Married to my enemy

The sound of music echoed through the speakers; it was slow and melodious. People danced at the centre of the bar gracefully. Aria stared at the gold ring wrapped around her finger with a big smile. Derek had just proposed to her after years of being the best girlfriend. She went up to the stage, took a mic and shouted “Who's about to be a wife?” “Ariaaaa”, the crowd replied Derek proposed to her at her favourite bar- La Swiss. It all felt like a dream come true. Aria reached out for her phone in her carefully crafted Diamond purse. “Look at the time, I'd be late for my engagement party”,she said “You're having an engagement party?”Melinda asked. Melinda was the owner of La Swiss and she was also friends with Aria. “Yes we are”, Aria replied, grinning at Melinda. “You are sooo lucky to have a man like Derek, he's so into you” Melinda replied “I know right, well I have to be going now, I do not want to be late” Aria said as she handed Melinda an invitation card. Melinda smiled as she accepted the invitation “I'll definitely be there” she assured Aria “There's no way I'd miss your engagement party “ “Splendid “ Aria laughed The two friends hugged before Aria headed to the main exit . As soon as she stepped outside, she glanced at her ring. A smile spread across her cheeks. She was engaged! After years of loving Derek. The late night calls, the makeups, the arguments, the dreams they'd shared. She was finally going to be his wife. The thought made her heart flutter. Her phone buzzed in her bag. Derek! A smirk smudged her lips as she opened the message “Something came up , don't worry I'll be there soon” Aria rolled her eyes affectionately “You better be, it's a big day for us” she said as she tucked her phone in her purse and hailed a cab. The night felt long but it was alive. Atlanta was as active in the night as it was in the day. Aria was eager to get to the hotel, the ride felt too long for her. By the time she arrived at Chantel Hotel the party was already in full swing. The Hotel looked like a castle on a shimmery lake; It was gorgeous. Decorations of her and Derek hung everywhere. After admiring them for what seemed like forever she made her way to the reception hall. Guests filled the room. Music drifted through the air.Waiters moved around carrying trays of champagne. It was all perfect. Except for one thing. Derek wasn't there. At first, it was normal. He was usually late. Then five minutes passed. Then ten… Then twenty… Then thirty… It was an hour since Aria pulled up at Chantel Hotel and Derek still hadn't shown up. She began to worry. Her cousin Andre approached her . “Where's the lucky man?” he asked . Aria forced a smile. “Running late as usual it's probably traffic”. “Hmm” Andre sighed and left. More guests arrived. More questions followed. And Derek was still out of sight. A knot formed in Aria's stomach. She knew something was wrong but kept hoping. The excitement that filled her heart through the day was slowly getting replaced by something else. Something unexplainable; unease. “Ariaaaa” She looked up and spotted Vanessa approaching with two glasses of Vodka. Vanessa looked stunning in her midnight blue dress and her thick blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. The sight of her best friend calmed her nerves a bit. “There you are”, Vanessa handed her a glass. “I've been looking for you all over the place”. Aria accepted it with a soft smile. “Thanks”. Vanessa stepped closer “Heyyyy, stop worrying and stop looking dull it'll ruin your makeup” Aria giggled. “He promised he'd be here on time” she complained. Vaessa grabbed her hands. “You know he loves you very much”. Those words should've comforted her but it felt too heavy for her. Before she could reply, another guest approached to congratulate her. Aria forced herself to smile and socialise. She thanked the guests. Accepted endless compliments. Posed for several pictures. But her mind was fixed on the reception Hall's entrance. Watching. Waiting. Hoping. Still, no sign of Derek. The knot in her stomach tightened. She excused herself and left the crowd. Immediately she pulled her phone out and dialed Derek's number. The call went straight to voicemail. Her heart sank. This wasn't like him. She tried again. And again. And again. All to no avail. “Where could he be?” , she whispered to herself. Her reflection stared right back at her from one of the Reception Hall's mirrors. The white glowy dress. The sparkling ring. Hours ago she felt like the luckiest woman alive now she wasn't so sure. Her phone rang instantly. “Derek!” she said as she breathed a sigh of relief. She stared at her phone. An unknown number. Who would be texting her by now? She opened the message. Her face went blank. “If you want to know where your fiancé really is go to room 217” Aria blinked. She read the message again. “This must be a prank especially at events like this” she said to herself. Yet her mind wasn't settled. Another notification. “Come alone”. She held her phone tightly. A third message followed. “You deserve to know the truth”. A cold sensation ran through her spine. “Truth”, “What truth?”. “Was Derek hurt”. Aria thought of all the possibilities. She glanced through the Reception Hall. No one seemed to notice that she was losing her mind. Unconsciously, she searched for Vanessa. But her best friend was nowhere to be seen. A strange feeling settled over her. Fear. Pure Fear. She crossed the Reception Hall, the Reception desk and dashed towards the elevator. Every step felt heavier than the last. The elevator doors opened with a soft ding. She stepped inside. As the doors slid behind her , she watched the reception hall vanish from sight. Every thought ran through her head in the elevator. It felt too small to contain her; like it was slowly closing in on her. She had entered the hotel as a woman excited to celebrate her future. She had no idea she would leave it with her heart broken into a million pieces.