STABBED - Planning a cold revenge

Chapter two

As my eyes closed, and I went into unconsciousness, my mind didn't stop thinking, remembering the past and chastising me for hurting the people who really cared for me and loving those who never had an atom of affection for me.

My mind flashed back to the night before my wedding with Davis.

FLASHBACK

I was on my way to the house when my phone rang, looking at the caller ID, I saw it was Kira, I smiled, placing the phone in my ears.

“Hey, soon to be married lady,” Kira teased.

I rolled my eyes in disgust, “don't remind me of my predicament, Kira,” I said.

She laughed and told me she and Collins were having drinks in our usual spot and asked me if I could come.

*Sure,” I said, already reversing my car.

I got to the lounge and ran into the open hands of Collins.

“Hey baby,” he said, kissing me on the lips.

I rested my head on his chest and sat on his lap, caressing his chest.

“I don't know what else to do,” I said, almost in tears.

I had done several things to escape this marriage, threatening my parents, running away and even trying to kill myself, but nothing worked, everything I did was uncovered by my parents before it even ended.

“Look Julianna, marrying Davis is not as bad as you think, “Kira suddenly said, and I almost hit her.

“How can you say that, you traitor,” I said, jokingly.

“Listen to this; Davis loves you and if you get married to him, and divorce him one year later, you could get half his property.” She explained.

“I do not need his property, I do not need anything from him except that he leaves me alone. I have enough for myself already, don't you see?” I said.

‘That's true sweetie, but a little more won't hurt,” Collins said.

‘Think about it. Marrying Davis does not mean we end our relationship, he knows you don't love him, and he would be too busy to even know you are with me. All you need to do is trust us. In the end, our relationship would remain intact, even stronger. One year later you ask for a divorce and if he refuses, who frustrates him until he gets tired and agrees to the divorce.”

I paused to think about what he said for a while.

“But one year is too long to pretend to love that old man,” I said.

“Hey, you don't need to have anything with him, the Davis I know would never force you into having any intimacy with him, you don't even have to be his wife in public, all he needs is a companion.’

“Do you think this will work?” I asked.

“‘Sure it will,” Kira and Collins chorused.

“One year from now, we will be planning your divorce and our wedding and be twice as rich as we are now, " Collins said, raising his glass for a toast.

Common sense should have told me all he always wanted was the money and not me, but I guess I was too blind to see or even think, I was blindly in love with a Devil.

And so I agreed to the plan and we celebrated. Davis deserves whatever comes his way, I said, sipping my wine.

Some minutes later, my father's men came in and dragged me away. This was not the first time, nor the second or third. The thing is, I can not count how many times my father said his men had dragged me either from the club or the hotel.

I was dragged home and my mother cried, begging me to behave myself and not cause further trouble, but of course, all her words fell on deaf ears.

The next day, I was woken up by some maids who wanted to get me ready for my wedding.

I sat down like a robot, moving in any direction they moved me. I made it so clear I wasn't going to make their work any easier and they understood.

Even the morning sun tried to brighten my day but failed. The women went to work despite my attitude. One curled and pinned my hair, while another worked on my nails. The third artist focused on my face, delicately applying makeup to create what she no doubt thought was the image of a happy bride.

But I was not happy. Far from it. I took my phone, scrolling through it mindlessly as they worked, looking at nothing in particular. I could not even focus on the posts flashing across the screen.I stood up on different occasions and wandered around, as if the pacing would make time move slower.

My mother came in three times, and whenever she saw my face, she begged me to smile.

“Julianna, this is not going to be a funeral but your wedding, you need to smile,” she said, her voice filled with frustration and worry.

I barely glanced up from my phone, my voice was very cold when I replied her “It’s important to you, to Dad, and to that old man. Not to me.”

Her face tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line. “Julianna,” she scolded sharply, “don’t act like this. You are not a child anymore.”

I rolled my eyes, and kept quiet. The conversation was over as far as I was concerned. What was the point? She would never understand—none of them did. She sighed heavily and left the room, her heels clicking against the floor.

