VELMONT’S VEIL

CHAPTER TWO - AFTERMATH

“Shut it off!” I groaned, trying to find the source of the incessant ringing. I was still groggy from sleep and I didn’t know why my alarm was ringing!

“Holy f**k!” I heard Bethany scream as she ran into my room, opening my curtains and allowing the warm sun to kiss my skin.

“Beth!!!” I groaned, turning to the other side of the bed and pulling the covers to my head. “It’s Saturday, why won’t you let me sleep in?” I murmured but was answered by her viciously pulling off the covers from my body.

“You’re damn right it’s Saturday C and it’s your sister’s f*****g wedding!” Bethany exclaimed, causing me to jolt abruptly from the bed. An action I immediately regretted.

“What!” I yelled, glancing at the digital clock on my bed. It said 10:46 am and the wedding starts at noon!

Ugh! I groaned, clutching my head as memories of the previous night came crashing down.

“Oh my god!” I screamed into the pillow, causing my head to throb.

“I know! We are going to be so late!” Bethany cried out, handing me an Advil but my hangover was so strong that I had to rush to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach.

“Beth!” I called out to her and she came to join me in the bathroom. She rubbed my back soothingly and that was when I finally took the Advil from her and gulped the water.

“You look like s**t!” I commented, noting her disheveled hair and red-rimmed eyes as I wiped the droplets of water from the corner of my mouth.

“That makes two of us! By the way, where did you wander off last night?” Bethany asked and I gasped!

Drinks! Laughter! Sexy man! Garden! s*x!

“f**k!” I grunted as memories of the remarkable night I had come rushing in. “I may have done something terrible.”

“What did you do Celeste?” Bethany asked, her eyes widening as she helped me up.

“I slept with someone at the party last night,” I confessed, undressing. She packed her hair in a bun and shrugged, “So?”

“I don’t know the person I slept with,” I said again as if clarifying why she should be bothered but she just scoffed and undressed, getting into the shower.

“You’re not giving me much context as to why that’s freaking you out Celeste and honestly we need to hurry up. We’ve not picked out our dresses from the dry cleaner.”

I bit my lip as I slowly peeled my clothes off my body and dumped them in the laundry basket before entering the shower.

“We didn’t use any protection,” I finally dropped the last bit of information and she just gasped dramatically.

“When I said I wanted you to get loose, I didn’t mean that loose!” Beth scolded, a disapproving look spread across her face.

“I feel awful!” I whined, turning on the shower and allowing the water to cascade down my body!

“It has happened and there’s nothing that can be done anyway. Do you know what can be done? You, making it early to your sister’s wedding because it wouldn’t bode well for the runaway sister to arrive after the bride.”

“Ouch! You hurt my feelings,” I joked and Bethany just rolled her eyes. “Why are you even in my bathroom? Don’t you have yours?”

“My house, my rooms, my power!” Bethany teased and I playfully splashed her with water, eliciting bouts of giggles from her.

Two hours later, I was all dolled up and I could hear the chattering voices inside the church.

“Celeste Marlowe?” A guard asked and I nodded and then he directed me to somewhere behind the church while another one took Bethany inside the church.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked but my answers were immediately answered when I came face to face with my sister, my little girl.

“Oh, Soph!” I said softly, attempting to hug her but she stepped back, her floral wedding gown cascading all over the place. We said nothing as we stared into each other’s eyes. Six years of estrangement, six years I had imagined how our reunion was going to be, and now the moment was finally here.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I could see her battle with hers.

“You’re late!” She said defiantly and I winced at the harshness in her voice.

“I can explain…”

“Save it!” Sophia yelled. “After six years, I finally asked you for one thing and you couldn’t even uphold that,” her voice was icy, causing me to flinch.

“I’m here now,” I tried to pacify her, knowing that an apology wouldn’t just cut it.

“Let’s just get this over with! I’m only doing this for my husband who thinks family is important. After this wedding, you can crawl back to whatever hole you came out of.”

She said and held out her hand for me to hold. Her words stung but I was determined not to show it. Bruce, whom I had conveniently ignored, stood on her other side and held her arm.

Bruce stopped by my side and whispered into my ear, “You still owe me, Celeste.”

I shivered at the cynical tone of his words.

The wedding bells tolled, ushering the bride into the church. From the corner of my eye, I saw Bethany smiling widely, taking pictures, and throwing me a thumbs-up. I fought the urge to laugh out loud and just kept on smiling.

I looked around the caliber of people in attendance and wondered how shy little Sophia could pull off such a crowd or maybe it was from the connection of her husband—whom I had yet to meet.

‘Here comes the bride,’ continued playing, and when I finally glanced up at the altar, I physically choked on my saliva as my eyes came in contact with her husband.

I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them again he would be gone but no, when I did open my eyes again, he was standing there. It wasn’t an illusion, it was real and my mind could not shake off the thought that,

I had s*x with my sister’s husband!