The Man She Betrayed

24. A Gloomy Wedding

Clara

Six years ago

A kiss on my right cheek woke me up. Opening my eyes, I found Ryan hovering over me, his lips trailing a path from my cheek to my jaw, leaving tingles behind. His warm body was clung to mine, my soft curves to hard contours of his torso.

"Ryan!" I mumbled, trying to stop him. "I am getting married today."

He pulled apart for a moment and stared into my eyes with his grey ones. "You don't have to marry him Clara. He is not worthy of you. Look at you, do you see yourself with someone like him?" Saying, he leaned down to capture my lips again, his hand caressing the side of my waist.

I cut the kiss again, by placing my hand between our mouths. "My family needs the money Ryan. I need to get married to him, no matter what I want." I said.

"It's not your job to sacrifice your life for your family." he gritted through clenched jaw.

Bringing my hands to his hair, I pushed some free locks back from his forehead. "I need to do this Ryan." Snorting, he pulled away from me, leaving me bare in the cold. I flushed because of my nakedness and hurriedly pulled the duvet over me.

Before I could say anything, he picked up his shirt from the floor and left the room. Tears welled up inside my eyes at his departure and I sat up, hugging my knees. I winced when I felt sharp pain down there, the pain to losing my virginity. Yes I have been to second base with one or two boys before but never this, I lost my virginity the night before my wedding to my husband's brother.

And I feel like shit.

...

The wedding dress complimented my complexion and the few tendrils peaking out of my braided bun framed my face. Everything looked perfect, my hair, my makeup, my dress, except my eyes. There were hollowness inside the green orbs, an emptiness. I tried to smile but it didn't reach my eyes, appearing clearly fake.

"You look stunning." Crystal, Aaron's friend, said. With black wavy hair and grey eyes, she was a beauty. I hadn't met her before because she just arrived from London yesterday. I wonder how someone as shy as Aaron had a friend as outgoing and talkative as her.

"Thanks." I stated, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

I was wearing my jewelery when Ryan entered my room through the door. His eyes switched to Crystal and he said, "Can you please leave us alone? I need to talk to my SIL."

Crystal looked unsure at first but then she shrugged and walked out of my room. Once we were alone, he walked towards me and pulled his hand out to graze his fingers down my cheek.

"Let's run away from this place, together." he said, leaning towards me and kissing me briefly. "I can't watch you get married to my brother."

My heart skipped a beat. I have never felt the need to be with someone before. Everything about Ryan lured me in, his charizma, his personality, his looks and I couldn't help myself from falling for him.

"Ryan!" I whispered against his lips, his delicious scent encircling me.

"He won't divorce you Clara. He is so manipulative, he would make you fall in love with him and leave everything that matter to you behind." he said, gritting his teeth.

"He said we would settle this after the wedding."I told him, rubbing his cheek against my palm.

"Did he say he would divorce you?" he asked.

"No. But he-"

"You don't know him like I do babe. Once you're in this marriage, you're stuck forever." he said, holding my face in between my hands.

Crystal knocked at the door, calling my name. "Everybody is waiting for you downstairs."

Once again, I was torn between following my heart and following my mind. There was a turmoil of emotions inside my mind, causing my thoughts to jumble up in a mess.

"I need to go." I said, trying to move out of his hold but he kept me glued to his body.

"Clara, you deserve the best, not a fucking loser like him." he groaned in annoyance, grinding his body into me.

"Why can't you understand that I have to go. Its getting late." I said and jerked myself away from him before I would give up.

"Clara." he called my name again but I had opened the door by now. My bridesmaid, Angela and Tana who were my cousins, were waiting for me. I didn't invite any of my friends to this doomsday because I was afraid of being made fun of.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even realize when I reached the aisle in front of my husband to be, who was ogling at me with his mouth parted. He was wearing a black tux, his hazel eyes crinkling with a strange glee. The officiant started the ceremony and uttered some nonsense about how marriage was a bond of the lifetime. This marriage won't even last a week, I thought.

It was time to exchange vows then. Aaron had prepared one long ass paragraph about how he would always love me and cherish me. The whole time, a bomb was ticking in my mind at his words. They didn't look like the words of someone who would happily let me go after the transfer of money. I told them that I haven't written any vows which earned me a disappointed frown from Aaron.

Why does he expect me to act like I was getting married to the love of my life?

When the officiant asked me if I accepted him as my husband, it took all my courage not to run away. My eyes flickered to the first row in the guests, where Ryan and sitting, who had a huge scowl on his face. My gaze then shifted to the hopeful faces of my parents, smile laced on their faces.

"I do." I said and my husband passed me a faint smile.

"You may kiss the bride now." officiant said and the next moment, his lips landed on me, soft yet chapped lips moulding against mine while a small, barely visible tear trailed down my cheeks.

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