Chapter 3 I'm Just a Stranger
740 Words
The whole room fell dead silent.
So he thought the very same thing.
I'd been over the moon, convinced our marriage was the happy end to our love. To him, though, it was just a rushed decision he'd been pushed into.
I looked at him, and tears blurred my vision.
Just then, a bathroom door swung open.
Wait—it was not the master bathroom.
Queenie had come out of the guest bathroom earlier. She had never gone into the master bedroom at all.
Then who was inside that bathroom?
My head spun.
A strange man stepped out, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He wiped his wet hair as he walked forward.
He froze the moment he saw us.
"Queenie, who is this?" he asked.
Queenie stood up at once and linked her arm through his, a defiant smile on her face. "This is my boyfriend. Let me introduce you guys. This is Randal, my best friend, and this is Phoebe, his wife."
My mind went completely blank.
She hadn't come alone. She'd brought another man with her.
And they were here—on our wedding night, inside our brand-new home.
Randal's expression darkened. He jumped to his feet. "Queenie, what is this about?"
"Nothing at all," Queenie said, her tone innocent yet cruel. "We agreed to party all night, didn't we? I brought my partner along. What's wrong with that?"
As she spoke, she picked up my phone from the coffee table. I had left it by the sink earlier when I was sick.
Water spots still dotted the screen.
She tossed the phone onto the bed. Water splashed onto the pure white wedding bedding and left an obvious mark. "Your phone isn't very waterproof, Phoebe."
Her eyes drifted back and forth between Randal and me, and a triumphant smile tugged at her lips. "How about this? My boyfriend and I will stay in the guest room tonight. We can show you two newlyweds how to really enjoy yourselves. I guarantee you, Randal won't have any more leg twitches ever again."
Those words were the last blow. I crumpled inside.
I was burning with anger, yet an odd calm settled over me. "Tell them to leave."
Randal clearly did not expect this reaction. He stared at me, and complicated emotions flashed across his eyes.
Queenie refused to back down. "Why do we have to leave? Randal bought this house, not you. We're his invited guests!"
"Randal!" I said firmly, locking my gaze on him.
This was my absolute bottom line.
Randal finally moved. He took a deep breath and turned to Queenie. "Take your friend and head home first. We can hang out tomorrow."
"I'm not leaving." Queenie acted stubbornly. "I'm staying here tonight! Did you forget about me—the friend you always had—just because you got married?"
Her eyes grew watery as she finished speaking.
The strange man spoke up to back her. "Come on, buddy, don't be like this. We're just here to have a little fun together."
I let out a cold laugh. I pulled out my phone and dialed the police directly. "Hello? I'd like to report trespassing."
My voice was quiet, but it rang out clearly for everyone in the quiet living room to hear.
Every single person there was stunned.
Queenie was the first to recover. She rushed over, trying to snatch my phone away. "Phoebe, have you lost your mind?"
I stepped sideways to dodge her and looked at her coldly. "Don't touch me again."
My look must have been frightening. Queenie instantly stopped moving.
Randal's face turned ghastly.
He hurried over, ended my call, and growled at me. "Do you have to make a fool of us in our home in front of everyone?"
"A home?" I laughed bitterly. "Is this really my home? I feel like I'm just a stranger here."
Sharp cramps hit my belly one after another. All of a sudden, I felt a warm trickle between my legs.
I looked down. A bright patch of red was spreading quickly across my white wedding gown.
I was bleeding.
Panic swept over me. My whole body trembled, and I slowly slid down the wall.
Randal spotted the blood, too. His eyes widened, and all the color drained from his face.
"Phoebe!" He reached out to hold me. I pushed him away with every ounce of strength I had, then quickly dialed 911.
- Writer
