Chapter 7 The Wedding

No sooner had Jaxton left than Florrie's demeanor underwent a stark transformation.

Her face twisted into a mocking sneer as she threw the phone at me, her voice dripping with scorn. "So, you were planning to explain yourself to Jaxton? Did you really think he'd feel sorry for you, come to your rescue, or defend you against us? Don't kid yourself. Right now, nobody despises you more than Jaxton-trust me on that. And you better answer that phone before you say another word!"

I suddenly realized Florrie hadn't just wandered in-she'd burst in on purpose, right on cue.

I realized that Kacie probably saw my plan to clear the air with Jaxton coming. To all appearances, she had seemed supportive, yet covertly, she likely directed Florrie to eavesdrop and barge in.

Kacie's maneuverings crowned her the master schemer of the Smith family. My mother had been tragically gullible, thinking she could leverage her pregnancy to secure a marriage to Brice.

Where she had found such audacity, I could only guess.

Despite my reservations, Florrie's words ignited a spark of doubt. With a reluctant hand, I lifted the phone to my ear and whispered, "Hello?"

"Cathy, it's me." Jackson's voice broke through, tinged with urgency and remorse. "I'm so sorry, Cathy. I only just got back and found out that someone pretending to be from your family has taken your grandma away!"

His words landed with the force of a sucker punch, leaving me reeling. My legs buckled, sending me crashing to the floor.

Florrie squatted before me, her grin wide and taunting. "Did you really think my mother would let you whisk your grandma away so effortlessly?" she scoffed, her eyes twinkling with malice. "Cathy, you're hopelessly naive. Did you honestly think you stood a chance against my mother?"

She had a point-what chance did I ever have against someone like Kacie?

In the Smith family, no one was more formidable than her.

How else could she have maneuvered my mother, who had been so determined to marry into wealth years ago, with such ease?

A wave of despair washed over me, making me tremble violently. Clutching the phone with white-knuckled hands, I managed to stammer out, "What the hell do you want from me?"

"Marry Jaxton and align the Saunders family with the Smiths," Florrie stated icily. "Fail, and the only reunion you'll have with your dear grandma will be in the afterlife."

Kacie's ruthlessness chilled me to the bone.

I shut my eyes tightly, feeling the tears spill over. With a heavy heart, I whispered, "Fine."

***

I had assumed that since Jaxton was adamant about keeping our marriage a secret, there wouldn't be a traditional wedding.

Yet, William stood firm, insisting that we couldn't just skip the formalities. As the future granddaughter-in-law of the illustrious Saunders family, I deserved no less than a proper celebration.

Confronted by William's gentle demeanor, I found it impossible to object.

His kindness only deepened my sense of guilt.

In the tangled web of this marriage, he seemed to be the sole beacon of genuine affection toward me.

Meanwhile, I harbored secrets, weaving deceit as I entered the Saunders family with hidden agendas.

This duplicity weighed on me, a relentless torment that gnawed at my conscience, pushing me to the brink of madness.

In sharp contrast, Kacie and Brice remained indifferent to my internal turmoil. To them, my well-being was inconsequential; their eyes were fixed on the prosperity of the Smith family, their lavish fortunes, and maintaining their opulent lifestyles.

With Jaxton's parents long gone and William advanced in years, the burden of arranging the wedding inevitably fell upon Kacie.

She embraced the role with a veneer of maternal warmth, meticulously planning every detail with a show of affection.

Locked away in my cramped room since that fateful day, Kacie and the others had become my wardens, confining me within these four walls relentlessly. Each day, they paraded thirty minutes of surveillance footage before me-a supposed testament to how well they were caring for my grandmother. It was their leverage to ensure my compliance.

On a particularly dreary afternoon, the bedroom door creaked open, and Kacie breezed in, her arms burdened with a hefty stack of documents. "Take a look," she said, her voice a mix of feigned cheer and cold formality as she thrust the papers at me. "These are designs for rings and wedding dresses, plus a compilation of photographers and their portfolios. I expect you to make your selections soon."

Without another word, she turned and disappeared, the door clicking shut behind her.

Left alone with the stack, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. The irony of the situation was not lost on me.

Every young girl carried dreams of their perfect wedding day, dressed in a pristine dress, eyes sparkling with joy. Even I, ensnared in this ongoing tragedy, once held such innocent, radiant fantasies of a prince charming sweeping me off my feet.

Back then, I never would've guessed that when it came time to get married, things would end up like this.

As I flipped through the photos of stunning wedding dresses and exquisite rings, those dreams felt more like cruel taunts.

A scoff echoed silently within me-this, arranging my coerced wedding with meticulous attention to detail, was perhaps the first and only act of "kindness" Kacie had ever shown me. And even this was tainted, steeped in ulterior motives far from the genuine care one would hope to accompany such arrangements.

I spread the photos across the bed, examining each one. My gaze eventually drifted to my phone, which lay silently on the pillow-a sudden idea sparking in my mind.

After a brief hesitation, I mustered the courage to pick up the phone and dial the number.

"Speak!" The voice that greeted me was chilling, devoid of warmth.

Clutching the phone tighter, I bit my lip to steady my nerves and began tentatively, "About the wedding dresses and rings. There are several options. Do you want to..."

"Cathy," Jaxton cut me off with a tone of stark indifference before I could complete my thought. "If the marriage is nothing but a joke, does it really matter what ring you wear or what dress you don?"

A sharp pain pierced my heart, and a bitter smile crept onto my lips. Stripping all emotion from my voice, I managed to reply, "No, it doesn't matter."

The moment the call ended, my tears began to flow freely.

I chided myself softly, my voice a whisper lost in the expanse of the room. "Cathy! What were you expecting? You knew it would come to this."

Resolved, I selected a ring and a dress that pleased me, not because they brought joy, but because they suited the occasion.

This was my wedding day, after all. Even if it was devoid of genuine happiness or hopeful wishes, I was determined to present a facade of grace-even if it was all just for show.

I'd half-convinced myself that Jaxton wouldn't be present to take pre-wedding photos with me. I'd envisioned a collection of solo shots-me as the radiant bride, him as the distant groom-later to be seamlessly merged by some photo editing.

But on the day of the photoshoot, to my surprise, Jaxton appeared.

Despite his stoic, unsmiling demeanor, his presence washed a wave of relief over me, sparing me the awkward charade of feigning romance with empty space.

After the photo session, as he was about to leave, I found myself reaching out and clutching his sleeve. "Thank you," I murmured softly.

He offered no reply, only bestowed upon me a profound, lingering gaze before gently loosening my grip and walking away with deliberate strides.

***

One month later, our wedding day arrived, unfolding in the secluded serenity of the Saunders family garden.

The scene was bleak-no guests, no festive cheers, only the whisper of leaves and the soft rustle of my gown.

As I proceeded down the aisle, escorted by Brice, a blend of nervous excitement surged within me. Each step brought me closer to the dashing figure awaiting me at the altar. A fleeting thought crossed my mind-if there was anyone I was to marry in this lifetime, Jaxton certainly wasn't the worst choice.

There was an unexpected allure in the notion, a desire to genuinely connect, to build something real and lasting with him.

However, any budding hope I harbored was swiftly extinguished on our wedding night when Jaxton's cold indifference washed over me like an icy shower.