed me wherever I went. But I knew, deep down, that constantly dwelling on the gruesome details would only serve to keep me trapped in a cycle of despair.

With a deep breath, I tried to push aside the haunting images, forcing myself to believe that there was no use in torturing myself with what happened. It was unyielding, persistent, this fierce determination to let go and focus on the present. Perhaps there was a solace to be found in the fading memories, in slowly learning to heal the wounds that had been inflicted upon me. But I guess otherwise.

Killian Schmidt and Alexei Volkov were deadly poisons.

"So, I think we are done for today. The most important things are sorted out, we can go through them tomorrow, I hope it's alright with you Ms Morris?" I was still in my thoughts when I felt a hand on my shoulder. My sudden reaction was to jolt as I flinched. Tina's eyes widened as she retracted her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't..."

"Yes, we can continue tomorrow. Thanks for your time." Tobias came to my rescue, carefully wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me to his side, rubbing my shoulders with his palm, calming me. Only he knew the dread I had been through and the suffering of this upcoming marriage.