"Do you trust me now when I said you look absolutely stunning today?" My mother whispered under her breath as she took my hand from my lap. I flashed her a weak smile.
It had been almost a month since the last time I met my parents and the first thing they had to say to me was how pretty and beautiful I looked in my wedding dress. There was no explanation, excuses— whatsoever. Everyone went on pretending that everything would be fine. Even my three brothers, who I was positive Papa had said something to. They remained strangely quiet around me.
When the limousine arrived in front of the church, my breath hitched. Blood began to drain from my face as I took Papa's hand and we got out of the vehicle.
"This is it." I heard Papa murmured under his breath and we began to walk inside, "I have never been more proud of you, London."
"Papa, please." I bit back my tears as we took our first steps inside the church. The big crowd rose at our presence, and loud gasps filled my ears. I fixed my eyes on the peony-centric bouquet in my hand as we slowly walked down the aisle.
An orchestra playing softly in the background, I closed my eyes and imagined this to be my dream wedding with the man I chose. That we loved each other deeply and that I could not wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
"Good luck, sweetheart."
At Papa's whisper, I looked up to see we were already at the alter. Papa gave my hand to Liam where he gladly took it and Papa lightly smiled. My heart raced as I took a step up to the alter and joined Liam. I could feel his glance burning a hole in the top of my head but I continued to keep my glance down.
The officiant then began his speech through the mic. It took him about two minutes to get through the introduction and thanked everyone for coming.
The wedding didn't feel real just yet but when the officiant turned to both of us and that was our cue to begin, it finally hit me.
"...I now ask you to declare your marriage vows." The officiant spoke to us, "Please face each other and hold hands."
Liam's hand found my wrist and he gave it a small tug, forcing me to look up at him.
"Groom, please repeat after me." The officiant said to Liam, "I, Liam, take thee, London, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward...."
As Liam continued on with his vow, my eyes darted quickly across the large hall. Every square inches of the place filled with people. The guests were looking right at us with proud smiles on their faces. My parents— well, they were holding hands. Mama even got teary eyes half-way through Liam's speech and Aden had to step up to comfort her.
My heart ached at the scene.
It was a fake marriage where everybody treated it as if it was real. Nobody had a single idea just how hard it was to be me. To stand there, faking happiness and faking my love for this man who was promising his life to me.
We didn't even know each other. At least not well enough to be stand there at the alter— holding hands.
"Bride, please repeat after me." I turned to the officiant and gave him a light nod in acknowledgment, "I, London Naomi Saint, take thee, Liam Alvaro Luciano, to be my wedded Husband"
"I, London Naomi Saint, take thee, Liam Alvaro Luciano, to be my wedded Husband"
I repeated after him. One words after another.
"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer."
"To have an to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer."
"In sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey. "
I bit the inside of my cheek, closed my eyes before I repeated bitterly.
"In sickness and in healthy, to love, cherish. and to obey."
"From this day forward until death do us part."
"From this day forward until death do us part."
A sigh escaped my lips as I finally finished my part.
"Groom, place the ring on Bride's finger and repeat after me." The officiant said, glancing over at Liam, "I give you this ring as a sign of my love."
"I give you this ring as a sign of my love." Liam said and slid the ring onto my finger.
"With all that I have, I am honoured to call you my wife from this moment until forever."
"With all that I have, I am honoured to call you my wife from this moment until forever."
Until forever. Well, I could only hope his forever would only last till tomorrow.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."
Every limbs of my body grew rigid under those words. Liam's hand made its way around my waist and he pulled me closer. My chest was pressing up against his hard one and that was when I finally forced myself to look at him. I tried pleading him with my eyes.
Kiss me on the cheek.
Or honestly, kissed me on the forehead even. Anywhere but not on the lips. I couldn't have my first kiss like that. Fake. Emotionless. No attachments and all was staged.
But when Liam reached up and placed his hand on the back of my neck, I gulped down a lump of few and heavily sighed. I opened my mouth to tell him directly as it seemed to me like he didn't receive my message earlier.
"Liam, I-"
Before I could finish my sentence, my eyes landed on Emma who was sitting among the crowd in the front row. With her gimlet eyes, she gave me a look of warning and mouthed to me in silent.
"Kiss him."
I squeezed my eyes shut when my head was titled back and that was it. Amidst a big round of applause and cheers—Liam Alvaro Luciano had kissed me.
He kissed me so passionately that it was impossible for anyone to think he was faking it. The way his lips synced with my lacking of movement ones was beyond me. He was professional. He knew exactly when and where to apply the pressure or used just the perfect amount of it. Not that I had kissed anyone before but how his lips moved so smoothly against mine, just tell me he was way far above the average.
For the moment there as we kept kissing, I could almost feel the sparks but it was quickly replaced with an awfully heavy feeling in my gut when we decided to pull away. Our eyes met.
His glance softened but mine darkened.
__________________
"London..."
"London...?
"London?!"
Lifting my head up from the toilet bowl, my trembling hand reached to the flush away my vomit before I rested my head back against the wall inside the bathroom. I was kneeling, knees to chest and my arms wrapped tightly around my legs.
"Dear- Oh my god, what happened?!"
I turned my head slightly to see Mama standing at the door way. The next thing I knew, my vision became blurry and warm tears flooded my eyes once again.
