Before The Dawn

1 - The First Threshold

The sound of the car engine on the cobblestone road seemed sharp in the silence that hung between them. Emmy watched the trees rush past the window, becoming mere blurs before her eyes.

Logan had been driving for almost four hours, and she felt her husband's words weigh in her stomach as they approached the house at the end of the road.

"It's a family tradition that has been around for many years; it will soon end."

Her husband dodged her questions, and his expression changed whenever Emmy asked him about the family custom. His jaw clenched, his eyes averted from hers, and his posture stiffened.

They maintained the tradition that, after the marriage of one of the Fairlyn family members—man or woman—the couple was invited to spend their first night at the parents' house. Emmy didn't understand the meaning of the tradition, and doubts about what the night would be like lingered in her mind.

But she felt that refusing the visit to Victoria and Lucio Fairlyn's house was not an option.

Although Emmy and Logan had known each other for five years, her in-laws were not a constant presence in their lives. On the rare occasions when they were in the same room, the young woman felt out of place next to her husband's parents.

Victoria seemed to see her as nothing more than an inconvenient piece of furniture in her way, giving Emmy the feeling that perhaps her mother-in-law did not consider her good enough for her youngest son.

Lucio spoke to her rarely, and from their first meeting, Emmy appreciated the fact that they were not exactly present in Logan's life.

The car approached the large iron gates, with their tall, ornate railings in an aged golden hue. The wall was low, made of irregular stone blocks in shades of gray and moss. Traces of undergrowth and dampness were visible throughout its length. Plants sprouted from the smallest cracks in the blocks, indicating years of exposure to nature.

On either side of the gates stood a pillar, crowned by two ornate and equally ancient urns. Below them, crosses decorated with arabesques, ending in two ascending spears, reinforced the classical air of the building.

The gates were open, almost like an invitation.

Or a challenge for anyone who dared to cross them.

Logan drove the last few meters along the stone path. Emmy kept her eyes fixed on the window, absorbing every detail before the car came to a stop.

The trees surrounding the house seemed to isolate them from the rest of the world, and she felt she would be gradually suffocated by that enormous house, far from civilization.

The car engine fell silent before the large dark wooden doors, and the absence of noise seemed to penetrate Emmy's senses, deafening her. Her husband removed the key from the ignition and leaned back in his seat. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

The woman's attention shifted from the window to meet his gaze, which gleamed with a fear she did not understand.

Her lips parted reluctantly, and she waited. The second that followed seemed endless, but then Logan looked away toward the window beside her. His lips closed again.

Whatever he was about to say caught in his throat, causing the frustration Emmy had carried since the beginning of this situation to settle even deeper within her.

She looked back at the window and saw a couple waiting in the doorway. One of the man's arms was around the woman's waist. The old-fashioned brown dress made her look beautiful, with her light brown hair pulled back into a pretty, messy bun, with a few loose strands at the sides. The black tailored trousers and white T-shirt the man wore seemed to clash with the vintage aura emanating from his wife.

Although they seemed like just an ordinary couple, something in Victoria's gaze and Lucio's coldness made Emmy's stomach churn.

And something about it all made her believe they knew.

Logan shifted in his seat and took Emmy's left hand, drawing her attention. Regret lingered in the man's bright eyes. What was Logan hiding from her?

He squeezed her hand tenderly and said in a low, almost restrained voice,

"It's just one night. Tomorrow morning we'll go home."

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. But she could feel the tension in her husband's body. In his gaze, in his posture—more rigid than usual—in his fingers, and even in his lips when he kissed her briefly.

She wanted to bombard him with questions and only let him get out of the car after he answered each one. But she knew he would avoid them, as he had done in all her previous attempts since the first time she had mentioned that family tradition.

She didn't understand the meaning of spending her wedding night with Logan's parents. They should be enjoying their honeymoon together, completely away from that house. They should be enjoying each other's company, because that moment was theirs, and they wouldn't have another opportunity like it.

There wouldn't be another wedding night, and they were not where she wanted them to be.

The couple chose to hold their wedding ceremony at sunrise on the beach of Sanibel Island, a celebration bathed in the mesmerizing colors of the rising sun, which enriched the photographs as it climbed into the sky. The ceremony was followed by a breakfast with various options and a lunch with a wide selection of food and drinks for all tastes. The decoration was elegant and discreet, adorning the tables with ornaments that made the beach even more beautiful.

Emmy could still feel the sand on her fingers and the seawater in her hair. She could still see the warm smile on Logan's lips when she closed her eyes. But it all seemed as though it had happened a long time ago; the image faded as new thoughts flooded her mind.

Victoria and Lucio had left after the ceremony, and when Logan insisted they stay at least until breakfast, they refused, saying they had things to prepare at home. The words were spoken with an intonation that Emmy easily perceived as laden with dangerous malice.

They said goodbye to the newlyweds with a brief "see you later" and exchanged smiles that made Logan tense every muscle in his body. But the tension faded as they spoke with friends and enjoyed all the options they had chosen for the menu.

But when they closed the car doors hours later to hit the road, the tension returned to Logan's body and followed them all the way to his parents' house.

He let go of Emmy's hand, and the young woman blinked a few times, pushing away the memories that were resurfacing.

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening the car door.

Just one night.

And then they could enjoy their honeymoon.

Words: 1119