Alva's POV.
The shouts were audible from her room where Alva sat that morning and she tried to block out the sounds. She had a painting brush in her hand and a painting weasel in front of her on which she drew the portrait of a woman she knew by heart.
"Madison!"
"What?!, why should I be the one to do it? I still have my life to live!"
"I know, but this is only for a year, then it would all be over."
"Doesn't matter. Alva should do it. It's not like she's contributing anything to this family or doing anything for a living. All she does is draw some stupid painting and leech off us. She should do this!"
"Fine, but I..."
"I'll ask her for you,"
Alva sighed as she heard them shout, she had absolutely no idea what they were talking about or why they were mentioning her name but she knew it couldn't be a good thing, not to talk of the way her sister's footsteps pounded to her room. The door banged open, startling Alva and she stared at her elder sister who stood in the doorframe, "Madison?"
"You're getting married tomorrow," she blurted, ignoring the question in her eyes.
"Wait what?"
"You heard me. You're getting married tomorrow, so you had better get prepared."
Her father walked in at that moment looking stern like he always did and behind him followed her elder brother, who is a twin, to Madison, looking just as stern. They all hated her... for a reason, something that happened many years back, something that haunted her every moment, something that made her wish for death every day but didn't come, so she had to face their hate every day.
They all stood there now, looking at her with the disdain that someone gave a scumbag and she totally felt like one.
"Dad, Alva has agreed to marry Jaxon,"
She snapped out of her bitter thoughts, "wait what? I-I di-- "
"You don't have to worry anymore. She would be a good wife to him and stay put for that year. I'll see to it," her sister interrupted.
"Then I will leave her to you, get her prepared for tomorrow,"
"Sure,"
Her father left the room not sparing her a glance, and she felt so alone even with her brother and sister still in the room, "so the naïve quiet one is finally getting married, huh?" her brother started, moving forward to sit down on the bed beside her.
"... I have to say you did her pretty nasty, though. You could have married the guy without all this fuss and still make it good in your career, so why?"Madison smiled devilishly, "why should I? it's not like she contributed anything to this family so far, instead, she took away the one thing that mattered to all of us, she should be grateful we're not giving her over to some poor guy but Jaxon Smith," her brother sighed running his fingers through his hair and nodded his head in agreement.
She felt like they were talking about another person like she wasn't there and she would have loved to stay that way, but she couldn't. She just had to say something. She had to object to them and make her thoughts known. She couldn't just get married to someone so soon and to someone, she didn't know at all.
She cleared her throat, "Uhm I... want to... I don't think I can do it."
Her sister moved closer to her menacingly, "what did you just say?"
She immediately felt intimidated, "I-I don't think I can get married tomorrow," the words rushed out before she could stop them but her sister seemed to understand and before she could comprehend what was going on, her sister's hand connected with her cheek making her wince.
"Don't you dare say you can't do it, not after taking her away from us, not after being the cause of our misery, you can't say no!" a tear streamed down her sister's cheek and Alva wallowed in deeper regrets filled with guilts that haunted her from the past leaving her no choice.
"Hey calm down," Mason said supporting her as she broke down in tears leading her towards the door but before they could go out, she stopped turning back towards Alva, "another thing you don't have the right to do..." she walked towards Alva with hate emanating from her eyes and pulled away the paper that was on the weasel, "... is draw her."
She tore the paper in her hand, sprinkling the remnants to the floor before finally leaving with Mason behind her.
Alva stared at the pieces of paper that contained her memories with her mother and she couldn't help breaking down into tears. Yes, she probably didn't have the right to draw her since she was the cause of her death, but she also didn't have the right to tear the paper that was so precious to her.
Alva picked up her phone. She only had one person that could calm her at the moment and she called that person.
****
The drive to the cafe was very short and Alva was grateful that no one had asked her whereabouts when she was leaving. They had just gone back to their lives like they hadn't just ruined hers, and she was bitter about that. She parked in the parking lot of the café, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of her car, then took quick steps into the place where her friend was waiting for her.
