Chapter 7 MAn IN A MASK

~Rose

I was standing and smiling just like I was told to by Amanda a few hours ago. She was so freaked out that I would ruin things that she made sure to give me a full on lecture on how not to mess up this day.

"Now, you are not expected to talk or say anything. All you have to do is flash your teeth but don't breathe a word unless I give you the microphone. Then you express your gratitude and that's it. Don't screw things up." She had instructed.

I was standing by a tall designer table, a highboy table covered with black linen and held together with a nice pink ribbon. The entire hall glittered with golden lights. Beautiful and artistic chandeliers hang from strategic points in the large ballroom.

It seemed like something pulled out of a blockbuster fairytale movie. It seemed like something I had never seen before when in fact, this was the life I was accustomed to before the accident.

Elegantly dressed people graced the hall with their designer shoes, filling up the space at every corner. Their soft laughter and chatter echoed in the air in the most refined way.

A clink of glass coming from the stage caught my attention.

"Thank you all for coming."

It was Amanda. She was about to give the opening speech she had worked so hard to memorize the night before.

She was dressed in a pink chic knee length dress which was elegantly cut. The neckline was a V shaped cut which dipped elegantly while a shimmering silver diamond sat in its middle.

She had her hair styled up in an artistic bun while some of her hair was held to perfection and made to fall over her left eye in the most beautiful way.

She was really a sight to behold. Any man would have fallen for her if they weren't aware of just how dark her heart was or perhaps, it was only in my case that she showed such cruelty.

She had made me do all her laundry and even hit me when it seemed like I had not done it to her taste. David on the other hand would call me into his room while he was naked and having a good time with his mistress.

I would stand at the door for minutes while they moaned with ecstasy before he would remember my presence and tell me his own bidding which I had to do or he would ask Charlotte to hit me on his behalf.

A few days was all I needed to wish that I was dead. The worst part was that something had died inside me. Something that should have made me fight back, resist their cruelty, that fire that should be there-was gone.

I could have said I had become a shadow of my former self if I knew exactly how my former self had been.

"I'm so glad that you all are here to witness this event with me and my family."

Her lips which were painted a bright pink to go with the outfit she wore moved with an effortless fluidity, as she articulated each word with clarity and precision.

She had a charming allure about her that made the smile on her face seem so endearing that even as I looked about, I could see a couple of the guests, mirroring her smile.

"The truth is that it has been a rather tragic year for my family and I as we have lost someone very dear to us." Her voice which was once filled with excitement suddenly reduced to one of solemnity.

"He was the best man that could have ever come into my life and it hurt me then most if it didn't hurt any of you-" she paused at this point and let out a chuckle that seemed to be laden with tears, "-that he left us so soon."

She used her finger to flicker away a drop of tear that had fallen from her eyes. Then she raised her wine cup up in the air, "to Carlton."

Everyone raised their glasses in the air just like she did, "to Carlton," they echoed.

I looked down to see that I was the only one who hadn't put their hands up.

"Moving forward, it hadn't just been tragedy that reigned supreme in my family. There has also been a miracle." She said, tears brimming in her eyes.

This was my cue to go up on stage to meet with her. But as I took a step forward, I looked down at my dress. It was a black organza material sewn over the silk material which was used to make the lower part of the ball gown that was made to cascade down my body from my waist, touching the ground in its wake.

A pink bow sat at the back of the gown, directly at the joining at the waist. The upper part of the was armless and clung to my breast in the most uncomfortable way.

It was an old dress Amanda had worn once when she had gone on a date with my father for the first time. She didn't deem me worthy to get anything for myself which was why she gave me an empty credit card and thought to give me one of her dresses instead-how kind of her.

Ugh!

I walked up to the stage and stood beside her, flashing my most natural smile even when I was suffocating on the inside and wanted nothing more than to get the dress off.

My hair was made to lie down with one part over my shoulder in a smooth manner.

"My daughter, Carlton's daughter, who had been involved in a ghastly accident, survived and is now married to her sweetheart, David Reece."

As soon as she mentioned his name, he came to stand on the other side of her-her left hand side while I stayed at the right hand side.

His face was beaming with a smile that will make him seem like an actual normal human and not the sociopath that he really is.

I felt a small nudge on my shoulder, "smile and stop glaring," Amanda whispered into my ear.

I blinked nervously, looked down at my feet briefly to compose myself before looking back up at the crowd with a faltering smile omy face.

Then Amanda passed the microphone to me.

I took it from her.

Just as I practiced. I reminded myself.

"I am very thankful that I am here, alive and well and standing in front of all you beautiful folks." I started.

"It was a devastating accident and even as I stand here, there are some of you who I may not be able to remember as a result of it regardless, I want to express my gratitude for being strong for my family and being with us in our times of distress."

I took in a deep breath and opened my mouth to say something else when I saw someone move in between the crowd. There was a mask over his face. I saw the top of his head, sleek black-very black, and I could see his eyes through those masks.

They were Gray and almost daunting.

Seeing those eyes made my heart twist in my chest. My hands moved to my face and I saw that my face was wet with tears.

"Rose." I heard Amanda call my name with a strained voice but my eyes were still fixed to those grey eyes, peering at me from a mask.

I gasped and turned to Amanda, "I'm sorry." I muttered tearfully and shoved the microphone in her hand and ran off the stage.

I snaked my way through the crowd until I got to the end of the crowd, close to the doorway where I had seen whoever that person was but he was gone.

He was gone but something like betrayal lingered in my heart even after he was gone.