Complicated Bliss

Chapter 4

It was Mabel's wedding day, and as she stood facing the mirror, she barely recognized the person staring back. Her best friend, Rose, and the maids moved with rustlings around her, rounds of chuckling and chatter opposite to the storm that was negotiating in her brain.

"My goodness, darling, you look simply marvelous!" Rose exclaimed, standing back to survey her work as she raised the zipper of Mabel's gown all the way up the back.

"Thank you, Rose," Mabel said flatly, her voice showing no excitement for an occasion that truly deserved some.

"Promise me you'll tell me all about the honeymoon," Rose teased, splaying Mabel's hair with a playful snicker.

"Rose, nothing is going to happen to me. I am so nervous. What if he is worse than I think?" Mabel asked while staring into the mirror, searching for one shred of enthusiasm. What she met was dread.

Rose made a completely exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Oh, come on, Mabel. You'll be just fine! You need to lighten up."

"Be still, Rose. This is solemn," Mabel sighed, turning from her glass, where the weight of the instant hung upon her like the heavy silk of her dress.

"Alright, alright, but I still want the juicy details!" Rose said mischievously, winking.

Mabel's stare sent her silent.

The breaking of the moment came with a soft tap at the door. Mabel, filled with hesitation, swung it open, revealing Stella, Williams's mother.

"Hello, Mabel, you look so lovely," Stella said with such a warm but rather unsettling grin.

"Thanks ma," Mabel muttered, her nervousness congealing in her tummy.

"Miss Mabel, your guests have all arrived. They await your appearance," Stella said in a voice like a stone.

"Alright, ma, we'll be there in a few minutes," Mabel replied, the rising anxiety making her gather her gown as if ready to flee the chaos outside.

*******

The grandeur of the hall overwhelmed her. The ceiling seemed to be so high above her, decked with glittering chandeliers that might have been stars in the night sky. Mabel's heart ran a riot as her eyes scanned out across the sea of guests. Large enough to hold thousands, and yet she knew less than a handful of faces.

Her gaze cut through the sea of faces until they fell on her father. Immediately, her heart sank in disappointment. Each time she saw him, she was instantly reminded of how he hawked her happiness in his interest.

She came to him, pulling her gown up cautiously to kneel and touch his feet-a gesture that was more a duty than comfort. He lifted his hand to bless her, relief and sorrow washing over her in equal measure.

She whispered, "Daddy", her words laced with the unshed storm of tears that wrestled behind her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, his hand falling awkwardly onto her shoulder.

"Daddy, why ar—"

"It's your wedding day. You should be happy," he said, interrupting, drawing her into a brief embrace that felt almost like a farewell, rather than a benediction.

The sound of boots on the floor whirled Mabel out of her thoughts. She sprang up immediately, her heartbeat racing, as Williams and his entourage whirled into the hall. There came a cheer from the crowd; the sound skimmed the atmosphere like confetti. Mabel felt her heart slide into the most abysmal abyss.

The cameras flashed to snap every moment, every smile, and even every glance of awkwardness.

"What the hell, Mabel, I'm starting to get jealous," Rose whispered, eyes sparkling, watching Williams approach. "He's so handsome!"

"Rose, won't you pull yourself together?" Mabel chided softly, pushing her back to the present.

"He's gorgeous," Rose muttered, though there was a teasing lilt in her tone.

"And arrogant, too…." Mabel furrowed her brow. "Could you just shut up for a second?

Williams's mother, Stella, chatted cheerfully with Mabel's father for a moment before turning back to her, her smile as dazzling as it was unnerving.

Williams' eyes scanned the crowd, his face twisted in disgust as he glanced over Mabel's family and friends. To him, they were a backdrop, an annoyance.

"Where do you think you're going away without her?" Stella asked, emphasizing sinister indifference.

Mabel's heart quickened as her gown caught in her stride, threatening to send her tumbling onto the floor. But before she was able to hit the floor, Williams's hand clamped down on her arm, his grip firm and protective yet possessive.

He pulled her forward, finding herself being led across the hall, a chess pawn moved by some unseen hand, unable to resist his unyielding grip.

His eyes never once left the road, as if Mabel was nothing more than an accessory, an after-thought addition to him and not his partner.

They mechanically uttered vows as the ceremony started. Mabel's heart was heavy from the weight of reality. While Williams was apathetic, she was drowning in anxiety and betrayal.

It was when he exchanged the rings, and onto her finger, the coldness of the metal felt more like a chain than a seal of commitment. The anger bubbled in her stomach, but she swallowed it down, forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace.

Rose shouted as they were all getting ready to walk down the aisle, "Can we get a kiss from the bride and groom?"

Mabel shot her a glare, one which suggested she'd strangle her for forcing this moment of intimacy.

Williams turned to her, and Mabel drew in a gasp. Gleaming eyes, his left arm circled her waist, drawing her closer. A touch of his against her sent a shiver through her, a confusing mix of fear and everything that she didn't want to acknowledge. He leaned forward, and Mabel's heart was racing as panic surged through her veins.

Before she could utter a word of protestation, his lips grazed hers, soft yet commanding. His kiss was electric, it sparked something within her, something that hadn't been there before. It was wrong, tainted by circumstances binding them.

When he drew back, his face was a mask of surprise and calculation. "Remember," he whispered against her lips, his warm breath making her shudder down her spine, "the only legal requirement for both of us is in the contract. You're just a tool."

Those had been final words; they had washed away all hope she had nurtured about love. Her heart broke into a million pieces as she stared into his dark brown eyes. This wasn't the love story she ever dreamed of. Her happiness was nothing more than collateral damage in this arrangement.