Chapter 003

OPHELIA'S POV

Lying in the box was a severed tongue and chunks of bloody meat, a paper slept on the cause of my stomach tightening.

I couldn't help it; I threw up right on the vanity table, not even waiting to check what was written on the paper “Ophelia.“ I should have let the person at the doorstep who had called my name see what I saw, I should have reported it, but the silly me chose to cover it up, covering the box with my back.

It was my step-sister Elise Laurent who had walked in, and I could see the look of shock on her face after she noticed the mess I had made on the table “Are you…” she trailed off and if I hadn't been in the situation I would have begun pondering on why she cared, she never loves me anyways, knowing she was about to ask if I was pregnant.

I was scared, my hands trembling, and the care to be a bride was gone after what I had seen. 'Wait, should I still be standing here? shouldn't I check if everyone is all right?' “Is everyone alright?“ I asked Elise, waiting for her usual nonchalant attitude but she looked confused instead.

“Are you alright? I was asked to come get you ready, and here you are, all flushed and weird.“ Elise frowned and I tried to behave as normal as possible.

“L…let's go.“ I hide the box with a towel and Elise came to help with the train of my gown. She was my supposed bridesmaid dressed in blue because my father wouldn't let me have friends of my own.

I was grateful to my stylist who had suggested wearing flat heels. My legs were unstable as I walked down the aisle, with Max beside me, our elbows locked.

Right in front of me was Klaus in a fine tux who stood with a smile on the altar and a priest getting ready to pronounce us 'Husband and Wife.'

I tried to calm my damn nerves, why do I feel this would be my damnation instead of salvation.

After making sure I got on the altar with my soon-to-be husband, Max left. Leaving me to stare into the deep blue eyes of Klaus. His lips stretched in a warm smile and I smiled back at him.

The priest starts his opening remarks “Dear beloved, we are gath….“ Klaus raised a brow to know if I was all right, and I nodded softly. 'I was not; I had just seen the most insane thing of all on my wedding day.'

“Klaus Duncan, do you take Ophelia Laurent to be your wife, to love and cherish her, through joy and sorrow in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you apart?“ A little flower girl walks up to us with the rings, with a sweet smile on her face.

“I..“ Just Before Klaus could pronounce those words that would bind him to me, a gunshot rang in the hall, and the side of Klaus's head created a small hole with blood spouting out of it, his eyes went hollow, and the smile on his face earlier had gone dead.

It all came to me, a scream erupted from my lips, my voice echoing through the church as Klaus's lifeless body slumped against me. Blood coated my gown and I couldn't help the clattering of my teeth as I shivered greatly.

“And death has done you apart.” The once serene atmosphere had erupted into Chaos as the sudden scream of guests filled the air, and I couldn't just turn to know what had happened or the deep voice that had made that statement earlier or who had just shot Klaus.

It was like my soul had left me at that moment like my body had gone paralyzed.

“Ophelia.” I heard an unfamiliar, deeply masculine voice a few steps away from where I stood with Klaus's blood bathing my dress red. “Look at me now, or your brother's head would be served to you on a golden platter.”

And that threat got to me; I crawled out of my trance, and I came face to face with an insanely handsome man standing at the end of the stairs to the altar. His aura spoke of the devil; jet black hair, which reminded me of someone, was brushed to the back as he stood defiantly in a tux, with a dead rose in his chest pocket. The three buttons of his chest were left undone, giving a view of the tail of a viper; the viper's mouth opened wide against the man's throat.

“Who the fu….” Before my brother Max could complete his sentence, another man who had a striking resemblance to the one standing on the steps that led to the altar in front of me had grabbed Max by his throat. Max struggled in the larger man's grasp, but his grip only tightened as the man holding him smirked at me. “Hey, sister-in-law.” He mouthed.

“Let him go,” I yelled, pushing myself away from Klaus, whose body slid to the floor immediately. Taking the hem of my gown in my hands, I took the stairs, wanting to save my brother, forgetting about the rest of my family, who also had men holding them captive. Max meant a lot to me; I hurt when he did; it was like I was the one being strangled instead.

Just before I could walk past the man on the stairs to my brother, I was pulled by my waist and slammed brutally into a rock-hard chest. “I was talking, Ophelia.” The man in a tux yanks my hair back so I could look into his cold gray eyes which spoke a lot about him, vicious, cold and more.

