Wolf At The Altar

Baby girl, don't ever forget how proud I am of you. Even though my heart is usually made of ice, I know that today will be extremely important for you. Marlowe chuckled into the telephone. Emily, her closest friend, always knew just what to say to get her going in the morning.Yes, I am aware. It still doesn't feel authentic. I could really get this promotion, Emily."It's true, girl. You deserve this. When Emily was enthusiastic about someone else, her voice would become lively and quick.Have you sent Jonah a text yet? The question was answered incorrectly. Before Marlowe could stop it, her stomach began to clench. Her fiancé was Jonah. The man around whom she had spent half of her life. The first thing she did that morning was text him. Something straightforward and optimistic, letting him know that she was both anxious and thrilled, and concluding with a heart and a brief kiss. He had yet to respond. Prior to that, he had not responded to seven messages, some from the previous night and some from last night. Marlowe forced her voice to sound light and exhaled slowly.Yes, I sent him a text. Most likely, he's been slammed at work. I'm sure he will call later. Marlowe could hear that Emily wasn't buying it during the pause.How recently did you two truly—"I'm already cutting it close, Em, so I have to run." Before Emily could finish, she ended the call. Right now, on the one morning when she needed to clear her thoughts, she didn't need a lecture about her relationship. Jonah has recently started his own architectural practice. He was occupied. That was all. Today, she was determined not to let it consume her. She kissed the screen of her phone, placed it on the dresser, and then turned to take one last look at herself in the mirror. She felt as though the white outfit was tailored to her figure. When paired with the black block heels, she could see why Emily enjoyed making jokes about how she looked like she belonged on a Milan runway. Unlike those women, she was not tall. However, she was trim, and she felt strong in her own flesh today. Marlowe took a slow breath and ran both hands down her midriff. Her eyes were staring back at her from the glass, a peculiar shade of violet that always made others remark. That morning, she had applied cosmetics for over an hour. Two minutes before she had to go, she couldn't possibly be wiping out an hour of effort, even though her eyebrows were already making her doubt herself. On top of her head, her deep chestnut brown hair was coiled into a tight bun. She grinned at herself and briefly closed her eyes. She had saved up six months' worth of paychecks to purchase her new Armani suit, which she would wear today. It was kept in the closet specifically for this occasion. She would own the sales floor when she walked into Lexcorp today. She had enough energy to leave the house just thinking about it. After grabbing her purse and putting her phone inside, she left her room and closed the door. Cutting past the little home office that led to the living room, she hurried down the short staircase. At that moment, she heard someone knocking on the front door. Her eyebrow automatically raised. A delivery was not what she anticipated. She had not anticipated a guest. Not at this hour, not on a Monday morning. She was already running late, so whoever was at her door had to hurry. Before she spoke, she walked across the living room and grabbed the doorknob, opening it just enough to see who was on the other side. Her gaze immediately fell on Jonah's face. She nearly grinned. Nearly. Then she observed her twin sister standing next to him, their fingers intertwined. As soon as they saw her observing, they separated their hands as if they had been caught in the act. Marlowe squinted. She stood in the frame, her eyes darting between them as she pulled the door open the remaining distance. Jonah Rivers. For the past eight months, she has been engaged to her thirteen-year partner. He was still, motionless, and unreadable as he stood there in a green vintage jacket and dark denim pants. For the most of her life, she had gazed into those brown eyes. However, this morning she noticed something in them that she had never seen before. Not quite guilt. Not nearly apathy. A peculiar combination of the two. Rayla Grant, her twin sister and chief editor of one of New York's largest fashion magazines, stood next to him. Her pale blonde hair fell loosely over her shoulders, she wore a tight blue dress with puffed sleeves, and her heels nearly made eye contact with Jonah. People had always spotted Rayla first. the more attractive one. the more intelligent one. It was the one thing that was easy. However, Rayla was fidgeting uncontrollably at the moment. It was odd because Rayla never looked away from anyone, yet her gaze continued moving around Marlowe's face, never quite settling on her eyes. Marlowe felt a chill go down her spine as she stood in the doorway. Why had they come here together? Why had their hands been locked like that just now? And why didn't either of them seem to be able to speak first?"Jonah," she murmured at last. She glanced at her sister. "Rayla." The name sounded colder and flatter. Rayla was the first to speak. "Marlowe. We must speak with you. We. Marlowe's entire body became still. What would Jonah and Rayla as a couple need to say to her? She didn't inquire. Rather, she kept her eyes fixed on her sister while folding her arms across her chest.Okay, let's talk." Rayla turned to look at Jonah, who met her eyes for a moment before averting his eyes. Marlowe's jaw tightened as she observed the conversation."May we enter?" Rayla enquired. Marlowe looked at her mental clock. It would take her fifteen minutes to enter Lexcorp's front doors. Whatever this was, though, it was obviously not going to be uttered hastily on a doorstep. She motioned them in after taking a step back. Together, they