Chapter 5

Nicholas' POV

I stood at the altar, the weight of my choices crushing me with each passing second. The grandeur of the wedding venue, adorned with flowers and filled with murmurs of anticipation, felt like a facade against the turmoil raging inside me. Beside me, the woman about to become my wife and her face was covered with veil,she stood radiant. unaware of the storm of emotions brewing beneath my composed exterior.

My thoughts relentlessly circled back to Emily, even though I don't love her and she is the one forcing herself on me,I know that I had betrayed her trust by yielding to my parents' demands. Guilt gnawed at me, a relentless reminder of my weakness and the consequences of my decisions . If only I had been stronger, more resolute in resisting my family's expectations, perhaps I wouldn't be standing here, preparing to marry out of obligation.

As the ceremony drew nearer, panic gripped me. I scanned the surroundings desperately, seeking any means of escape, but found none. Resigned to my fate, I steeled myself for what was to come. The orchestra's soothing melodies signaled the bride's entrance, and I took a deep breath, steeling my resolve. "That's their business," I muttered bitterly to myself. 

The bride glided down the aisle, a vision in white. I couldn't bring myself to meet her gaze; the weight of my guilt was crushing. When she reached my side, I managed a weak smile that didn't reach my eyes. My hands trembled as I took hers, and together, we turned to face the officiant. I couldn't bear to look at her, my eyes fixed on the ground, consumed by the urgency to end this charade and return to Emily.

The vows became a blur as I recited them mechanically, my voice barely audible. I couldn't hear my own words over the tumult of thoughts crashing in my mind. My gaze remained downward, unable to meet the bride's hopeful eyes. Each promise felt like a dagger aimed at Emily, a betrayal echoing through the caverns of my conscience.

When the time came to exchange rings, my heart sank deeper. Fumbling with the ring box, my fingers clumsy and uncoordinated, I struggled to compose myself. The bride's patience only amplified my guilt. And then, amidst the haze, I saw her—Emily, standing as a bridesmaid. Her presence struck me like lightning, freezing me in place with fear and regret.

"Emily? Here?" I thought, horror coursing through me. She caught my eye, disbelief giving way to anger. Time seemed to stand still as our gazes locked, the weight of my deceit a palpable barrier between us.

I wanted to vanish, to escape the consequences of my actions. The ceremony continued around me, the officiant's voice a distant murmur. "You may now kiss the bride," he finally said, snapping me back to the present with a jolt.

Kiss the bride. The words reverberated cruelly in my mind. How could I kiss someone that I did not know and am not in love with? My chest tightened with the agony of my choices, my throat constricting in anguish. But there was no turning back. I had made my bed, and now I must lie in it.

Summoning the last shreds of my resolve, I turned towards the bride. Then, as I leaned in to kiss her, the bride's eyes downcast throughout the ceremony. My mind raced with conflicting emotions, torn between duty and desire, regret and resignation.

Just as our lips were about to meet, reality dealt me a devastating blow. "Mia? My first love? Is this a dream?" I wondered aloud, grappling with the surreal turn of events. "Am I hallucinating? This can't be real."

I pinched myself, desperate for escape from this nightmarish scenario. But Mia remained before me, unmistakably present. "How can I be marrying Mia?" The thought tormented me, accusations of my own folly echoing in my mind.i felt a little bit happy and relieved that she is the bride but then my heart skipped when i remembered our childhood memories.

"Why didn't my parents inform me?" I lamented internally. "Or why didn't I investigate sooner?" Questions swirled, adding to the turmoil of this fateful day. Mia stood with her head bowed, seemingly unaware of my distress.

"Today is supposed to be one of the happiest day of my life if I hadn't changed towards her then because am getting married to my first love" I confessed silently, a sense of divine retribution settling over me.

"Or is God is punishing me for my sins?"

"What?" Mia's sudden exclamation pierced the air, snapping me back to the present. Her shocked gaze bore into mine, and I felt a desire to disappear, to escape the consequences of my deception.

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Mia's POV:

I scanned the room, praying for a sign that this nightmare wasn't real. But there he was—Nicholas Hernandez—standing at the altar. His name alone sent chills down my spine, a stark reminder of the torment he inflicted upon me during high school. And now, unbelievably, he was meant to be my husband.

"What?" I gasped aloud, my voice barely above a whisper. I struggled to comprehend the cruel twist of fate that had brought us to this moment. As reality sank in, my breath caught in my throat, a mixture of disbelief and apprehension clouding my thoughts.

"This can't be happening," I muttered to myself, clutching onto the hope that this was all a bad dream. Desperately, I sought escape from Nicholas's piercing gaze, haunted by memories of our shared past.

The enormity of the situation overwhelmed me, casting a shadow over what should have been a day of joy and celebration. The echoes of Nicholas's cruelty reverberated in my mind, reopening old wounds I thought had long healed.

"How could this be happening to me? How could my parents make my life so much worse?" I whispered through tears, the weight of anguish heavy on my chest. I felt trapped, ensnared in a web of circumstances beyond my control.

Nicholas's presence beside me felt suffocating, a reminder of a painful past I had buried deep within. Fear and uncertainty gripped me as I contemplated the future with him as my husband. Could he change? Was there any hope for us?

"If Nicholas is my husband, then this isn't marriage; it's bondage," I thought, my heart pounding in my chest.

Everything felt like a nightmare, and I was afraid of what lay ahead with Nicholas as my husband. The wedding ceremony continued around us, but my mind was elsewhere—lost in a tumult of emotions, grappling with the reality of marrying a man who had once been my tormentor.

His very presence sent a chill down my spine, stirring up a whirlwind of thoughts in my mind. I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye. Tears flowed freely down my cheeks, unstoppable like water gushing from a tap, and I couldn't care less about my smeared makeup or the watching crowd.

How on earth did I end up marrying my high school bully? The question haunted me, echoing through the chaos of my emotions.

To be continued.