Her Revenge, His Redemption (Book Two of Noctem Series)

Angelica This was the happiest day of my life. I grinned at my reflection in the mirror while my assistants touched up my makeup and fixed my hair. I was finally married to the man of my dreams and was blessed with the most wonderfully extravagant and expensive wedding my father could provide. “Señora, it’s almost time to cut the cake.” The wedding planner, Sara, announced. I eyed the clock on the wall. I’ve been a married woman for one hour, forty-five minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I examined my face, the gleam of excitement in my honey brown eyes was hard to ignore. I smoothed over my waist-length black curly hair, my best feature and my pride and joy. Perfect. I added more concealer to my birthmark on my neck, a habit my mother instilled in me since my early childhood. She demanded nothing short of perfection, so having any type of discoloration simply wouldn’t do. She had micromanaged every part of my life. The way I spoke, dressed, and looked was all fine-tuned by her. I was just her doll to play with. I last saw her four years ago when she stated that she was tired of being my parent. “You’re eighteen now, Angelica. I can no longer burden myself or waste my time looking after you. Your father will arrange your future marriage. Do not embarrass us.” Those were her last words to me, her dead eyes judging me. She never called or tried to reach out after that. I had no idea if she was dead or alive. It didn’t matter as long as she wasn’t here. I used to hate everything she forced me to do and to be. I never thought I’d be thankful for her training, but everything changed when I met Javier. Goddess, it was love at first sight for both of us. The second my eyes met with his, I knew he’d be my everything. He was so kind and compassionate, sweet and innocent. He loved how I smiled, my manners, and he saw me as a true equal. A shiver of excitement ran down my back. In the next twelve minutes we will be cutting the cake and posing for the press. It wasn’t easy being the daughter of a political figure. My father was the highest ranking consulate in Spain to be appointed to the European Centuriate Assembly. His duty was to make and pass laws, pass judgment on high criminal cases and, if he saw fit, he could engage in an act of war. He was the most important person in Spain and everyone, including his enemies, clamored for his attention. With Javier also being a mid-ranking officer who was moving up quickly, the community was very curious about him. This was one of the rare reasons why I was regretfully thankful to my mother. She made sure I would be the ideal daughter and wife. I was proud I survived her lessons and can now use my skills to help my family. I’d like to think that she did it out of love. “I’ll go look for Señor Javier,” Sara said, turning away. I grabbed her hand, “No, it’s ok. I’ll find him. He said he was going to his dressing room to rest.” “Ok. We have eight minutes until everyone gathers at the cake podium.” I nodded, gathering up my puffy dress and briskly walked out of the room. The soft clicking of my heels reverberated off the marble stairs as I made my way up to the second floor. Damn it, I should’ve asked Sofia to help look for him. My best friend looked absolutely stunning standing next to me as I said my vows. She has been there for me through every hardship and shared the same memories of joy. It was through her that I was able to meet Javier in the first place. I readjusted my dress as I took the last step. My long stride quickly brought me to Javier's assigned dressing room. I frowned as I entered the empty room. Why was it empty? “Javier?” I called out, making my way inside the large apartment. “Javi?” A muffled thump sounded off behind the french doors that led to the balcony. “Javi?” The thumps continued as I made my way over. The doors swung slowly as I walked in, the sound of my heart thundered loudly. I tried to register the couple in front of me. The woman moaned loudly, her fingers running through the man's familiar soft blonde hair. A pair of slim dainty legs were wrapped around her partner's waist. Her silky dress was pushed up as her partner steadily thrust into her. The man tilted his head, revealing Sofia’s little sister’s face. My blood turned to ice as she smiled gleefully at me. Her partner found his release with one last thrust and a loud grunt. Gemma's legs touched the ground, unbothered to fix her dress. I watched her passionately kiss my husband. My dry lips trembled, my voice struggled to come out. “J-Javi?” Javier shared a loving look with Gemma before pulling up his pants. His eyes were devoid of emotion as he shook his head and looked at me. “You're a few minutes early.” “Is that all you have to say?” A fat tear slid down my cheek. “What do you want me to say? Something like, ‘It's not what it looks like’ or ‘I can explain?’ Oh please.” He scoffed, helping Gemma fix her dress. “Gemma.” I croaked. