Before I say I do

Amelia`s POV The church was beautiful. Too beautiful for something that felt too good to be true. White roses lined the aisle, as I stood beneath the enormous chandelier, trying desperately to keep my hands from shaking. I stood at the altar with my fingers tightly locked around my bouquet, staring at the man beside me. I didn’t love him. And honestly I don’t think I ever could. He didn’t even look like someone who genuinely needed or wanted my love either. So why? Everyone else looked happy. That was the strangest part. Their eyes, to me, were saying that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. My father`s eyes were different though…he gave me that look of worry mixed with achievement, like he knew I didn’t want to be there but I had to be, because of him. Almost like he had let me down. And immediately I noticed this, I plastered a soft smile across my face, and he proudly smiled back at me. My eyes moved past him and landed on Julie. She wasn’t smiling. Of course she wasn’t. Her hands were folded neatly across her chest, her expression blank. Beside her sat my other sister, Grace, who stared hard at me…so hard it felt like she was asking herself “why her?.” But little did she know I wanted to know too. I looked over at Eliana. My step mother. She looked so elegant and for some reason, happy, But Eliana was never happy when it was. something to do with me. I shed a tear. I wanted my mom around again. Although today wasn’t one I should be proud about. I still needed her to at least cheer me on. Hopefully she could see me from wherever she was. Then there was Denzel. He looked like he wanted to say something. His eyes met mine, and for a second, the church disappeared. I saw the little boy who used to sneak into my room and bring all sorts of games to cheer me up whenever my sisters made me cry. The boy who would knock on my door endlessly whenever it snowed, asking “Do you wanna build a snowman?” and I would just go with him because he sure was irresistible. The boy who always sat beside me on my worst days, insisting I was his favourite person in the world. I smiled at him, he smiled back. And somehow, that hurt more than anything else. But I looked closely, and I could see the question in his eyes. “Are you sure about this? Don’t you love someone else?” I wasn’t sure, but the last question had brought tears to my eyes. I loved someone else. But the music had stopped. The room had gone quiet but my thoughts were loud. Way too loud. And the man beside me was waiting. Sebastian Grey. Thirty four years old. CEO of Grey Enterprises. The man I was about to say yes to. The man I didn’t know. The man I didn’t love. The man who was known for having a reason for doing everything. I tightened my grip around my bouquet. Whatever his reasons were, I promised myself there and then that I was going to find out. Even if marrying him was the worst decision I had ever made. Because there was something Sebastian wanted from my family. And I intended to find out what it was. His expression was calm. His black suit was fitted perfectly, his posture straight. His face impossible to read. And for some reason. I felt attracted to him. Maybe that was how he got heads rolling on the floor. I shrugged. I wasn’t going to fall for him. Because whatever Sebastian wanted from me, love wasn’t involved. He was impossible to read. And I hated the fact that I wanted to read him. My mind shifted somewhere it shouldn’t. Sunlight. A garden. Dark blue eyes. Luca. I swallowed. Eight years. It`s been eight years since I`d seen him. Eight years since he disappeared from my life without an explanation. I had spent years wondering where he was. I´d even sneaked out to find out where he was or would have run away to. But he left no traces. He didn’t call or text either. Sometimes I`d wonder if he remembered me. If he even cared to. He had been the only person who listened to whatever I had to say, without judging me. He made me feel like I could say anything and everything without regretting it. And then one day, he was gone. No goodbye. No explanation. I regretted every single thing that day. And from that day, I swore I´d never let any other person get that close to me. But a part of me wanted to know why. I still wanted to find him. I still wanted to be in the know. Some other times I thought some really bad people who came around to ask about him and his family had taken him. So, I eventually gave up. I was being pathetic. If he wanted to, he would. I snapped back to reality. Luca was long gone. And right now, I was standing beside another man. The priest called my attention. “Amelia?” I was out of it for quite a while. Everyone was looking at me. I blinked and composed myself. “I`m sorry.” The priest smiled gently. “You must be too excited. Are you ready?” Excited? Ready? I doubt anyone would ever be ready for something that could change their entire life. I looked at Sebastian again. He was waiting for me. My heart started beating faster. Suddenly, standing here started looking like the biggest mistake of my life. Maybe I should’ve walked away. Maybe I should have ignored the company. Maybe I should’ve chosen myself. But the thoughts came way too late. I had already walked down the aisle. I had already put on the dress. I’d already agreed to everything. There was no turning back now. The priest turned to Sebastian. “Do you take Amelia Morett-” “Yes.” His answer came immediately. I looked at him. He didn’t hesitate. Of course he didn’t. He is Sebastian Grey after all. The priest turned toward me. “And do you, Amelia Moretti take Sebastian Grey-” I stared at him. And for one brief second, the whole church disappeared. No guests, no flowers, no cameras. Just me and the man standing beside me. I thought about my father. My biological mother. Denzel. My family. The company. The secrets. Luca. And all the questions that had brought me here. I let out a sigh. “I-” BANG! The sound tore through the church. Everyone screamed. I froze. My bouquet slipped from my hands. For a moment, I couldn`t understand what the hell was going on. Everything was a disaster. Chairs scraped against the floor. People started crying. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even think. I tried to put myself together as I kept asking Who? Who fired that shot? And why? I looked around the church desperately. Everyone else was either running, screaming, or crying. But then my eyes met something that made the blood drain from my face. Someone was staring directly at me. And they weren’t running. They were waiting.