CHAPTER TWO.

NICOLE.

The collective gasp from the congregation echoed off the walls and I looked around trying to get a pick of their expressions.

I could almost hear them distinctively calling Marcus an asshole but that wasn’t what I needed to hear.

I needed to feel the ache in my chest lessen, anything to soothe the damaged heart they had left behind.

“And the bride standing on that altar is my so-called best friend,” I announced again.

“What?” The priest was the first to speak before another series of whispers broke around.

My throat was getting dry and across from where I stood I could remember the way Marcus once looked at me.

Everything was a lie, the whole look of love, the vows he had said on our wedding day like he wanted me forever.

What a lie!

“We are not married, Nicole” He looked at me, while shaking his head “Not anymore”

The church was silent and it was taunting me.

“What?” I stared at him with disbelief.

Were we lying now?

I moved closer to the altar, saying a little prayer of pardon to God for causing destruction in his house but how could he let this happen to me?

Being devoted all my life wasn’t enough for him to grant me protection from this?

“You can’t tell me that when I am still wearing the ring gave to me” I raised my right hand up to show him “You can’t fucking tell me that when you got up from our matrimonial bed this morning!” I yelled at the brink of tears.

Brittney stared at me and there was no way she wasn’t glad to see me losing my sanity in the front of the congregation.

What was the point of our friendship?

What was the point of everything?

I will be in denial for a little while, what about the plans we made? The stories we told?

“Nicole, let’s not do—“

“Shut that lying mouth of yours,Brittney” I cut her off. “You can’t tell me not to do this when this is my reaction to your action” I pointed at her with anger and hurt situated deep within my core.

“We didn’t mean to do this” Marcus started “We started talking and we happened to fall in love” and had the audacity to look at her with a smile on his face.

My head rang and I reached for my hair, pulling at it, trying to focus on anything but the hurt trying to swallow me whole.

“How…..” I tried to find reasoning with the words he had just uttered but nothing could quench this fire heating up my insides, trying to set me ablaze.

“She knows me better than you—“

“Spare me that fucking bullshit Marcus” I pulled more harder on my roots and began pacing, pausing to look back at him. “Did you ever consider me?”

I looked at Brittney “Did you for once think about how I was going to feel about this?”

God, I felt pathetic–So pathetic that it felt like I was drowning and there was no surface, no damn thing to hold on to.

The cut they had created was bleeding and it was killing me

The air around me felt suffocating and it held in a choke hold.

I needed to breathe.

I tried taking a deep breath but I just couldn’t. Touching my chest, I began beating it trying to ease whatever I was feeling, trying to ease up the lump in my throat

To the congregation it must have looked like I needed to be at an asylum but I just needed to breathe.

Fucking breathe Nicole.

I doubled over, holding my knees while heaving but nothing was coming out. Nothing was making me feel better.

“We wanted to tell you……”

“I had dropped off the divorce papers at the table.” Marcus picked up from where Brittney had stopped.

“What?” I stood straight from where I was hunched over.

“I had dropped it this morning before leaving”

I broke out in a fit of laughter but it had no wits.

“You had dropped off the divorce papers on your way to your wedding and assumed that settled it?” I gave him a mocking smile.

“If you’d just let me, I can explain,” He said in almost a whisper.

“Explain what?” I scoffed “How much of a coward you are?”

“You are making things hard,Nicole,” Brittney sighed.

“I am making things hard?” I retorted in disbelief. “You made me the chief bridesmaid to your wedding knowing fully well my husband is the groom and I am making things hard?”

“Stop calling him that! He is not your husband anymore!” She yelled.

Oh, you poor thing.

“You think standing on that altar makes him yours now?” I laughed “I was once there. I stood there while he went on and on about how much he loves me, now where am I?”

She looked at me, seething like she had every right to be pissed.

“Yeah, you get it. He went for another wife without telling me, don’t expect this marriage of a sham to be any different”

And if anything, I felt almost relieved at the look on her face.

“That’s enough, Nicole!” Marcus yelled, coming off the altar and marching straight to stand in front of me.

“Why? You new bride can’t handle the truth?”

“Stop with your childish attitude,” He reached for my hand, trying to pull me towards the door but I pulled back, removing his hold on me.

“Do not fucking touch me!”I spat out in disgust.

“Nicole, people are watching,” He whispered.

“What? You don’t want them to know how much of a bastard you are?”

He glared at me. “Our marriage hasn't been good, what exactly are you fighting for huh?”

“I am pregnant Marcus!” I yelled out in frustration.

How dare him think I had no reason to react this way? The fact they were having a wedding while I was still married to him should be enough.

“What?”

“I am pregnant. Want me to spell it out to you?” I bit out.

He looked at me then at Brittney with widened eyes like the pregnancy was rocket science.

“You are a liar, Nicole” Brittney spoke up after what felt like an eternity of silence.

“You must think I am a lowlife like you. I have no reason to lie about being pregnant”

“Shut up! You just want Marcus to take you back.

I looked at her with my brow up, “Really? And have him cause me more embarrassment?”

I looked towards Marcus and he still stood frozen. I would have laughed if I had any mental strength to do so.

“Where are the results?,” Brittney asked with a sly smile. .

Walking to my bag, I brought out the results, walked to the altar and flinged them at her.

“This was the reason I was late to this forsaken wedding”

Scrambling, she picked up one of the papers off the floor and her eyes scanned through it.

“What?” She gasped “it shouldn’t be”

I turned to the people looking “There it is. I am carrying his child” I pointed towards Marcus, “ While he has been fucking my stupid best friend”

Everyone looked back at me with pity and I couldn't help but laugh.

Fuck my life.

“Nicole,” Marcus called and I turned back to look at the disgrace I brought upon myself.

“Abort the child”

He might as well just slapped me but those words stung harder than any physical hit.