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “You really have yourself to blame Angelica. Don't tell me you honestly thought someone of Javier’s caliber would be remotely interested in you?” Her words repeated in my head as I thought of all the signs I happily chose to ignore. All of the times they would share looks or when I’d innocently touch him only for him to pull away. All the times I came home to prepare for him, making sure everything was perfect, only to get a dismissive response. I thought he truly loved me, but he played me like a fool. “Why? Tell me! If you had feelings for each other, then why did you bring me into this?” They stared at me with vacant expressions. “It was all a part of the plan,” Gemma said dismissively. “It's time.” Javier announced, his hands suddenly gripping my shoulders. “Don't touch me!” I tried to fight him off, repulsed by his touch. “Come on!” Javier growled, his strong hands dug into my skin as he dragged me towards the closed-off dark balcony. Gemma floated past us, picking up two small crystals meant for creating barriers from the entryway. She crushed them in her hand, making the barrier disappear. The heavy scent of blood assaulted my nose. I started to kick and thrash around, trying to escape. “STOP!” Javier shoved me to the ground, the force almost knocking the wind out of me. I tried to push myself up. A wet thick liquid seeped into my dress and covered my chest. I slowly lifted my hand up, shaking as I saw them soaked in blood. I squinted, my eyes trying to locate the source. “Papa?” My voice refused to be louder than a miniscule whisper. Javier and Gemma began to snicker, watching me crawl to my father. The ground was slippery, causing my hands and knees to buckle as I made my desperate attempt to reach him. “Papa.” I sobbed, pulling his cold body into my arms. I shook my head, my tears obstructing my vision. My hands trembled as I tried to survey his wounds. Four large gashes gapped open on his torso and chest, his heartbeat was long gone. I screamed, holding him closer. “How could you?!” I hollered. “We have another surprise.” Gemma chirped as she pulled open the doors of a wardrobe. Sofia’s lithe body fell forward, her eyes wide, mouth and limbs bound. I shook my head in confusion, “Sofia?” Gemma dragged her forward, pushing her into my father’s thickened pool of blood. “Angel, run!” she shrieked the moment her mouth was released. Gemma backhanded her, the slap hard enough to draw drool and blood from her mouth. I grabbed my father tighter, “I-I don’t understand. Sofia. What’s going on?” “Sofia was such a big help. It would’ve been impossible to get your father into this room alone if it wasn’t for her.” Gemma purred. Sofia shook her head, “No! I- I didn’t know!” Her cry was muffled by another smack. Javier grinned as he pulled out a bloodied knife. He jerked my hand up, forcing me to hold the hilt. Gemma let out a hysterical scream, rushing towards the shades that hung across the balcony. She was preparing to yell for reinforcements. Sofia kicked out her feet, tripping her while she struggled out of her bonds. Gemma was quick to get back up, pouncing onto Sofia. They struggled as Gemma tried to cover up Sofia’s mouth, earning deep bite wounds. She climbed onto Sofia’s back and slammed her head into the ground, leaving her unconscious. She grunted as she secured Sofia’s mouth close and successfully dragged her away. She returned quickly and swung the shades open and continued to scream. “Help! Help! Someone please! Angelica killed the consulate!” She yelled to the thousands of wedding guests. “No!” I cried, wrestling against Javier. He firmly kept my hand on the knife, ignoring my kicks and punches. The cascading sounds of footsteps stampeded towards the room. I managed to get my hand away and started to swing at Javier, cutting his cheek. I tried to escape, the floor too slick for me to grab a good footing. The doors blew open as the army of guards filled the room. Javier pulled on my dress, making my legs buckle under me. He dragged me down to the ground and twisted my hands behind my back after making me drop the knife. Gemma sobbed loudly, still acting hysterical. “She's over here! Help Javier! He tried to stop her!” “Detain her!” Maximus, the head of security quickly took over the scene, while his lackeys replaced Javier and pinned me to the ground. Their weight was crushing me, forcing me to gasp for air. Health aides ran to help my father, their actions frantic. “He tried to stop her.” Gemma wailed. “Liar!” I squirmed underneath my captor's hold. The man on top of me punched me in the face, nearly knocking me unconscious. “It's true sir. I saw him grappling with her.” One of the guards declared. “L-Lies.” I sputtered, earning another punch. My eyes began to roll, the darkness quickly consuming me. “I-I don't know why she would do this. If only I had stayed by her side.” Gemma sniffled to the guards who tried to console her. I…I don't understand. Today… today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. My eyes fluttered shut.