Chapter 3 THREE. FIONA

Gunshots rang out several times before it suddenly went silent. I was tempted to peek, but the priest shook his head and motioned for me to stay behind the pulpit.

"Do you think it's over, father?"

"I don't know. May good triumph and evil disappear from the earth forever."

It was hard to tell who was good and who was bad. The masked men had said that Joshua had angered their boss. That meant Joshua had made a very fatal mistake before the men were sent to kill him.

"Stand up."

I yelped in surprise as someone grabbed my elbow and forced me to stand up.

"Wh-what happened? Are they dead? Is it over?"

Joshua pulled me out of my hiding place. I limped along following his wide steps. My heels stepped on the puddle of blood on the floor and it splashed onto the hem of my dress.

Yikes. I wanted to take this dress off and throw it away as soon as possible.

"Stand here."

"What are you going to do?"

"Father Robert, come out. You're safe. Those people are dead."

Father Robert came out of his hiding place hesitantly. Like me, he was horrified by the chaos that had occurred in his church. This holy place had been turned into a bloodbath.

"Come here, father. We need you."

"What are you going to do? Let me go."

"Shut up," he snapped at me loudly.

I saw anger, exhaustion, and pain, mixed together on his face. He had a bruise under his chin. How many of his men were killed in the firefight today? How much material damage did he suffer?

Tch, why should I worry about him? I had many more important things to worry about. It started with what would happen to me in the next second? How would I cope with my grief over my mother's tragic death?

"We're getting married, father. Please do it quickly."

"Marry? Are you crazy? I don't want to marry you. You should be my stepfather, not my husband."

"I don't accept rejection."

"And I also don't accept coercion. I don't want to marry you."

Something cold suddenly pressed against my ribs. I looked over my shoulder and found the muzzle of his gun pressing even tighter against my ribs.

"You have to replace your mother as payment for the debt."

"What debt?"

"As expected, your mother didn't tell you," Joshua grinned.

"I-I don't understand."

"Your mother owed me three years ago. She couldn't pay it when it was due. This marriage is a means to pay the debt."

"Bullshit. That's impossible. My mother doesn't owe anyone."

"Really? What about your education costs all this time? Where do you think your mother got the money to pay for it, huh?"

No. That's impossible. Mom said the money was from her hard work all this time. Mom couldn't possibly owe this horrible man.

"So, you have to replace her to pay her debt to me. You have to marry me today."

-00-

I was still processing what Joshua had just said to me when he roughly pulled my arm to stand at the altar. Father Robert stood in front of us with a thick book in his hand. He looked at me and Joshua in turn.

"Do it now, father. I want to take my bride away from here immediately."

"I'm not your bride."

"Don't make me regret saving you from those bastards."

My ribs hurt. Joshua deliberately pressed the muzzle of his gun tightly. He glared at me.

"Now, father."

"No. I don't want to marry you. Are you deaf, huh?"

Joshua stared at me sharply. His blue eyes turned darker and scarier. I refused to tremble under his intense gaze. Even though this man had saved me from this massacre, it didn't mean I would obey his orders.

"Fine. You have to learn that every rebellion you make will have a price."

Bang

I screamed in surprise and covered my mouth with my palm. Joshua had just shot one of his men in the leg. The man groaned loudly and fell to the floor holding his bleeding right leg.

"You see that? He will die if you try to reject me again."

"What are you doing? Why did you shoot your own men?"

I stared at his palm, which was holding the gun, in horror. He could shoot anyone and anytime because of me.

ME!

Oh my God, how could this happen to me?

"This is just the beginning. Next time I won't hesitate to shoot someone who means something to you. Your lover, maybe. Or your friends on campus."

"Stop. Don't do it again, please."

"You have to marry me now."

I took a deep breath. I've had enough of today's horrific massacre. I didn't want to see any more blood. Especially if it was because of me.

"Okay. I'll marry you."

"Good choice."

I watched Joshua lower his hands to his sides. But the gun was still in his grip. He wasn't letting down his guard one bit. And that meant he was likely going to shoot someone else if I tried to ruin this wedding.

Shit!

I was caught up in this bloody drama.

"Now, father."

Father Robert's voice was shaking as he began to read from his thick book. I barely caught a word of it. My mind was elsewhere. I replayed the memory of waking up this morning with renewed vigor and happiness for my mother. I was so proud to wear this white dress. My first fancy dress. I had intended to keep it and wear it to my graduation party in six months. But right now, all I wanted to do was take this bloody dress off my body and throw it away. I would not keep the dress that had been a silent witness to my mother's murder.

"Fiona."

Joshua looked at me coldly. He gestured for me to say my piece after Father Robert repeated his words.

"I... I..."

My tongue was numb. I couldn't. This was wrong. So wrong. I shouldn't have married my future stepfather.

"Say it," Joshua hissed in my ear.

"I... I do."