ASTRID'S POV
Cheers and glasses clicking fill the air.
I raised the glass to my lips, feigning a fake smile as the sound of clinking glasses echoed through the air.
Laughter and jubilation filled the room, but inside, I felt a storm raging within me.
This was meant to be the happiest day of my life, my wedding day with Ezekiel.
Yet, the weight of sadness and anger bore down on my heart, overshadowing any semblance of joy.
As I glanced around at the smiling faces, the well-wishes from friends and family, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of betrayal.
How could they not see the depression that consumed me? How could they celebrate a union built on lies and forced love?
Ezekiel's mother, with her radiant smile and comforting words, approached me, her voice filled with reassurance. "Astrid, my dear, you have nothing to worry about," she said, her tone dripping with false sincerity. "Ezekiel is a good man, and he will take care of you."
Her words rang hollow, failing to offer peace or ease my troubled mind.
How could she not possibly understand the heaviness that clung to my soul?
The room felt suffocating as I sat there, my heart pounding in my chest.
Doubt and fear consumed my thoughts, and Ezekiel's nature loomed large in my mind.
I felt trapped, like a helpless prey in his twisted game.
He held my lap secretly, making me flinch, "We're gonna have some fun later"
And my father joined him as he heard what Ezekiel said, "Don't worry, Ezekiel, you and my daughter will have a passionate and desperate night alone later in bed" And everyone starts laughing.
How can he even say that in front of his own daughter?!
I watched as my father called Thomas into the room, a sense of dread washing over me.
Whispers and murmurs filled the air, as people recognized him as the son of Eugene's mistress.
"Isn't he the son of the great whore, Magdalena? The Hesterian woman?!"
"Ah-huh! THE GOSSIPS ARE TRUE!"
A pang of sadness shot through my heart, knowing the judgment and prejudice he faced.
My father's laughter pierced the room, a cruel sound that echoed in my ears.
He didn't see Thomas as a person; he saw him as a pawn to be ordered around, a reminder of the scandal that had tarnished our family's name.
The pain in Thomas' eyes mirrored my own, a shared understanding of the injustice we both endured.
Our stolen glances spoke volumes, conveying the love and connection we shared.
But in that moment, it felt like an impossible dream, a love destined to be shattered.
I wanted to reach out, to hold him close and shield him from the cruelty of the world.
But we both knew it wasn't possible, not in this moment.
As Thomas obediently picked up the plates and began to walk away, my heart broke a little more.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched him disappear from sight.
The ache in my chest intensified, a deep longing mixed with the bitterness of the circumstances that kept us apart.
THOMAS' POV
As I walked away with the dishes in my hands, a heavy weight settled in my chest.
It felt like my heart was being crushed under the weight of unrequited love and the bitterness of my own self-perception.
In that moment, I couldn't help but feel that I was destined to be a mistake, forever unworthy of the love I so desperately sought.
I was even born a bastard, my father decided to go with another woman and leave my mother and I hanging.
Thoughts of Astrid consumed my mind, her radiant smile and the way her eyes lit up when she was happy.
I loved her with every fiber of my being, but it seemed like an unattainable dream.
No matter how much I tried to be better, to prove my worth, I couldn't escape the feeling that I would never be enough for her.
As I placed the dishes down, a mix of resignation and sorrow washed over me. If she was happy with Ezekiel, then maybe that was what she deserved.
Perhaps there was someone out there who could offer her the happiness and security I couldn't provide.
The thought tore at my soul, but I couldn't bear to see her suffer because of my own inadequacies.
Deep down, I knew that my self-worth shouldn't be defined by my past or the circumstances of my birth.
But the weight of societal judgments and the labels that clung to me like a scarlet letter made it hard to believe in a different reality.
It was easier to accept my fate as a mistake, to let go and allow her to find happiness elsewhere.
But for now, I would let her go, even though it tore me apart.
She's already married.
And I don't want to be the other man.
STAI LEGGENDO
Black Magic
Mistero / ThrillerA woman in the 19th century curses her husband with black magic, she doesn't know the exchange of that, it might end her whole bloodline.
