My Husband, the Enemy

Chapter 3- A Corporate Wedding

Isabella stared at the ceiling in her mother’s hospital room. The heart monitor kept beeping while her mum lay in bed, unconscious. The smell of antiseptic and drugs filled the room, but Isabella barely took it in. Her mind was in a far place elsewhere, thinking about Damian Knights proposal.

“Mum, something happened today,” she said quietly, shifting closer to her mum's fragile body.

“I think I found a way to make our problems go away. To make you feel better. To help with Lila. To pay our debts.” she continued. She knew her mother was not listening but she hoped she was.

“Everything is going to be okay soon, I promise”.

She returned home after a restless and sleepless night. Damian Knight had given her twenty four hours to consider his proposal, and now she had about three hours left to make a decision.

When she got home, she saw her younger sister sitting on the couch, covering her face in her hands. Isabella sighed and ran to her.

“Hey Lila, why aren’t you at school yet?” as she got closer to her she heard soft sobs.

Lila's voice cracked as she spoke, “I don’t want to go to school, Izzy. The other kids at school are so mean to me.”

Isabella’s heart sank. She couldn't pretend she couldn’t see Lila’s worn out bag and clothes. She could tell from her eye bags that Lila spent the whole night crying. She grabbed her sister and pulled her into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry Lila. I’m going to sort everything out.”

“Did you sleep at the hospital yesterday?” Lila asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks. The hug with her sister made her feel a bit better already. She hardly got to see Isabella because she was always working. But when she did get to meet with her she felt a bit better.

“Yes, yes i did”, Isabella responded with a gentle smile, hoping her sister would not know how bad the situation has gotten.

“How is she?” Lila asked, her eyes perked up hopefully.

“She’s okay. She just needs a lot of rest right now. We can go and see her over the weekend”

Lila nodded.

Isabella cupped her sister's face in her hands and looked her in the eyes. “Listen to me Lila, everything is going to be okay. I have a couple things i need to sort out but once i’m done, life is going to get better for us”

Lila’s face lit up. “Are you sure?”

“Yes I'm sure,” Isabella said, smiling and nodding. “Now, please go to school”.

Lila picked up her worn out bag and headed out. Isabella picked up her phone immediately she heard Lila leave and called Damian. She knew what she had to do. She just hoped she was making the right choice.

***

The wedding ceremony was solemn and quick. Isabella stood at the altar in a modest but elegant white dress with puffed sleeves and a veil. A thousand emotions were fighting for expression on her face but she just looked straight ahead with a look of determination.

The wedding felt like a business arrangement. Only a few witnesses, who Isabella suspected were Damian’s employees, were there.

Damian stood beside her, expressionless too. He was in a dark tailored suit that made him look like a prince. Isabella couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked today with his hair slicked back. His eyes looked straight ahead at the priest with utmost seriousness.

As the priest spoke, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Isabella’s heart. Her hands started to shake and her lips started to tremble. Her wedding shoes felt very pinchy. She almost felt like she would faint, but Damian’s low commanding voice brought her back to life.

“I, Damian Knight, take you, Isabella Parker, to be my lawfully wedded wife,” he said.

Isabella’s throat tightened as the silence in the room settled and all eyes turned to her. She opened her mouth to speak, looking straight into Damian’s eyes, “I, Isabella Parker, take you, Damian Knight, to be my lawfully wedded husband.”

“I now pronounce you husband and wife!” the priest said.

Damian took Isabella’s hands in his and leaned over to her, but Isabella shook back awkwardly. He noticed her discomfort but leaned in again, placing a soft kiss on her left cheek.

Claps were scattered and echoed through the chapel but the room quickly went silent again.

The contract was signed. The deal was sealed. As they walked back down the aisle, Isabella felt a strange mixture of relief and dread. The future was uncertain, and she was now bound to a man she barely knew.

The reception was held in the conference room of Knight Enterprises. There was no cake and no music. A few people gathered together and observed with polite detachment while Damian and Isabella took their wedding pictures, Damian placed his hands on her waist in most of them.

Isabella felt like an outsider in a world she didn't belong to. She wondered how soon after the wedding she could go and see her mum and sister. She posed with a smile for every picture, but she could not wait for the event to be over.

“Excuse me, I need to attend to something quickly”. Damian said to both her and the photographer after a while. Then he started walking to the middle of the room with an angry look on his face.

The tension filled the air but Isabella could not fully process what was happening.

Damian’s stepbrother, Nathan, stood at the centre of the room, watching her with a smirk on his face. Damian walked straight up to him, his frame covering her from Nathan’s sight.

As the evening wore on, Isabella just stood at the same corner of the room in confusion, unsure of what to do now. Can I leave? Are we done? She thought to herself.

Damian and Nathan both stood at the centre of the room, engaged in a heated conversation that everyone around them pretended to not witness.

A little while after, Damian walked over to her and grabbed her hands, leading her out of the conference room. Isabella followed him, taking one final look at Nathan who was looking back at her with an evil grin.

Damian led her to the car and she got in, not saying a word. “We’re going to pick all your stuff from your old house. As my wife, you must be living with me.”

Isabella wanted to object but it was part of the contract. She didn’t respond and just looked outside the window, thinking about what life had in store for her for the next two years. A vibration from her phone brought her back to reality.

She checked her phone, thinking it was a message from the hospital or from Lila but to her surprise it was from an unknown number. The text read: Congratulations on the wedding. I hope you’re ready for what comes next.