The Jilted Bride

“We need to go to the party, Hon. I don’t want to miss it, Crueshe will be mad if I won’t show myself,” she said and hugged herself tightly. She was feeling sick and can’t even take another step because of dizziness but she doesn’t want to disappoint her friend. It’s her annual party and all of the girls are there to enjoy the night. “But you are sick, Ivien.” Kenji insisted and held her hand. She smiled weakly but there’s a glint of happiness in her eyes. She was deeply in love with her soon-to-be husband. She lifted her right hand to touch his hair, she gently stroked it and looked directly at his eyes with full of affection. “Don’t worry 'bout me, I’ll be fine. I assure you,” she whispered softly and forced herself to give him a lively smile. She even chuckled with a hoarse voice. Kenji heaved a deep sigh and lowered his head, he licked his lower lip and bit his tongue. He doesn’t want to force her to stay in her apartment. “Tell me if you aren’t feeling well so I can take you home. Do you understand?” He gave her a warning look but she just laughed and hugged him, thanking him for letting her to do what she want. Happiness was coating her heart, he never failed to make her happy. She really made a good choice. Choosing Kenji was a blessing and she will choose him again and again. She prepared herself. She wore a red two piece swimsuit before wearing a backless black dress that was above her knee. Then she wore a six inches black peep toe heels. She then tied her black raven hair in a bun, she even put a cute colorful bobby pins to make it attractive. She smiled at herself in the mirror but her smile vanished after seeing how pale she is, she’s been ill for weeks now. Ivien don’t know what gotten into her, she feel cold and weak, her vision becomes blurry and she frequently feel dizzy and nauseous. She didn’t even bother to go to the hospital to have herself checked because she believed that it was just a normal cold. She used her royal blue Chevrolet Silverado, Kenji gave it to her for their first anniversary. She tilted her head lightly and smiled ambiguously. She’s excited to the things that are going to happened, it makes her heart thumped and beat erratically. While she was driving in the middle of the dark road, when the machines of her engine suddenly stopped. She felt irritated but choose to calm down herself. Getting mad won’t do any good. She was about to open the door when there was someone who knocked the window in the backseat. She raised her left brow and look over her shoulder and peek at the window, to see who it was. There’s a woman outside. Wearing an orange jumpsuit, she immediately recognized her. She opened the car and let her in. She smiled sweetly and chanted her name. “Zarria Lewison.” The girl on the backseat just stared at her blankly. “The heaven was really nice to me,” Ivien whispered happily and started the engines but failed. “Stay here, I’m hailing a taxi.” She left her car and went outside to wait for a taxi to pass by. “Where’s your Fiancée?” Kenji glanced at the girl who sat on the bar stool beside him. He scoffed and swirled the old fashioned glass that he was holding. “She is on the way here. She will be here any minute. Why don’t you call her, Orfelia?” He stood up and was about to leave when Orfelia stopped him, she gripped his wrist and pulled him closer to her. “Accompany me for a while,” she said while grinning seductively. Kenji licked his lips and sat again. She handed the bottle of rum that he gladly accepted. He poured a little liquor and drink it in one gulp. “How’s your wedding preparations?” Orfelia asked in a tiny voice. She was shamelessly staring at the man in her front, admiring his looks and thinking how would it feel if she kissed him. She felt her cheeks heated up with that thought, she really is shameless. “It’s fine,” he answered shortly. Giving a hint that he wasn’t in the mood to talk to her, or to any woman in this place. “Kenji! Orfelia! Ivien was outside, she just arrived,” Crueshe informed the both of them. Crueshe and Orfelia shared a knowing look before the latter gets up to welcomed their friend. Kenji stood up and put his hands on his pocket before walking confidently. “He’s breathtakingly gorgeous,” she whispered to her friend. Crueshe laughed at her and pinched her waist. “Stop romanticizing our friend’s boyfriend!” she jokingly said and flipped her long lavender colored hair. Orfelia rolled her eyes out of annoyance and walked while swaying her hips flirtatiously. She really loves