Marriage Was The Weapon

CHAPTER TWO

CASSIAN’S POV

My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as I recalled the last conversation that I had had before leaving home. The soft humming of my Lamborghini drowned out in my thoughts.

FLASHBACK

“If you hurt her, I promise you I will kill you,” I warned through gritted teeth.

I watched the smile on my brother’s face widen in a triumphant smile.

“I won, brother. I always win,” my brother said and burst into a fit of laughter as he walked out.

I watched my brother stagger blindly towards his room with one thought replaying in my head.

She loved him.

And there was nothing I could say or do that would talk her out of being with him.

FLASHBACK ENDS

“Where the hell is he?!” I heard the loud shout from the kitchen before my mother appeared in the doorway with a warm smile on her face.

“Welcome back my son.” She said and enveloped me in a warm hug.

As I stared down at my mother, I saw her gentle features held together by makeup but time had still chosen to take its toll. She had aged not like how I had remembered. She looked more tired and weaker.

My eyes scanned around the room in search of my brother but settled back on my mother’s face when I couldn’t find him.

As if reading my mind, she responded.

“He’s at the police station identifying her dead body. For the funeral tomorrow. As you can see we’re trying to give her a befitting burial even though that w***e didn’t deserve it, “ she said with a wealth of disgust on her face.

“I don’t understand why he would choose to go…” She began to say.

But before she could finish, I was already walking out the door and towards my car that was parked outside.

It didn’t take long for me to get to my destination.

I noticed the wide variety of police cars that were parked strategically outside the police station but what caught my attention was the lady in blue, crying at the corner.

Her shoulders heaved with every sob that she let out. I knew it would take only a few strides to get to her but I stopped in my tracks when my brother came out of the police station. I watched the once sobbing face turned to one of anger, her hands fisted at the sides as she sidetracked my brother.

I couldn’t hear what she said, but judging from the expression on her face, it was one of pure guilt.

Without even realising what was happening so fast, my brother gripped her arms and pulled her towards him, the stoic smile on his face turned to a wide smile, he bent lower to whisper something so close to her ear before placing a kiss on her cheeks.

I watched the sudden shift on her face as she looked back up at him but he nodded and chuckled before dragging her towards the car with the excited lady in tow.

“What are you up to?” I thought aloud as I watched my brother walk away with the young woman with a triumphant smile spread across his lips, twirling his keys as he headed for the hummer Jeep parked at the opposite side of the parking lot.

I waited and watched for a few minutes catching a glance of my brother’s excited face before he eventually got into the car and drove off to God knows where.

I slammed my fist on the steering wheel. This was the man that had lost his wife. That’s he had lo…I cleared my throat, shutting that train of thought down.

And swivelled my car out of the parking lot.

No one who has tried to mess with my family till date has been able to win. Not even me.

I shook off the bad memories that came flooding back and drove back to where I came from. To the childhood home that had once provided comfort and nightmares for me.

Two days later, we were all gathered around the grave site where Lillian Vale was to be buried. As the priest read out a passage from the bible, my gaze couldn’t help but linger on the lady that I had seen walk into the funeral ceremony earlier that day.

I had approached her to introduce myself but my mother had called me over to her at that moment breaking us up but I had made a mental note to ensure that I would continue my conversation.

We were gathered around the gravesite where Lillian, my sister in law, would be buried.

She was sobbing uncontrollably dressed in all black as she watched the casket get wheeled down to the hole in the ground. She was surrounded by a group of people her age, who held onto her as she leaned her head to sob. I knew because I had been behind her this whole time.

I was shook out of my internal musings by the priest’s voice.

“Dearly beloved we have all gathered here today to witness the laying to rest of our beloved sister, wife, daughter and friend who had been loved dearly and will be missed in equal fervour. We ask that as she is out to rest that everything that had tied her to this earth would be broken and she would be given an opportunity to be in heaven where her pure soul…”

Elijah scoffed.

We all raised questioning glances at him. Noticing everyone’s stares, he adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. His hand gestured for the priest to continue.

“… as we all know, sister Lilian was one of the best people that I have ever known. She loved to see the good in everyone and even in the worst case scenarios she had chosen to stay hopeful when others were doubtful but now as she laid to rest may she go be with the lord. Amen.”

“Amen,” we all chorused.

Eliza sniffed.

“We may now say our final piece,” the priest declared.

Everywhere went eerily silent. She spoke up first.

“Dear Lilian…” she stopped as her voice broke.

“You’ve always been there whenever I needed you, you held my hands when our parents died and even through everything, you made sure that I was taken care of. I’ll miss you. I miss you so much. And I’ll forever cherish the memories we both shared… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. That will be my biggest regret, but I won’t stop until everything has been cleared up.” She said, her voice trembled when she couldn’t go on anymore, her friend gripped her tightly, comforting her. She threw a white rose on the casket before everywhere went quiet again.

I eyed Elijah skeptically who stepped forward and adjusted his tie.

He cleared his throat before speaking.

“As you all know, Lilian was my beloved wife and she loved me so much that sometimes I would wonder what did I do to deserve such love? But deep down I knew that I would be lost without her,” he sniffed.

I fought the urge to grunt at the facade he was putting on.

He hesitated.

“Everything we’ve shared up until her last breath was beautiful.”

The lady sobbed.

Elijah eyed her before continuing unfazed.

“I loved her. I loved her dearly and now that she has gone to be with the lord. I hope she finds the peace that she was looking for on this earth and in the afterlife.” He finished dramatically waiting for an applause but all he got was utter silence.

The priest spoke up first, breaking the silence.

“Now, let us lay her to rest.”

“Wait, wait, I haven’t paid my last tribute to her yet.”

Before we could comprehend what was happening, he had popped open a bottle of wine and was pouring it on her casket with a mischievous grin on his lips.

The lady was flabbergasted. She tried to step forward but my hand reached out just in time to hold her back. She squirmed to break free, glaring back at me with reddened eyes.

“Your sister wouldn’t want this, would she? You’re not the only one here who hates them,” I whispered quietly.

She stilled in her movements and turned back to send me a curious frown. The movement caused the dark veil she draped over her head to cover part of her face.

She took one large gulp and stood back sulking as Elijah continued his tactics.

After the funeral ceremony, I spotted my mum and dad dressed in red as they spoke to guests.

I scoffed.

This was so typical of them. Never missing a chance to show their displeasure for Lillian.

I watched my mum wipe at a fake stray of tear when a guest mentioned her condolences and then adjust her smile as soon as they were gone.

All heads turned to the sound of a glass being clinked.

“Let’s give a toast to the best wife in the whole wide world.” Elijah slurred.

“You animal.” I heard Eliza say before moving to pounce on Elijah. My hand reached out to grab hold of her arm, pulling her back into my body.

I leaned my head to whisper, “Calm down Eliza.”

She turned back to stare at her captor but her eyes widened in surprise.

“Cassian.”

Her face straightened as she turned back to Elijah in anger taking a step in his direction.

“No, I need to give him a piece of my mind,” she commented.

My expression turned grave. “We need to talk.”

I declared before dragging her out of the room despite her protests.