Chapter 3 Total Trash!

YENISSE

The audience gasps in stunned silence, looking at each other as I come into sight.

"Family drama at its finest!"

"Oh, the shade!"

"This is going to end badly...."

"That's her sister's man!"

"I thought she has a boyfriend, I'm all in for the disaster."

Hearing all the ill whispers and seeing all the wrinkled faces of our supposed well wisher called family has my feet glued to a spot. I can't move any further. I look around and what I see is enough to send me to hell. How am I supposed to go ahead with a wedding I never agreed to in the first place?

To make it worse, upon hearing the chatter, my boyfriend, Oliver, who is sitting in the second row, turns his head back to check what's happening and as soon as his eyes land on me, his jaw drops to the floor. The love of his life is Jude Wellington's bride. How amazing! He had dressed up handsomely just to come witness his worst nightmare.

His piercing glare drills into my soul and it is enough to kill me, to kill him, to kill the wedding. A chill runs down my spine and my skin crawls with goosebumps. I am about to run. I can't stand it. How in the world did I do this to the world's best boyfriend?

I am like leaves in a hurricane. My father notices and smiles at me, then caresses me. With that I was able to move forward to where Jude was standing at the altar.

Never in a million years did I think I was going to marry my worst enemy and not the man I love. But here I am, forcing a smile to my face and entertaining the idea of marrying into a loveless union.

My father guides my hand into Jude's and his fingers close around my hand, wrapping around it like a lifeline. His eyes are sweeping over my face. I am shaking as the pastor, who is the officiant, starts the wedding.

"We are gathered here today to witness the sacred union of Yenisse Billing and Jude Wellington," he says and I inhale deeply, close my eyes, look down and tears escape my eyes with freedom.

The "sacred" in the sentence he utters should be replaced with "desecrated". It is a mistake from the officiant because there is nothing sacred about this union.

Jude tightens his grip on me and whispers, "Yen."

Yen! He is the only one who managed to craft a nickname from my name and I love it. That's the only thing I love to hear escape from this man's mouth.

I look up and my eyes meet his.

"You look beautiful."

Not what I am expecting. He has never complimented me before or seen me as beautiful. But the way his lips curated these words tells me they were sincere. It kind of makes me smile.

"I promise to spend every day of my life making sure your tears are only tears of joy from now on."

For reasons I can't define, these words comfort me and I find myself smiling, this time, sincerely.

"Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace," the officiant continues.

This is the perfect time for Oliver to do what he was supposed to do from the moment he saw me in this wedding dress. An ideal but dramatic way to end this misery.

My eyes run across the congregation and look at Oliver with expectation and hope, wishing that he or someone will speak up and interrupt this unholy matrimony but no one did, not even Oliver. He betrays me. Traitor! How can he be so calm about this? This is his chance, our only chance at love but he is not taking it. I wonder why?

My heart breaks into tiny million pieces. Fucking hypocrites! No one seems to care.

The officiant proceeds and gets to the part where he tells us to exchange rings and I hold Jude's gaze with the pains that take over my eyes as he slides the ring onto my fingers. The ring almost falls off my wobbling fingers as I try to do the same for him.

I couldn't even look Jude in the eyes. I couldn't even look the man I was marrying in the eyes. I always thought this day, my wedding day, was going to be the most beautiful and happiest day of my life but I was wrong. It is torment and Jude sees it as well.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the officiant says, and I freeze. Eyes narrow.

I never really thought about this. I was worried about some many wrong things about this marriage that this detail didn't cross my mind. Why on earth should I kiss Jude Wellington? I know it is a marking of the official beginning of our married life together and it's a very important part. But can't this part of the wedding be omitted for heaven's sake? It is already unholy, why try to make it abominable and nefarious?

The vows were hard but this is much harder than the vows that escaped my mouth earlier.

Jude takes a step closer and gently cups my cheek. His face is an inch closer, I say to myself, "it's just a kiss, a show, an act for the audience, nothing serious. You can do it. You're a star, stars don't dim even in the darkest of situations."

Just then, his lips land on me and my eyes almost leave the socket and his fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me close as if he never wanted to let go. He deepens the kiss and I find myself, giving into it. In this split second, all the turbulent emotions I have been feeling dissipated and a kiss that was originally meant to be a few seconds emerges into a minute of magic and the crowd cheers.

"This is bullshit!" Oliver's bitter and thunderous voice breaks our souls from the kiss.

My heart starts dancing in my chest! Too late, Oliver. He had the chance but didn't take it. Was this supposed to make me think he truly fought for our love?

"Rubbish! Rubbish! Rubbish! This is total trash!" He declares loudly and lets out a gowl that makes my body and the rest of the audience quake and enough to destroy the rings, the vows that bind Jude and I together.