Chapter 5 One Day At A Time

Chapter Five

Brielle didn't want to wake up just yet.

The early morning sun pushed through the curtains in her bedroom, birds chirping way too loud for someone who barely slept. She rolled over, pulling the blanket higher, but sleep wouldn't come, not with everything closing in. The wedding was now few days away.

As if every part of her life was being retouched, rearranged, and repolished like a press release. Her dress fittings were scheduled, her hair appointments booked, and her planner had already sent her the full timeline. There was even a makeup trial in two hours.

She hadn't picked her lipstick shade, but somehow the entire world already believed she was madly in love with Thomas Ferdinand.

Pretence! All of it.

There was a soft knock at her door.

"Brielle?" Erielle's voice called. "Can I come in?"

"Sure..."

Erielle stepped in wearing an oversized hoodies, eating a protein bar. "gosh! I am always hungry!."

"keep eating sis...your baby needs to be healthy."

"Speaking of eating, you didn't eat last night"

"was not hungry"

"You have lost weight and look stressed out."

"I'm getting married in front of some of the richest people in America to a man I don't even like, you think I'm not allowed to be stressed?"

Erielle sat at the foot of the bed. "Look... I know you're doing this because of whatever–you–doing–this–for..... ."

"No, I am doing this because I don't want to be at war with our parents."

"Still, you don't have to smile through it, you can be mad."

"I am mad," Brielle said quietly. "But what does it change?"

Erielle went closer to her sister and hugged her. "It will all be fine dear."

Brielle nodded sniffling in tears.

Later that afternoon, Brielle met Thomas in the grand hallway by the front entrance, a car was waiting to take them for more wedding photoshoot, this time, at a private rooftop garden downtown.

Thomas looked tired too, he was dressed in a beige turtleneck and dark slacks, jaw tight, eyes darker as usual.

"This can't get any better" Brielle said as she pulled on her coat.

"Yeah... right," he said. "Let's just get this over with."

They rode in silence until Thomas spoke.

"My mom called, she said the wedding invitations are trending."

"Trending?" she repeated.

"Yeah, someone from the press leaked the gold trim design with our initials on it, now it's all over the net. "Billionaire Royalty Wedding."

Brielle laughed dryly. "Funny, royalty indeed, some times I feel our parents are behind the leaks."

They arrived at the rooftop to flashing cameras, crew members moving quickly, and the wedding planner directing them as usual "a little closer, a little softer, like lovers do."

They posed with fake kisses on cheeks, pretend laughs, and gentle touches.

They both hated every second of it, especially Brielle. When the photographer finally yelled, "That's a wrap!" she was the first to walk off set, Thomas followed a few minutes later.

Back at the mansion, Brielle headed straight for the kitchen. She could feel her stomach churning as she hadn't eaten anything all day. She found a few strawberries in the fridge and sat at the counter eating quietly. Thomas walked in moments later, loosened his shirt collar, and grabbed a glass of water.

"What's your problem? Why were you trying to prolong the shoot?" she asked suddenly.

He turned. "What?"

"You should have noticed how disgusting that was."

"You must be joking! I was trying to keep things low and unnoticeable."

"Well, at least I'm wasn't pretending," she said.

"I wasn't either, it is called acting!"

Thomas placed his glass down with more force than needed. "Oh, so you think I'm enjoying this? You think I wake up every day excited to pretend and act to love someone I don't really know well?"

She stood. "Then why don't you do something? Call it off, take a stand!"

"Because it's not that simple Brielle! There's a billion-dollar deal on the line, hundreds of employees, contracts. Look here, my entire expansion plan depends on this marriage being believable!"

She stared at him. "So it is what it is."

He exhaled. "You think I asked for this? Of course not! Arghh!. You know we're both here right now because we both agreed to this. Don't stand here acting like you're the only one losing something."

She crossed her arms. "At least I lost someone who actually cared about me."

He blinked.

He leaned back against the counter. "Oh right... the chef."

"His name is Hayden."

"Right, and I am sure he was ready to give you the world."

She rolled her eyes. "At least he is sincere and he doesn't treat everything like a boardroom negotiation."

Thomas shook his head. "You really think I don't care about anything but business?"

She didn't answer.

"Let me tell you something you don't know," he continued, voice low. "You think you've got me figured out, you don't! I've worked my entire life to step out of my father's shadow, do you know what that is like? To be the second son in a family that only values results? I absolutely didn't get handed anything, every inch I have climbed, I struggled for it."

She watched him. It was the first time he'd raised his voice for more than sarcasm.

"I'm not being so negative about this marriage," he said. "But stop acting like I'm the villain in your fairytale."

She bit her lip. "I didn't know about your brother."

"He died when I was fifteen," he said. "Heart condition. After that, my dad placed every damn thing on me! No space for mistake, no time for emotion, Just win."

They stood in silence for a moment.

"See I'm sorry, this whole thing is just overwhelming" she whispered.

"It's fine," he said. "Just... stop throwing knives when you don't even know what you're cutting."

She turned away, holding back tears. "Maybe we both need space."

He didn't argue.

That night, Brielle stayed in her room. She didn't eat, she didn't come out. She just sat at her desk staring at the ring box.

The engagement ring Thomas had given her wasn't too flashy. It was a gold band with a single oval diamond. Classic, clean but beautiful, but it felt like a cage.

Across the hallway, Thomas sat in his room, flipping through the wedding schedule on his tablet. Tuxedo fitting tomorrow, rehearsal dinner after, private vows meeting on Friday. "What even was a private vows meeting"? He wondered

His phone lit up with a text.

Marina: "You are still lying to yourself, I will be watching the wedding with a big bag of popcorn. I hope it blows up!.

He turned the phone face down but later tossed it on the bed.

Brielle finally opened a message from Hayden she had been ignoring all day.

"I won't come to the wedding, but remember I loved you, still do and I hope, one day, you get to love someone back without fear.

She felt her heart crack, but she didn't reply.

Again, the next morning, a loud knock on her door jolted her out of sleep.

"Miss Marcel?" a voice called. "Your fitting is in an hour."

Brielle rolled out of bed, rubbed her face, and looked at herself in the mirror.

Eyes tired, lips dry, shoulders slumped.

"I don't even recognize myself anymore," she whispered.

She opened the closet and pulled out a simple purple dress, not the gown, just something plain. She wore it, brushed her hair, and stepped out of the room.

As she walked past Thomas's door, it opened.

He stepped out in a gray hoodie and sweatpants, holding a cup of coffee.

They looked at each other and quickly turned away.

They stood in silence acting like nothing had happened the previous night

Then he said, "Let's just get through today."

She nodded. "Yeah, just one day at a time."