"Jessie!" she exclaimed immediately her gaze fell on her best friend and ran into the open arms of her friend, "Je-ssie," her voice cracked as she hugged her friend tight almost squashing her.
"Hey, hey calm down," Jessie muttered and pats Alva back gently while running her left finger through Alva's sandy blonde hair.
Alva couldn't hold the tears back, "I-I ju-st--"
"Don't say anything, just let it all out." Jessie interrupted her with a soft smile curling its way onto her lips.
Everyone was probably looking at them, cause of the emotions she was putting on display, but she cared less about that at the moment. She had just heard the worst news in her life and right now what she needed was a shoulder to cry on and her dear friend was the only one who could offer her such a kind gesture.
She calmed down after a few minutes and her friend sat her down, "now tell me what's wrong... but before that--" she raised her hand for the waiter, "... let's make our order,"
Alva smiled warmly at her friend and Jessie reciprocated the smile back then placed her right hand over Alva's hand on the table and squeezed it reassuringly, Jessie was always there for her no matter the situation and that's why Alva always depended on her, if not, she couldn't even imagine her life without her.
The waiter arrived at their table and smiled at them. "What would you like to have?" he asked.
"One latte for me and mocha for the lady," Jessie answered.
"Sure, it'll be just a minute,"
"Okay,"
The waiter left and Jessie faced her once again, giving her full attention, "so what's the matter?"
Alva immediately felt the panic of earlier come back and she stuttered, "I-I..." she sighed, looking sad, and bite on her lower lips nervously.
"Hey calm down and just tell me in one sentence, okay?" Jessie advised and pulled her hand away from Alva's as she leaned back in her seat.
Alva nodded and cleared her throat. She closed her eyes, taking in shallow breaths before opening them and gazing at Jessie, who was staring at her, waiting patiently for what she was about to say.
"I'm getting married... tomorrow," Alva revealed in a low raspy tone, and it was as if she couldn't believe she said that as her voice faded away.
Her friend's jaw dropped. "What? Wait! You're what?" Jessie questioned with widened eyes and drew her chair close to the table, not believing what Alva said while making a screeching sound in the café.
"I'm getting married tomorrow, Jessie, I know it sounds surprising and I'm just as shocked, as you are too but Madison just barged into my room and told me the freaking news like it was a normal thing, and dad and Mason agreed with her, I don't know what to do, I'm confused I..."
"Alva, don't panic—"
The waiter came back again, interrupting their conversation and he dropped their drinks, "here are your orders."
"Thank you,"
He left and Alva grabbed her drink, downing almost half of it in one go.
"Don't choke on that," Jessie warned, narrowing her gaze at her and also looking worried about her best friend.
"Yeah, I just needed that,"
"So tell me, do you know this man you're getting married to?"
Alva shook her head, "No, I don't, and that's what makes the entire issue more complicating,"
"Jessie, I don't even know the man I'm getting married to." Alva let out a small chuckle as she dropped her glass cup of macho on the table. Everything seems funny and crazy to her, her family must distaste her so much and this was the only way for them to get rid of her.
"Alva! Alva!!," Jessie waved at her poor friend, who looks lost in her thoughts.
"Huh?" Alva jolted from her thoughts and stared at Jessie, blinking her eyes severally at her, and sighed before grabbing her cup of macho and gulping down the remaining content.
"So, do you at least know the name of this man you are getting married to?"
"Madison just called him Jaxon or so..." Alva answered, trying to remember the full name of the man her sister made mentioned this morning.
"Jaxon?"
"Jaxon what?" Jessie inquired curiously.
"Uhm! Jaxon Smith. I think that's what Madison told me this morning." Alva said and Jessie coughed, hitting her chest to calm herself while Alva stared a bit confused.
"Holy freak! Jaxon Smith?" Jessie exclaimed, placing her both hands on the table and leaning closer to Alva, who looks completely lost.
"Yeah, do you know him?" Alva asked, arching a brow at her best friend.
"I'm not so sure, but if it's the Jaxon I know, things can't end well."