Finally, the stylists stepped back and admired their work. My hair was perfectly styled, my nails shining, and my makeup looked like something out of a magazine. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and hated what I saw. Although I looked very beautiful, that still did not make me smile. Any other bride would have been excited. But I was not any other bride.

Tears filled my eyes, and I quickly turned away from the mirror. If I were marrying Collins, I would have been the most excited bride ever. I could almost see him waiting for me at the altar, his warm smile wide. Instead, I was marrying Davis—a man I did not love and never would.

By the time I got to the venue, I was an hour late. It was not accidental—I had dragged my feet as much as I could. On the way, I ordered my driver to drive me to Collins' house first before taking me to the venue. I knew it was a bad idea, but I could not resist seeing him and Kira.

When he opened the door, he looked surprised to see me. “Julianna,” he screamed, his voice soft, filled with pain.

I felt my heart c***k at the sight of him. “I just... I needed to see you,” I said, my voice trembling.

“You didn't have to come here,” he said, stepping closer. His hand brushed against mine, and I shivered at the familiar warmth. “Julianna, I'll be right here waiting for you.”

Tears ran down my cheeks as I shook my head. “I don’t want to do this, Collins. You know I don’t.”

“We have talked about this, it's for the best,” he whispered.

And I believed him, I trusted every word he said and nodded. I kissed him and ran back to the car, more determined to make Davis' life a living hell.

The drive to the venue after that was a blur. When I finally arrived, everyone was waiting for me, my parents' faces were a mix of relief and worry.

“You are here,” mom said, gripping my hand tightly. Her eyes searched mine. “It’s going to be okay. You have nothing to worry about, trust me.”

I nodded numbly, unable to find the right words to respond.

The ceremony was small and quiet, just the way Davis wanted it. He wasn’t a fan of elaborate weddings, and for once, I was grateful for his simplicity. If I had to stand in front of hundreds of people today, I might have collapsed under the weight of it all.

Still, as the ceremony went on, I did not remove the frown on my face. My mother’s eyes bore into me, silently begging me to smile. I did not care. Let everyone see how miserable I was—it didn’t matter anymore.

The ceremony ended, and I felt a brief moment of relief. At least that part was over. But the day was not. I slipped away from everyone as soon as I could to the suite Davis had arranged for us.

The room was luxurious, with rose petals on the bed and champagne chilling in an ice bucket. It should have felt romantic, but it only made me feel more trapped. I ordered a bottle of wine from room service, drinking it faster than I should have. By the time the bottle was empty, I ordered another.

Davis came into the room as I was halfway through the second bottle. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of me. “Julianna, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” I snapped, pouring another glass.

He stepped closer, his expression shifting to concern. “You’ve had enough.”

I laughed bitterly, clutching the bottle tighter. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Julianna,” he said gently, reaching for the bottle, “this is not going to help.”

That was it. Something inside me snapped. I pushed him away, the force of my anger shocking even me. “Do not touch me! Do not tell me what I can and can not do!”

He held up his hands in surrender, his calm demeanor only fueling my rage.

“You don’t get it, do you?” I yelled, tears streaming down my face. “I do not love you, Davis. I never will. I’m in love with Collins, and I will always be in love with him.”

His face crumpled slightly. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue, but instead, he simply nodded. “I know,” he said quietly. “I’ve always known.”

His calm acceptance caught me off guard. I stared at him, my chest heaving as the room spun slightly from the wine. “Then why?” I whispered. “Why did you let this happen?”

“Because it’s what your father wanted,” he said simply. “And I thought, maybe, with time, you would be happy with me.”

I sank onto the bed, holding the empty glass in my hands. “I do not want this,” I murmured, my voice breaking. “I never wanted this.”

He sat down beside me, keeping his distance. “I know,” he said again. “But it’s done now. We have to find a way to move forward.”

I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. “How am I supposed to move forward when my heart belongs to someone else?”

He said nothing, of course, he did not get an answer. The silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I turned away from him, curling up on the bed as the tears continued to fall.

This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. But instead, it felt like the beginning of the end.

END OF FLASHBACK

Still in my unconsciousness, I prayed again for a second chance, a chance to keep Davis and Liam alive.