getting attention, but she stopped midway when she saw Kenji kissing Ivien’s forehead. Jealousy was clouding her mind but she just let out a harsh breath, instead of making a scene. After all, she has no right. Well, she promised to herself that she can take Kenji, in many ways that she can. She always get what she wanted. “Ivien! Welcome!” Crueshe said in a loud voice, getting the latter’s attention. Ivien quickly let go of Kenji’s hand to give Crueshe a hug. “I missed you and by the way, congratulations on your new business.” Crueshe thanked Ivien and invited her to come inside to have a snack and joined their acquaintance’s for a swim. Crueshe was observing her friends. Ivien was weak and she noticed that she lost weight. Is she sick? She asked in the back of her mind. She then noticed Orfelia, who was secretly glaring at the Kenji and Ivien who was sweetly eating a snack. After they finished eating, Ivien asked Crueshe if she can stay in her room for awhile. She’s complaining about her sickness. “I’m really dizzy, I can’t take it any longer. I feel like I will collapsed at any seconds,” she stated and licked her pale, dry lips. Crueshe worriedly look at her friend but Orfelia was smirking mischievously, which is odd. “I can take this chance to get Kenji’s attention,” she thought. Kenji and Crueshe accompanied Ivien to the Crueshe’s room. They are walking slowly because Ivien cannot walk properly. They suddenly stopped in the middle of the stair when Ivien almost fell down. “I’m really dizzy,” she complained in a low voice, she touched her head and massaged her temple. Trying to lessen the dizziness that she feel. Kenji carried her, Crueshe lead the way and she opened the wooden door in her room, she opened the lights and let them in. Kenji carefully tuck Ivien in bed. He kissed her in the forehead and hold her hand. “Call me if you need anything.” Ivien nodded and tapped the back of his hands gently. She closed her eyes and turned sideways to bring herself to sleep. Kenji and Crueshe silently leave the room and let her sleep in peace. They joined the guests in the pool and have fun. Loud music was playing, the disco lights are blinding and the people are laughing, getting drunk and making out in the corner or even in the middle of the dancefloor, they just don’t mind. Some are busy diving, swimming, dancing wildly and some are eating and not minding the world around them. Happiness and satisfaction are visible on their faces. They are really enjoying the night. “This is fun!” Crueshe shouted in glee. They raise a toast and drank straight from the bottles they are holding. Some are getting tipsy and some are already drunk. But their drunkenness turned to shock and panic after hearing a loud scream coming from the second floor – on Crueshe’s room. On the other hand, there is a person who was planning something. This person put a poison on someone’s drink and was planning to end her life tonight but the loud scream echoed in the whole place, because of shock, the drink slipped off on this person’s hand and fell on the wooden floor. The drink spilled making the floor wet. Instead of cleaning the mess, the person choose to ignore it and ran away, leaving the bottle that contains a poison behind. A loud scream was heard and everyone panicked. The party was interrupted and everyone was gathered in Crueshe’s room. Everyone seen Ivien’s cold, pale and lifeless body hanged on the ceiling and there’s a note tied on her hand. They began to murmur and whisper at each other. Kenji entered the room and his eyes was filled with confusion because of what’s going on and he started to cry after seeing his girlfriend’s body hanged on the ceiling. He immediately removed the rope that Ivien used to hanged her body. He hugged her corpse and with a blurry vision, he untied the letter and started reading it silently. As he read it, his heart was filled with anger and agony. The love of his life was already gone. Orfelia was rooted in her place, she can’t believe what she is seeing. Her friend died, she committed a suicide. The tears streamed down on her face as she sat on the floor. She can’t digest it. “Why do you have to kill yourself, Ivien? You’re still young.” Crueshe hugged and calmed her down. Someone tried to call the police but Orfelia was quick to stop the guest. She angrily smashed the phone on the wall and her green eyes are shooting daggers, making everyone feel nervous. “No one should tell the police. Hold your peace and just turn a blind eye. You all didn’t know what happened.”