HIS UNFORGETFUL WIFE ✓ [Published]

3. The Fall

"All was vanity and a striving after wind..."
-King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 2:11

* * * * * * *

A graceful woman with a black designer off-shoulder evening dress approached the bar. She planted herself on a seat beside a person who was silently observing her the moment she entered the party.

That person noticed how the woman mingled with her family;
saw her sipped at the glass of wine that the woman in a white dress offered her for the toast;
felt her cold presence from beginning to the end of the kiss;
saw her whispering to her husband and turned away to distance herself.

A smirk crept on the observer's face while drinking a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

'Interesting.' The person thought.

The woman separated herself from the hideous world she's in. A bitter smile adorned her lips as if she now understood the reality of that world.

"Young madam, anything you prefer?" The bartender inquired after recognizing her.

The woman looked ahead and crinkled her brows at the question. Natalia glanced sideways and came to a conclusion.

"Whatever he's having." She simply pointed at the person beside her without sparing a glance.

"Taste it first." A baritone voice came out from the stranger. The man stood beside her and handed down his drink on the counter.

Natalia's senses rose up at the sexy soothing sound that crossed her ears. She shook her head and just stared at the glass contemplating. Her full lips pouted for a quick moment.

She, nonetheless, accepted the offer. She took hold of the transparent chalice, gave it a swirl, sniffed and earned a sip.

The man amusingly observed how the woman arched her chin up and got a full view of her perfect neck.

The lady satisfied her unquenchable thirst as she took sip after sips until she emptied the glass. The woman realized what she had done and smiled helplessly at herself.

Before she could utter an apology and take a glance at the man beside her, the stranger took hold of the new wine glass that the bartender served the woman and left.
 

* * * * * * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, the cutting of the cake." The master of ceremonies announced. The married couple made their way at the center of the hall. Some of the audience smiled thoughtfully as if remembering their own experience of the tradition.

Natalia looked around to mark the server that will supposedly tripped and accidentally pushed her forward to land on the five-tier cake.

'Ah. There you are.'

She positioned herself on the left side of Devon where her bestfriend was used to be. On her peripheral vision, Natalia saw Ariel not far from her husband's right side. His family was on the right side too, while hers was on the left part.

Three. Two. One.

The server fell on Natalia's back but another one also tripped and incidentally pushed Ariel on the spot.