A YEAR WITH THE BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER 17

Isabella's POV

Stepping inside the church and walking slowly towards the altar without a best lady but my arms entangled with my Grandma's, the groom of the day is patiently standing on the wedding arbor for the bride.

I am holding flowers with a transparent veil covering my face. My head is lowered in shame and guilt.

Shame that this isn't my dream. The shame of doing this and not being courageous enough to back out at the last minute to tell Grandma what this is all about, and wait for the man for me. 

The man who would be waiting at the altar for me with anticipation of me becoming his bride. A man who would love me for the depth of his heart and would never do anything to make me sad or cry.

Guilt for letting Grandma do this. Guilt for not telling her the truth. Guilt for lying to her all through till this day. 

Juliet never came. She didn't show up for the preparations. She didn't call to apologize for what she did, leaving me with no one to stand in for me as my maid of honor

I am less concerned about it. I was bothered about it but not anymore.

This won't stop the wedding. I might be the first bride without a maid of honor but I know I won't be the last to be betrayed at the last hour by my best friend, leaving me with no troops of bridesmaids and not a single maid of honor.

I told Grandma that Juliet was out of town, for an interview. I lied that she got a new job outside New York and she would be gone for a week.

I have no alternative. Juliet is my only friend. I just hope her absence will be for good, not because I wish her ill-fate or death but just because it will work to my advantage.

I don't want her to show up and ruin everything for me. I don't want our paths to cross anymore. I don't want her to meet with Grandma either because I know she might tell her the truth.

The truth should come from me to Grandma. If it doesn't, it will break her. But I am not ready yet to tell her. I will tell her when the wedding is done.

The solo piano comes to a stop the moment I get to the wedding arbor where my Groom is waiting, looking dashing in his three-piece tuxedo with shiny suede shoes and a pair of sunshades hanging at the edge of his suit pockets.

His hair is a stylish and classic pompadour haircut while I have kinky hair with decorative braids and curls.

His face is unsmiling

Gabriel, his best friend is right behind him, grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. If I was amongst the audience and I don't know Jayden and Gabriel, I would have assumed Gabriel is the groom not Jayden with the way he is grinning.

My A-lines wedding dress has fitted bodices through the waist and cascades out towards the ground, resembling the outline of an uppercase "A." It is slightly more flowy than a ball gown. The transparent veil is attached to my hair with a silver ribbon holding it firmly and in place.