𝙑𝙞𝙭𝙚𝙣 || 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙧

Twenty nine.

With a nod, the priest granted the homewrecker access to say his piece before he excused them all from the building before it burnt down due to explicit language and the underlying infidelity. 

"Don't do this, Will. Not here. Not now."

Margo felt numb and the only thing her mind could comprehend was that her relationship with the majority of people in the room would only go drown the drain, but most importantly, if William admitted all of Ben's suspicions, she'd lose Ben forever and with the final conclusion that she wouldn't be able to live life without her daughter's father, she had to fight harder than she's ever fought before. Thus, she could not have both, no matter how badly she craved them. Today, right here, right now, she had to make a choice that would only destroy all in her catastrophic tactics. 

William, with sad eyes, glazed over Margo's beautiful form but when he turned to Ben, sheer distrust, treachery, and agony etched across Ben's face as though he'd been stabbed repeatedly in the heart and while William's fingers only twisted and turned in the hole which formed inside Ben's chest, he was about to reach for the organ, rip it out of him and tear it to shreds and toss it aside as though it held no meaning.

"I object to this wedding." William took the pressure and converted it into expression, and so, when he stood with his held head high for all to see, he continued. "As most of you probably think I'm selfish, just know that I did not intend on breaking apart this relationship. What I am guilty of, however, is falling in love with a woman who was mine from the start."

"Will-"

"No, Margo. Please, let me speak." William couldn't bare to absorb the pain from her eyes. "I know I'm not the typical older brother that is adorned and admired upon. I know that I have ruined this beautiful and sacred day, and so, for that, you can call me selfish. I have put my needs before theirs but from the very moment Margo and I met ten years ago, I knew there'd never be another quite like her."

After a brief pause, William persevered through the eerie atmosphere. "Not only did Margo and I find love at such a young age, she left me expectantly, and yeah, I'll admit it. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever been through, right up until I found out she and my brother were engaged and after that, I believed I'd lost her for good."

"You see, the problem is, my attachment for Margo grew stronger after we survived very difficult times together, and no, not only in the psychological sense. It may be legal for me to stop this lifelong commitment, but ultimately, my love for this woman has gotten in the way of almost everything I do."

"Forgive me, brother. I have broken your heart, embarrassed you and most importantly, I have let you down. None of this was meant to happen, but what did you expect? You picked at the bones of our dead relationship, did you really expect me to lose feelings for Margo the second you found them? You know how alluring she is, how captivating her mindset is but overall, you knew how deeply I fell for her, in the sea of tenderness and yet, you jumped in right after me. If you had any sense at all, you would have saved me before you foolishly dived in, head first."

William swallowed and fought through the tears. He unleashed havoc within two individuals and it hurt him to know he was the cause of their suffering, but he had to keep going. "There are many things I can say about Margo. From her beauty to her brains, to her grace to her strength. In every side I've seen, I've loved them all equally. But I can guarantee you, Ben doesn't know her quite the way I do, and quite frankly, I'm sure she's afraid to show him."

"Why should they get married if they don't know what they're signing themselves up for? And why should I let Ben take the one woman I've ever loved away from me? If anything, he's the selfish one. He watched me pine for her, calling her name out in my sleep for six fucking years, completely and utterly a wreck upon her absence and the minute she came back into our lives, he was trapped like bees to honey."

William then looked to Margo with a small smile. "As the guys would say, this is the Margo affect. Everything she touches doesn't turn to gold, rather it turns to ash, setting all those who's ever loved her on fire. But, like a phoenix, I'm ready to rise and, Margo, I'm not ready to move on. To watch you marry someone you don't love will be a waste. And Ben, to let you wed with the woman you don't know in great depth would be a shame, for she'll only break your heart. If you think about it, I'm doing you both a favour."

The next thing Margo knew, Ben had ripped himself out of the men's grip and he grabbed William by the back of the neck and with all his might, he trailed his brother up the isle.

In a panic, Margo ordered the audience to stay put and for her bridesmaids to take care of her daughter for the time being, and whistling to Pope, Frankie and Matthew, she picked the ends of her dress up, and in her heels, she frantically ran outside with the men on her trail, following the choruses of grunts, thuds and bones connecting against skin.

The tables had turned. William had let Ben pin him against the floor and land the first couple of punches because that's what he deserved, but then after awhile, he struggled to send blows upwards in their battle for Margo. Maybe Ben was the phoenix. After years of swapping his army and mixed martial arts career for that of a loving, caring father role, he resorted back to his old, savagery ways as he pummelled William into the earth without remorse.

Ben had been blinded by fury and the only thing he could hear was the begging and pleading below him. William thrashed under his legs which were bend over his torso and this position gave Ben the upper hand and allowed him to beat his brother until his face gushed with blood to leave him with broken features and bruises.

With the arms that pried between them, Ben latched himself against his brother and continued to connect both his fists with any feature that came into sight. He was seething and with his face glistening red with fury, his eyes tore into William's, both asking one another how they could be so cruel.

When the men managed to rip them apart, Ben and William grunted, their chests heaving up and down with rapid, heavy breaths and when they looked to the woman that came between them, her face was unreadable with their standoff. Her eyes flickered from one to another, no invitational smirk present. 

Either way, Ben was going to win. With his work experience that demanded high physical agility, he was a born and bred fighter, to which Margo admired and took the initial liking to. The way his body glistened with sweat after his vicious attack, his hair dishevelled and his blue blazer scattered along the ground, beside the tie off his ripped shirt, just inviting him to wrap the fabric and end William's legacy once and for all. He was prepared to kill.

On the other hand, blood trickled down William's nostrils, temple, eye sockets and mouth. He panted and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't have the nerve to look to Benny nor his friends once more. He'd destroyed his relationship with most of the people he's ever cared about but after staring back to Margo, maybe he'd lost her too, and if so, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"There's a time and a place and this is not it."

"Mar-"

"No, William." Her voice on edge, warning him to stay in line. "How dare you? In front of our friends, our family and our daughter, how fucking dare you try to come between us!"

Still short of breath, he was mourning. He was going to lose her. "There was no other way. If you went through with the marriage, I would've lost you forever and I-I can't deal with that. I-"

"Save your breath. I've heard enough." With her eyes tired, William's heart faltered. "The damage has been done and I never want to see your face again."