"What do you mean?" Alva asked, her brows furrowed, and a bit interested. She has accepted her fate. The least she could do is to get interested in the man she was getting married to.
"That guy is so hot and handsome and he dates girls quite frequently until he got hooked on one recently. He is known to be cold to others and does business with big companies. He hates non-social people and..." Jessie paused when she saw the scared look on Alva's face, "... I'm sure he's not the one though,"
Her face didn't look so convincing, though, and that made Alva more anxious.
"Do you have to get married to him, though?" Jessie asked with an annoyed look.
"Yeah, it's for dad's business. Madison said something about me getting lucky to marry him, but I still don't understand," Alva informed and Jessie sighed, placing her palm on her forehead.
"Honestly, Alva, you should learn how to keep tabs on people," Jessie said.
Alva shrugged and folded her arms on her breast, "Not like I have a choice, marrying him is the only way I can amend for what I did years ago,"
Jessie's face changed. "Hey, don't say that. What happened wasn't your fault."
"But—"
"I don't want to hear it, Alva, stop blaming yourself for the past... it wasn't your fault, and that's it,"
They both kept quiet, sipping their drinks slowly for about a few minutes, then Jessie broke the silence.
"But if you're still going to get married, I'll help you with that. You know there's nothing I do better than getting a bride ready for her wedding day, especially when it's going to be my best friend."
Jaxon's POV.Jaxon looked at the picture of the woman he was to get married to that morning as he got ready for his wedding that day, and he sighed. He had on a black tuxedo and a loose tie that hung around his neck.“So, what do you think of her?” His friend Silas asked from the corner where he sat, pressing his phone.“She's okay,”He looked up, “She's okay?”“Yeah, what else do you want me to say?”“Nothing, it's just that she's too pretty to be just okay.”“Maybe you should marry her yourself then,”“I wouldn't mind,”They laughed. He had to say she was pretty, though, with her long sandy blonde hair that shaped her oval-shaped face and her bluish-green eyes that looked into the depths of your soul. She was any man's dream, not his, though.He had seen her once before when his dad and her dad had been on a business trip with the whole family, and he remembered how she had kept to herself, constantly having nightmares and waking the whole family.She was not his type.He dropped th
Alva's POV. Alva stood at the door of the wedding hall that same morning as she waited for the music to start. She had her arm hooked around her father's and a bouquet in her other hand while trying to fight away the nervousness."Alva,"She glanced at her friend who stood behind her, "hmm,""You have to stop shaking now, it's going to be alright..."She paused in her every movement, she hadn't realized that she was shaking until her friend said it and now that she knew it, she tried her best to stop shaking.She reached for her friend's hand which was beside hers despite the flowers and squeezed them, "thank you so much,"She nodded. At the sound of the music, she released the hand entwined with hers and faced the door which now opened.Immediately it did, she felt her mouth drop open at the sight of the people inside the hall. She had never seen such an amount of people in a place at the same time and she was amazed as well as afraid.Yes, she knew her dad was a very popular real
They waved at the cheerful guest who had graced their ceremony as they walked out of the reception venue. They were heading to Jaxon's home now that the party was over and Alva couldn't help feeling another wave of nervousness, what was next, what would happen now?Her friend was no longer beside her as she had to take care of cleaning up and couldn't follow her to her husband's house, but she would have loved her to be there.The flash of the paparazzi hit their face as they made their way to their car, and they smiled for the camera. It was all fake smiles though, Alva knew that he didn't care much about her and was probably doing it for his father, so she tried her best to be nonchalant too.It wasn't working, though. She had been smitten by him, hoping something would work out between them, but seeing the way he had treated her on the altar, she had just lost hope.She entered the limousine right after her husband and searched one last time for her family. They were in the crowd l