I struggled in his grip, but he only gripped my hair tighter, and I saw a light smirk on his lips. “Always trying to escape from me, baby.”

Hot tears fell from my eyes, and a surge of anger rolled like a ball in me, and I spat in his face. A laugh that felt like the rumbling of thunder and starting of a storm erupted from his throat; his hand around my waist suddenly came to my cheeks, pinching my mouth open and his head inches closer and I watched him do the most disgusting thing ever. He spat right into my mouth, forcing me to gulp it down. “You motherfu….” He dips his middle finger down my throat making me gag on it as my spits poured down the side of my lips.

“Mine.” A deadly smile curved on his lips as he watched me struggle. “I have always wished this was my fucking cock; you have made me even more insane fucking you in every damn dream; you have made me wait for so long, Anima mia (my soul).” More tears trailed down my eyes as he dipped a second finger down my throat making me gag even more.

“Fuck baby fuck..” this man was insane, but his insanity was surprisingly doing things to me; I could feel my core aching, and I could feel my nipples pushing hard against my cloth. I was fucked up, I bit hard on his hand, and he didn't flinch; I bit harder, wanting to hear the crackling sound of his bones breaking in my mouth, but I didn't hear the feel before a cry of pain wrecked through my lips.

He yanked my hair harder until I felt blood rushing to my face and I inadvertently released his finger. A slap came on my cheeks later on; it burnt like crazy. “Empty a gun in her father's body.” he ordered.

I looked to my side where my father, step-sister, and stepmom were kneeling with black clothing wrapped around their mouth as they struggled to get free from the ropes tied on their wrists and feet. At their back was the priest standing with a gun pointed to his head.

A man had walked up to my father as he brought a gun out from his waist holster, and my father's eyes came to look at me pleadingly. “I. I am sorry, I wouldn't do it again.” I choked out those words.

“Yes, you won't do it again baby, but I need to teach you a little lesson.” He caressed the hair on my face to the back of my ear.

“No, please.” My heart hammered as I watched that man cock the gun “Let my family go; who are you?” I cried wishing the devil standing in front of me could feel pity. No, what the fuck am I thinking 'Pity?' a person who had killed a man right on the altar? I was talking to a person who had lost his sanity.

With all my pleading, the sound of a gun still echoed in the church, and I panicked, seeing my father's face scrunched in pain. My father had been shot in his left thigh, and the man was ready again 'to empty the bullet' just like this man had ordered, “It doesn't hurt, I promise; he is just overdoing it.” The fucker in front of me said, unfazed, that one of his men was about to kill a human, my father.

“Do you think you can run away from the cops when they know what you have done here, Look..” I gulped. “My fiance's family would haunt you down; you would end up in prison, you and your men because I won't let you go either.”

“Baby, you won't even let me go by the time I am done with you.” The devil's voice came out seductive “And your fiance's family, I had set their car on fire before they could make it here, you would love to waste more lives if you call the cops, and I would love it, baby, I would put a gun in your hand and make you end them one by one.” His hand grazed my hips and I hated the way that made me feel.

“Tell me what you want. Who the fuck are you? Why are you doing this to me?”

“Shh!! Little One shh.” He coaxed, pressing his index finger against my lips. 'Little one.’ Those words felt familiar. My eyes widened, thinking of the possibility. “Do you remember now, baby? Do you remember the man you left years ago? Baby girl you ditched me and you think I would be happy seeing you on the altar with another.”

My body felt like tissues; my heartbeat quickened in fear, shock, and all other emotions. “You are mine baby, but you left.” his voice sounded low, like he grieved I did.

And again, I was filled with anger. “I was never yours, and I would never be yours,” I said through gritted teeth after learning the truth that the man standing in front of me was my ex-husband. His gaze went cold again and his hand came to pinch my chin again ‘Why did he show up?’ ‘’Why was he showing his face to me now? I thought it was something I wasn't meant to see?’

“You don't have a choice, you can't change fate.”

A sarcastic laughter burst out of my throat. “You are insane; you think you can lock me up and make fun of me on our wedding day and never show up, be a pervert, and draw tattoos of my face and boobs on your body. You are sick.” I wished to spit again at his face, but I stopped myself.

He released me “Let's have the wedding again.” He said, now backing me, and a lady

walked up to us with two rings on a pillow. “Hey, sister-in-law, I can't wait for you to be my brothers Moglie (wife).”