The Fourth Wife

Chapter 3: Presentable

ARIA'S POV

I thought maybe when I woke up, this would all turn out to be a dream. A nightmare. But no, here I was. Friday was gone before I even noticed. Like it didn't care. And before I could even blink, it was Saturday.

My wedding day. Funny.

It's my wedding day, and I haven't even seen the man I'm supposed to marry. What a perfect wedding.

I didn't bother stopping the scoff that slipped out.

The house was loud. Really, really loud. I didn't even know I had so many relatives, they all came crawling out of nowhere, filling the kitchen with whatever they thought was funny, laughing like this was Christmas. And none of them could help with the debt.

I rolled my eyes.

The door creaked open, and my mum walked in, smiling like this was the best day of her life. I haven't seen her smile like this in months. She was holding my gown. The gown I never tried on. They just asked me for my measurements, and it was delivered to me in a box, like some delivery.

I stared at it, hoping it would at least fit.

Then I looked at my mum. I wanted to ask her if she could see my hands shaking. If she could sense the fear in every breath I took. But then I thought, what's the point?

She laid it down like a treasure. White, shiny, beads glinting under the light. I hate to admit it, but it was beautiful. A beautiful cage.

“Isn't it lovely?” she whispered, like she was trying to convince me, or maybe herself.

I forced a nod.

Her eyes lingered on me for a while. I hated the way she was looking at me, like she was desperate to find happiness on my face. But I wasn't happy. I can't be happy. I was being sold.

She drew in a breath, and turned her eyes away. “Change your dress. I'll be outside.” And she left, closing the door behind her.

I just stood there. The dress patiently waiting for me. This is really happening.

I forced myself into it. I struggled with the zipper. I didn't call her. I didn't want to admit I needed her help. Especially not for this. Not when she was part of the reason I was here.

I did it.

The mirror waited across the room. I didn't want to see. The last time I'd looked, it was only for hair and makeup, and it felt like a stranger stranger staring back at me. But this time, I felt something different. I didn't want proof of how well they had dressed me up for my nightmare.

Still, I moved. One step. Two. More. Until I was standing in front of it.

I froze.

Wow. I looked… pretty. Painfully pretty.

My throat tightened. I looked beautiful, and that made me feel worse.

I heard a sniffle. I turned quickly. She was standing in the corner, her hands spread against her mouth, tears slipping anyway. I haven't even heard her come in.

Seeing her cry shattered something in me. The tears I’d been holding back spilled really fast. Hot tears.

“Don't cry, baby,” She said, wiping her face even as more tears fell. “You'll ruin your makeup.”

Her voice was shaking.

Before I could answer her, we heard a knock. My dad stepped in and immediately stopped. He just stood there, staring at me. His eyes didn't move, his mouth didn't open.

Finally, he said, “You look beautiful, Aria.”

He crossed the space between us, and pulled me into a hug, I clung to him. Hair, makeup, none of it mattered. For a moment in his arms, I could pretend I was just a daughter, not a bride.

When he pulled back, he cleared his throat. “It is time”.

My heart dropped.

My mum quickly reached for my hand. Her eyes shone with tears she couldn't hold back. “It's going to be fine”, she whispered.

We both know it was a lie.

I swallowed hard, tried to be brave. “Let's go.”

The car ride was quiet. My parents sat on either side of me, and I felt suffocated. When we arrived, the hall was looming with decorations and guests that were arriving.

They led me to a small room. “The groom will be here shortly,” someone said, and then it was just me.

Then him.

Dominic entered the room like it belonged to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if this big place was one of his many properties.

For a moment, we just stared at each other. I thought maybe, just maybe, he would smile. Or say something kind.

Nothing.

His suit looked perfect, his tie perfect, and his face was okay. Okay, his face was also perfect. His eyes scanned me as if this wasn’t the bride he ordered.

“You’re on time,” he said coolly, as if that was the only thing worth noticing.

I searched his face for even the smallest flicker of warmth. Nothing. Just a man waiting for the deal to be signed.

“You look…” he paused, as if he was searching for the right word, “…presentable.”

TF! The word stung worse than an insult.

He stepped back, glancing at his watch. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

And just like that, he left.

Almost immediately, my dad came in. “Are you ready?” he asked, as if it mattered whether I was or wasn’t.

When the door opened, the sound hit me first. People chattering, then suddenly staring at me, the faint clearing of throats.

The aisle stretched before me, long, unlike the time I had left in this life. I squeezed my dad’s hand, and we started walking. Step after step, I moved closer to the man who had just said I looked presentable.

Dominic stood tall and flawless. He didn’t look nervous like me. Of course, he wasn't nervous. This was his fourth time at the altar.

When we reached the altar, my dad’s grip loosened, and I got scared.

My eyes followed him as he sat down, my mum smiling at me, everyone staring at me like I was the prize they’d come to claim.

Then Dominic leaned slightly towards me. My heart jumped, thinking he might actually say something gentle.

“Stand still. Everyone’s watching.” His voice was low.

And just like that, my last piece of hope fell away.

When the priest finally said the words –Do you take this man…–my lips moved before I could process the weight of them. “I do.”

And just like that, I sealed my future.