She woke up the next morning still in her wedding dress, but feeling refreshed, she couldn't believe she had slept in her wedding dress and all, but she had, and she was not surprised. She had been drained out by the events of last night and the day before, and she was glad that it was over…or maybe it wasn't.Her marriage already started, and she was still a virgin, she was still untouched by her so-called husband, and she felt… strange? Well, perhaps not strange, but weird.She pushed back her wandering thoughts, standing up to go to the bathroom, and that's when she saw herself in the mirror.Her jaw fell open, jeez, she looked like a witch who fell out of a plane crash, wow!She touched her face, she was such a mess.Picking up her veil, which had fallen to the floor, she tucked it into a corner and opened the tap to wash her face. By the time she was done, all the makeup was gone and beneath it showed her true face, the face she was familiar with.She smiled sadly, staring at her
Jaxon jerked his hand away from Silas' as they entered his office and he faced him with a glare, “What are you doing?”"What do you mean, what am I doing, I should be asking you that,” Silas fired at him."I don't know what you mean,”“Of course you do, what is Erin doing here?” Silas questioned annoyingly while Jaxon acted nonchalantly, not providing a care in the world as he shrugged his shoulder at him.“Being with me…”“What do you mean being with you, shouldn't you be with the woman you married and not her?”Jaxon sighed, “I've told you already that this marriage is only on paper and that the person I love is Erin, so why should I be with her and not the person I love?” He questioned arrogantly.“Because you have a right to her as her husband and not to Erin, Erin is only a gold digger who is after your money and I don't understand why you can't see that,” Silas answered in the same tone Jaxon used in replying to him."Don't talk about her that way,” Jaxon snapped, his honey-colo
"Erin?"They all questioned as if they had just seen a ghost and she smiled moving forward to hug Jaxon."You got here earlier than I expected," Jaxon smirked as he shoved his left hand into his pocket."What the hell is she doing here?" Silas asked annoyingly, casting a disgusting look at Erin who had already moved close to Jaxon and dropped a peck on his cheek."Giving you a surprise," Jaxon and Erin answered in unison and burst out laughing while Alva stood rooted to her spot trying to process what was going on."Jaxon, I repeat, what is she fucking doing here?" Silas questioned again, covering the distance between them as if he would throw her out and Jaxon stepped forward to defend her, "Give her a break, would you? why can't she be here?""Because this is your honeymoon and she is not supposed to be here," Silas fired, trying to make him see sense in what he's saying."Then you're not supposed to be here too if I get your meaning correctly," Jaxon cornered and glared at Silas.
Jaxon woke up the next morning feeling stressed and tired that he hadn't had enough sleep the other night, and he sat up on his bed. He checked the time to see 7 am and sighed, he would have loved to sleep more.He looked at Erin who slept beside him looking so peaceful, and he felt a rise of desire within him. She was beautiful with her back facing him and her hair splayed all over the pillow, and he even knew that she was bare underneath the covers.He proceeded to pat her hair.He remembered when they had first met at the hotel. Then he had been looking for a one-night stand to get his mind off things, and he had seen her sitting at the counter alone having drinks.When they had proceeded to the room to have sex, he had seen the gigantic scar she had on her back and immediately sobered up. He remembered the scar vividly, the one that the girl who saved him should have.He skimmed his fingers over the scar now, kissing each side of it lightly as he touched it. It wasn't that big of
They went to the mall the next day.Another idea Silas implemented they were to dress in simple clothes. Alva had on plain jeans with sweats and a pair of sneakers, and Jaxon had on sweats too, top and bottom with a pair of sneakers.“Why did you suggest we come here?” Alva asked Silas as they walked into the mall, and he shrugged.“I thought it will help you both bond together besides women love shopping right?”It was her turn to shrug, "well, I've never really shopped before except I was helping Jessie get ingredients,”He became curious, “Who is Jessie?”"My best friend, she was with me on my wedding day, and I'm sure you saw her,”He wasn't as sure, as his eyes had been on her the whole time. He wouldn't admit that though, so he nodded, "Yeah I saw her, how did you get your dresses though if you didn't order them?”She pointed at a clothes shop in the mall and led them towards it, "I just order it, I never really leave the house,”"That must have been boring.” Silas pouted at her