The wedding
1549 Words
"Aeris, Aeris wake up!"
I felt Kira’s hand on my shoulder trying to wake me up, the shake pulled me out of the suffocating dark. I shot up, gasping for air, my chest rising and falling. It was all a dream. The dream lingered, heavy and disjointed, its edges fading the more I tried to hold onto it.
“Finally,” Kira muttered, her brows knitted together as she leaned over me, annoyance clear in her voice. “You were thrashing in your sleep, mumbling nonsense. I thought I’d have to throw water at you.”
"What… what time is it?" I croaked, my voice hoarse.
“Early enough for you to tell me what the hell that was about,” Kira shot back, perched on the edge of my bed like she belonged there. “You sounded terrified.”
"Kira, I’m fine, it was just a weird dream." I said, sliding out of bed. “Oh my goodness Kira, it's past 10am! Why didn't you wake me up earlier? I told you I had a meeting with the dressmaker, now I’m late” I whined.
Kira stared at me for a moment. "Are you seriously going through with this wedding of yours?"
“Of course, bills have to be paid”, I responded with my voice laced with a mix of sarcasm and seriousness.
“Are you listening to yourself, Aeris?” She threw her hands in the air. “You’re going to marry a complete stranger. For money!”
"It’s not just about the money," I shot back, struggling to keep my voice steady. "It’s about freedom. Security. For once, I’ll get to live in a mansion, with maids waiting on me for a change." I paused, my tone softening just a little. "Besides, it’s just business."
“Business arrangement or not, you’re about to marry someone you’ve never even met! What if he’s a psycho? Or worse, what if he’s boring?” Kira shot back, her tone a mix of sarcasm and real concern.
I turned to her, pleading with my eyes. “I need this, Kira. You know why. I can’t go back to the way I was. This is my chance at stability.” I said,“ you’re either in on this with me or you’re out, Kira.” I added, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The preparations for the wedding went by in a blur. I didn’t do much. It wasn’t a real wedding after all. I got my hair and nails done. Kira did my makeup on my wedding morning, helping me get dressed after I made her promise to keep it a secret from my mom.
You promise me you won’t say a word to her. Okay?”
She hesitated, lips pressed into a thin line, before finally nodding. “Fine. But I still think this is insane.”
“Maybe it is,” I whispered, barely above a breath. “But it’s my choice.”
*************************************
The chapel was very grand. The kind of place I’d only ever seen in magazines or movies, where sunlight streamed through massive stained-glass windows, casting a thousand colors across the marble floors. Enchanted chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, twinkling like constellations.
The gown was suffocating—lace and silk, cinched tightly around my waist like a punishment for agreeing to this madness. I adjusted the tight neckline again, wishing I could just breathe.
Then, I saw him. The man I was about to marry in mere minutes.
He stood at the altar, tall, dark, and imposing in a perfectly tailored black suit. A mask covered most of his face, leaving only his sharp jaw visible. My stomach twisted, a sense of familiarity settling in, though I couldn’t tell why.
“It’s not forever. Just long enough to fulfill the contract.”
I repeated the words over and over again in my head, trying to calm the anxiety building up in my chest.I dragged in a deep breath and stepped forward to him.
He stretched out his hand. I hesitated for a heartbeat before finally placing mine in his. His grip on my hand was steady and warm, carrying something I couldn’t quite put into words.
The elder began reading the vows from the old book of marriage, but my mind was elsewhere. My heart raced with anxiety as I tried to catch a glimpse of his face through the thin veil. Who was he really?
“Do you, Damian Ravenson, take Aeris Dorne to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
“I do,” he responded, his voice cold and smooth.
I gasped. That voice. So smooth. So hauntingly familiar.
My mind whirled, as fragments of memories started flashing in an instant: silver eyes, warm hands, whispers in the dark.
No. It can’t be him.
I was lost in my own thoughts when I felt Damian’s grip tightening around mine. Jolting me back to the present. The elder recited the vows for a second time, and I repeated them, my voice barely audible to my own ears.
“I—I do.”
“By the will of the ones before us, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Damian raised the veil covering my face slowly. He paused, his eyes narrowing as if in shock. Before I could process his entire facial expression, he closed the distance between us, his lips pressing against mine with a sense of hunger.
At that moment, all of Avarenth blended into a blur. Loud cheers mixed with the melodic tunes of the ancient magical birds filled the air. Their magical music notes formed beautiful trails of essence in the air but none of it mattered. The fact that I am now married to a man I barely knew finally dawned on me.
The reception was short and brief. By the time the reception finally ended, I was visibly tired. Damian sensed it, and he guided me up a sweeping staircase. He kept mute throughout the walk. His mask was still firmly in place, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that gnawed at me with every step.
At the door to our suite, Damian finally turned to face me. His silver eyes gleamed in the dim light, piercing right through me.
Without a word, he reached up and removed his mask.
I froze. Recognition hit me like a tidal wave. It was him. The man from the Trans-Pod. The man I spent that reckless night with. The man I wanted out of my head.
“You,” I whispered, barely able to breathe.
His expression hardened, his jaw tightened. “I suppose there’s no point in pretending anymore.”
My mind raced. How did I end up here? Married to him—the man I’d been trying to forget?
“Pretending?” I echoed, my voice tight with disbelief. “You mean you knew all along?”
"I didn’t know you were the woman Malik hired until you walked down that aisle," he said, his voice cold and sharp.
I stared at him, my chest tightening, the weight of his words sinking in. "So, what? You just decided to marry a complete stranger?"
“Believe me, Aeris, if I’d known it was you, I would’ve handled things differently.” His voice dropped, low and rough.
I could feel it—the way he said it, like his words were meant to break something inside me. And they did.
"Oh, congratulations on ruining both our lives." I spat out angrily.
“You agreed to this, Aeris. No one forced you.”
“I didn’t agree to any of this!” I shot back, gesturing wildly between us. “I thought I was marrying some faceless, nameless billionaire who needed a wife for God-knows-what reason. Not the guy who—”
I cut myself off, heat rushing to my cheeks.
“Not the guy who what?” Damian’s voice turned dangerously quiet.
“Nothing,” I muttered, turning my back to him.
But Damian wasn’t done. He closed the distance between us in three long strides, his presence like a magnetic force pulling me closer. “Say it.”
I whipped around, my frustration boiling over. “Not the guy who disappeared after spending the night with me, okay? Happy now?”
His expression darkened, his glowing eyes flashing with intensity. “You think I wanted to leave?”
“You didn’t have to!” I yelled. “You could’ve said something. Left a note. Anything! Instead, you vanished like a coward.”
He stood there, jaw tight, not saying a word for a moment. Then, with a sharp exhale, he ran a hand through his dark hair, frustration clear in his movements.“You don’t understand, Aeris.”
“Then make me understand!” I screamed, the words flying out before I could stop them.
“Aeris, I’m cursed!” He yelled back, his voice rough, empty of all emotion.
My whole body tensed at his sudden outburst.
The air between us suddenly felt charged, heavy with something dark, sending an unsettling tingle across my skin.
His eyes—they were no longer silver. They burned a fiery orange. Behind him, a dark fog began to rise.
- Writer
