The Mafia Don's Dying Bride

Jennifer's POV "You should start packing your things after this meal," Frederick Scott, my fiancé, stated, his eyes stayed on the table, avoiding mine. "My girlfriend is back. She'll be coming to see me soon, and I don't want any complications." I put down my cutlery, slowly, the way you put something down when your hands have suddenly stopped working properly. "I'm sorry?" My voice came out smaller than I intended. "Did you just say your girlfriend?" "You heard me." "Frederick." I let out a short, disbelieving breath. "I'm your fiancée. What are you talking about? Which girlfriend? What…" "Must I repeat myself?" His voice sharpened, and it was the first time he had ever raised it at me. "Pack your things and leave. My woman is back, and I will not have you here causing problems for her." The dining room was very quiet, and I could hear the neighbor's generator humming three houses away. I could hear everything except the sound of this making any sense. "Your woman," I repeated. "Yes." "Frederick, I am your woman. I have been your fiancée for two years. You proposed to me. You put a ring on my finger. You told me…" A loud thud on the table informed me that this man wasn't joking. The cup of juice fell as a result of his fist hitting the table; its contents all spilled on me. “You must be foolish to think that I will accept you as my wife. Come on, the thought of me seeing you every day makes my stomach turn. I'm so irritated by your presence that I'm barely holding myself from throwing up.” He held his stomach and acted like he wanted to purge. The worst has happened. This is the same man that I gave my all, my heart, my body, access to everything concerning me. I have never loved and cared for anyone, even my own family, the way I did for him. All of a sudden, I'm irritating him? I met Frederick the night my own family betrayed me, five years ago. Every living thing on our street recognized me that night for I had walked round the whole street, countless times, visibly deranged and slowly running mad. It was left for me to start picking up waste and shouting. My own mother had ditched me, betrayed me and stabbed me straight into my heart. I trusted her with my life savings and my new startup idea. I had a business strategy that would definitely make me recognized by Forbes as a big threat to wealthy business owners. The business would have made me so rich and influential that I would not have been carrying my certificate up and down looking for jobs. But my mum, whom I thought had the best wishes for me, took my money and gave it to her new husband to start the same business I told her about. That was the worst heartbreak I have ever experienced. It affected my mental health, and I was at the point of being taken to the psychiatric center when I met him. Frederick Scott. The first son of the Scott family and also the heir to the Scott companies. He was my savior, my knight in shining armor, the light in my dark world. He rescued me from my captor, took me to his home and provided the necessary treatment for my quick recovery. He didn't only save me, he guided me, introduced me to his world, made me adapt, and rebuilt the future I thought was lost. He gave me reasons to live, and he was ready to hold my hand and defend me at any point. I believed he was my soulmate, and I'm his missing rib. So I opened myself up to him, gave him my trust, heart, and affection. I entrusted my life completely to him. The day he proposed was the best moment of my life. Not minding the difference in our social class, he took care of me, and I was able to go a day without recalling my mother's betrayal and the tough life I lived. “Why then did you propose to me when you're seeing another lady?” The tears that hadn't fallen on my cheeks for months finally fell, carrying with them all the sorrows and pains I have been enduring. Nothing seems to be moving forward in my life. “Why did you make me believe that you're my safe place? You made me feel loved, only to abandon me again? Why? Do you know how unbearable it would be for me after I have given my whole heart to you?” At this point, I was crying a river. The pain I feel in my heart is impossible to bear. “I saved you from spending your life in a psychiatric center. I did it out of sympathy. You were the one who clung to me. You never gave me breathing space, so I had no choice. Anyway, you had a roof, comfort, and a good life. You can't say that I treated you poorly.” His mischievous smile weakened me the most. “Hold on! Were you thinking I was going to marry a mental survivor like you?” He burst into laughter, a very loud, mocking laughter. “How can the heir to Scott companies marry a mental patient? That's insulting and embarrassing to me. I apologize for using you to wait for my real girlfriend, but you should be grateful for being used by the heir to the Scott empire.” I could feel the pieces of my heart falling deep into my stomach. I barely see due to the tears blurring my eyes. “I'm always the one people take advantage of. Why? Is it because I trust easily? Noo! I never gave you my trust that easily, but when I did, I thought I was making the right choice! I thought I had reached the end of my miserable life! Little did I know that you would worsen my life.” I tried to sound calm, but his unremorseful expression worsened it. My palm found its way to my eyes, wiping the persistent tears. I stood up, pushing back the chair which scraped on the floor, causing a loud noise. “I believe it's a goodbye then.” Yeah, it's time to be brazen. “But damn you, Frederick!” His countenance softened then hardened again. He opened his mouth to speak, but I was gone. I can't stand the hurtful words he might throw at me this time. On reaching the room I shared with him, I halted and stared at the bed. On this same bed last night, he had made love to me, a very memorable one. All the sweet names he called me, his gentle thrusts, warm kisses, kind gaze and loving touch, all of these were done with pretense. He is perfect at pretending if it's true that he never loved me. I headed to the wardrobe, brought out my luggage and began to pack. I made sure I left nothing, not even a single air that contained my fragrance. I was done packing, scrutinizing the room for the last time and turned to leave when a strong headache hit me. “Not today please…” I mumbled and quickly held my head, the pain was increasing and almost unbearable for me. Then the worst happened; my nose began to bleed. If my nose begins to bleed, then that means… “No, no, no! God! This can't be happening, not now, not here please.” The room tilted. I felt my body collapsing, my knees hit the floor before I could catch myself, and I had just enough time to register the ceiling above me, white, with that small crack near the light fixture I had always meant to mention, before everything went dark.