strolled passed her. Not one after the other. Like a single unit, standing shoulder to shoulder. Marlowe saw. She noticed, of course. Jonah had not given her a hug. hadn't given her a kiss. He hadn't even given her a proper glance since he got there, and he hadn't even looked at his phone to notice the long list of unread texts. Rather, he remained glued to Rayla's side as if there was no way he could leave it for even a moment. There was a serious problem here.With her arms crossed, Marlowe remarked, "I have fifteen minutes until I have to leave for work. "So whatever this is, I'd love to hear it now." After giving Jonah a look that said they would talk about his actions later, she returned her complete focus to her sister. Rayla's expression was staged to seem guilt, but it felt forced, as if she had to put in a lot of effort to make it look that way.Jonah said, "Let's just get right to it." Marlowe examined his face, attempting to predict what would happen before it did. Without her consent, her heart had already begun to race."You'd better," she continued, her tone becoming more acerbic. Rayla moved in closer, placing one hand on Marlowe's shoulder and pressing the other firmly on her chest.I want you to know how sad we are, Marlowe, before we say anything. This is not what we wanted to occur. We never intended to cause you harm. At that moment, Rayla's eyes began to flood up with tears. Marlowe glanced at Jonah over her sister's shoulder. His countenance remained opaque and heavy as he stared at Rayla. She moved away from her sister by taking two steps back. Her gaze darted quickly between the two of them, assembling an image she didn't want to witness. This was the identical scene she had seen in movies. in reality television. Before either of them spoke, she was aware of the direction this was going."We're getting married," Jonah declared. It felt like the room stopped moving. With his mouth slightly open, Marlowe stood motionless, trying to think of something to say but failing. Instead, she let forth a brief, incredulous laugh.We are, of course. Remember that our wedding is in a month?"He's not referring to you," Rayla said. Numb, Marlowe watched as Rayla moved back to put her hand in Jonah's. Rayla gave her a direct glance.He is referring to us. Then Marlowe let out a loud, piercing, almost violent laugh. With one palm pressed firmly on her stomach as if she could keep herself together by force, she flung back her head. A desperate part of her continued to hope that this was some terrible joke they were going to call off while she laughed until tears clouded her vision."You must be kidding," she remarked, dabbing at her eyes. "There is no way you two are—"Marlowe, I'm expecting. The child belongs to Jonah. Marlowe's eyes immediately fell to the spot where their hands were intertwined. Marlowe hadn't seen Jonah staring at Rayla with such tenderness in months. It felt like two blows to the face to watch them stand there with their hands clasped together, admitting their treachery without showing any remorse. Her back slammed against the wall behind her as grief suddenly hit her. Like drills, their eyes pierced her chest. It was as if someone had reached inside, ripped out her heart, and placed it between Jonah's feet on the ground. Rayla had always been the first to receive everything. the improved appearance. the higher grades. the simpler route to higher education. Marlowe's twin had been given all she had worked for and prayed for. Rayla had finally reached out and grabbed the one item that truly belonged to her. Marlowe looked around, but there were no more tears. Her throat would not produce a sound when she attempted to scream. Her legs would not move, even though she wanted to run and swirl around. Hollowed out, all she could do was stand there and gaze at them.Marlowe, I want to keep this baby. I'm not the type of man who ignores that. I—" Marlowe's bitter and broken chuckle interrupted Jonah's words.Respectable? At this moment, you consider yourself honorable? Do you think this is a joke or a sweet little tale of love? Rayla rolled her eyes. "Come on, Marlowe, it's not like we planned for—"How much time? Rayla was going to say something, but the words sliced right through."Six months," Rayla murmured in response. Marlowe's face was devoid of blood. The room leaned a little. Jonah was suddenly too busy to speak for six months. Dinners, weekends, and plans were all canceled for six months. With horrible clarity, everything fell into place.Six months, "Marlowe repeated, her voice barely above a whisper."Marlowe, I'm so sorry. We wanted to inform you through Mom and Dad, but— She abruptly turned to face her sister. "Mom and Dad knew?" Rayla nodded, tears that were staged rather than genuine in her milky eyes. Marlowe felt an unpleasant, violent want to seize her sister and shake her until the phony tears became genuine. She didn't. She was unable to. Rather, she gave a long shake of her head and took a step back, increasing the distance between them. Marlowe retreated before Rayla could touch her.You're telling lies. You two are currently lying to me." Tears eventually sprang out of her eyes and streamed hot down her face, cracking her voice. Jonah made no attempt to console her. He didn't address her by name. With a look more akin to annoyance than regret, he simply stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching her crumble. He didn't appear to be in love with her. He appeared to be a man who was eager for things to end. Did he ever have any affection for her?"No," Jonah replied plainly, addressing a query she hadn't yet spoken. Taking a deep breath, Marlowe turned away from them both and fled the home, her vision clouded by uncontrollably shed tears. She had no idea where she was heading. Standing in the ruins of all she believed she had, all she knew was that she could not stay in that house for another second.