CH 2: It Hurts… 2
609 Words
Ivy Laurent had never imagined that the happiness of marrying the man she loved almost to the point of obsession, would become the very reason she let her guard down… and the reason her brother was lying here lifeless and dead.
Her thoughts plunged back to the incident that had unfolded an hour earlier, darkness flooding her senses.
Flashback
Ivy's Courtyard
Inside the bedchamber of the courtyard, two figures stood entwined in a kiss, the woman taking the lead with unrestrained passion.
Ivy Laurent was in an ancient sapphire - blue ceremonial wedding gown, its flowing fabric accentuating her graceful figure.
Her arms wrapped tightly around Kael Blackwood as she kissed him fiercely and tenderly all at once as though trying to seal the moment into eternity, unaware that fate was already sharpening its blade.
Kael Blackwood was an effortlessly handsome man, the kind that came not from excess but restraint. His black hair was swept back neatly, revealing sharp, aristocratic features and a strong jaw with quiet authority radiating from him.
His eyes were deep and steady, holding a controlled intensity that made it difficult to look away. Kael stood tall and composed, his ceremonial wedding coat accentuating his sharp features. His every movement and gesture deliberate as if nothing can ruffled him. With the attitude of being in control, and commanding attention and respect.
Their passionate kiss lingered for several minutes before they finally parted, both slightly breathless.
Despite the cold aura that always seemed to radiates from Kael, Ivy felt only warmth in his embrace – comforted by the certainty that soon, they would be bound together as husband and wife.
Joy shone in her eyes as she rose on her tiptoes, one hand sliding into his hair, the other cupping his jaw. Drawing him closer, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his once more. When suddenly –
– a soul-shattering pain tore through her chest.
Ivy gasped, her eyes flying open in shock. Her world collapsed the instant she saw the face of her attacker.
Kael Blackwood
The man she loved.
The blade was buried deep in her chest, his hand still gripping the hilt. Disbelief flooded her mind as the warmth in his embrace turned cold and cruel.
Ivy staggered, trembling. She was shaken and shattered unable to comprehend his betrayal.
“ You… Why!?” Ivy gasped, her voiced cracking. Her hands clutching at the wound in her chest. The pain both physical and emotional.
“ Tsk, tsk… consider this your wedding gift, Ivy Laurent Vance,” Kael said, his voice dripping with venom and coldness.“ The main act, of course, is already unfolding, darling.”
“ This,” he added, a cruel smile twisting his lips, “ is for killing my elder sister Susan Blackwood, the third wife of the late king, your father Laurent Vance five years ago.”
“ You…” Ivy's voice faltered as horror and realization crashed over her. She finally knew who he meant.
Susan Blackwood, the third wife of her deranged father. A kind and pitiful woman, one of the few innocent women trapped in that twisted palace.
Susan Blackwood had been her mother's friend, Queen Isolde Valestria's confidante and co- wife.
A mere concubine to her deranged father sold to the palace against her wish.
Life within that twisted palace had been nothing short of tragic for Susan. Ivy had watched helplessly as her light dimmed day by day, her spirit crushed beneath her father's cruelty. Even pregnancy had not spared her from his torment.
It was during the desperate attempt to save Susan Blackwood that Ivy lost her mum, Queen Isolde Valestria.
- Writer