"London..."
"How could you do this me?" I sobbed and sobbed, banging my head back against the wall just to feel the pain, "How could you let him-"
A pair of arms wrapped themselves around me and pulled me closer. I buried my face into her chest and cried.
"I'm sorry, darling. I am so so sorry." She cried with me and we stayed in each other's arms like that for a while.
I was married. Officially and rightfully to the man I barely knew. If that wasn't enough reason for me to be crying in the toilet while everybody else was out there enjoying themselves at my party.
My wedding reception.
In the most beautiful backyard of the most gorgeous piece of land. The reception was flawless. Everything went as the way it ought to be except for one thing, and the very most important idea behind it all— I hated it.
Poor staffs, poor waitresses, poor all the guests who were hoping for the happiest bride and the wife of Liam Luciano. Beside getting to be around my family for one last time before I parted them again until only god knew when, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy a single moment there. My mind kept going back and forth between accepting whatever that was going to happen later tonight gracefully or forcefully.
Escape was no longer an option when Liam had ten of his men guarding all the exits and some more watching over me. From the second I set foot into that backyard where our reception was held, I got around with no less than two men tracking behind me. I changed into a new dress and a new pair of pumps. More comfortable and more practical.
But not the wrestling six foot tall securities in them kind of practical.
Maybe it was about time I shall accept my fate. That it's done. It's over. My life. Everything I had worked for up till today, only just to be his.
"Has he not been treating you well?" Was the first question Mama asked me as we broken our hug and she slowly pulled away.
"No." I answered, "But he didn't hurt me physically— just emotionally."
She placed her hand on her chest and heaved a breath in relief.
"I always know Kehlani raised her boys to be gentlemen." She said, lightly smiling, "So what's with all the crying, my love? Nervous? Fear? Perhaps, a little overwhelm for your honeymoon?"
I nearly choked at her words, "Seriously, mother?"
She looked away briefly, a bit embarrassed at my dispute.
"You scared me." She claimed, "For a second there, I- I thought Liam-"
"I beg of you. Please, don't finish your sentence." I said, patting my face dry with an old tissue I had in my hand previously, "I don't know what to do. Is it so bad that I wish Liam would just kill me instead?"
"Baby..."
"You don't understand, Mama. It's not like I did not try." I snapped at her, "I did everything. I tried to see things from your perspective and his but this is too much."
"I understand-"
"How could you and Papa sign the contract?" I asked and it was the second time that evening which Mama gave a hopeless sigh.
"He told you..." She murmured and automatically, I figured she was referring to Liam.
"Yes, he did." I snarled, "And it made me wonder what else you and Papa have been hiding from me?!"
I watched as Mama carefully wiped away her tears without ruining her make up. She licked her lips and chewed on them nervously before she began again.
And this time, it was much much more interesting.
"Dear, do you remember the day you called me and asked if your father owed Mr. Lucian money?"
"Y-yes." I nodded softly and a small part of me was expecting a truthful confession on everything they had done to my life to come after that but it didn't.
"It is what I told you. You know I would never lie to you to begin with." She revealed, "But, the whole story is not quite as simple."
"What do you mean..." I stared at her blankly.
"It's not the money your father owed Mr. Luciano. It's the matter of a trail." She admitted and my heart skipped two beats when the next few words rolled off her tongue, "Darling, your father— was convicted of murder."
Every limbs of me went completely still as I found myself in state of shock. My feet and hands turned cold yet, sweats were forming unstoppably. I looked down, brushed back the hair that had been fallen into my face while I searched my head for a word to give.
"W-what..." I gasped, my jaw dropped slightly ajar.
"The police suspected him for murdering someone but I know he has nothing to do-"
"Then how comes this happen, Mama?! The polices don't go around just assuming someone is or is not a murderer." I countered, "That is so not how it works!"
"London, do you trust your father?" She prompted.
Yes, I did. But not so much now that everything was becoming clearer. However, nothing would change the fact that he was my father.
The man gave birth to me. I could never not take his side.
"If Papa didn't do it, then we have to do something, Mama." I jeered.
Looking at me, Mama shook her head like what I said sounded totally stupid.
"As I said before, it's not that simple." Mama uttered breathlessly and fear caught in my throat, "Your father's gun was founded at the crime scene and it was proved to be the same one that used to kill that man."
At one point, I did forget how to breath really. Every parts of me went completely numb and it took me a big while to come back from that.
So, Papa. My papa had killed someone?
"Your father could be in jail right now if it wasn't because of Mr. Luciano. As of now, the polices only have the gun as an evidence." Mama added, "As of now, there's no other prof that your father was the killer and it will remain as that— as long as we and the Luciano family remain alliance."
"W-who is the man, Mama?" I found myself asking, completely dumbfounded. She looked at me and I looked at her, "Who did Papa kill?" I asked again, judging from the way she just zoned out staring at the wall, I was afraid she wasn't going to tell me the truth. Again.
But unlike any other times in the past, Mama made up her mind and thankfully, she did what she should have done a long long time ago.
Finally, she told me the truth.
"The man is Jack's father." Mama said, "Mr. Serrano."
So to sum everything up, my Papa didn't own Liam's father a single penny— but he owned him a life.
A whole person.