Chapter 2

Kehlani’s Pov

“You're joking, aren't you? Please tell me that you're joking.” I stared at my father whose face turned even darker at my question.

“Don't make me repeat myself Kehlani.” He said, his voice stern.

“You… What kind of father asks his daughter to marry a man who is sleeping with her sister? Are you crazy?!” I questioned in pure horror, “She's been sleeping with the man I was going to get married to! My very own sister! And you both knew about it all along! You knew about it and you didn't even tell me? I found out about it now and you're still telling me to marry that bastard?! How dare you?! She… ack!” I stumbled to the ground, my hands flying to my face as I stared at my mother in shock. She had slapped me.

My mother had slapped me.

“We fed you, we clothed you and you can't even overlook something like this? She's your sister for fucks sake!”

My cheek stung, the pain spreading not just on my cheeks but in my heart as well. I stared up at my mother in disbelief, my chest heaving as her words echoed in my head.

“You fed me? Clothed me?” I repeated, my voice low but trembling with rage, “Is that what you think parenting is? A transaction? That I owe you blind loyalty no matter what you do to me?”

My mother glared down at me, her lips curled in disdain, “You’re ungrateful, Kehlani. Do you know how many sacrifices we made for you? This family is everything, and you will not embarrass us by throwing a tantrum over something so trivial.”

“Trivial?!” I shouted, rising to my feet. My heart pounded as my hands clenched into fists at my sides, “You call betrayal trivial? You call forcing me to marry a man who’s been sleeping with my sister trivial? You both disgust me!”

“Watch your tone, Kehlani.” My father growled, stepping closer, “You will not disrespect us in our own house.”

I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and sharp, “Disrespect? You’re worried about disrespect when you’ve let this whole thing go on under my nose? You’ve betrayed me in every way possible. And for what? Appearances? Money?”

“This isn’t about you, Kehlani.” My mother snapped, “This is about the family. You think you’re so special that we’d risk everything for your feelings?”

“Enough!” My father bellowed, “You’ll do as you’re told, Kehlani. You’ll marry him, and that’s final.”

“Kelly, just forget about all of this okay? You two are sisters, I can take care of the both of you just fine, you've always been close, haven't you? You're the older sister, so make way for her as well.” Finn said, his eyes gleaming.

Everywhere fell silent as I stared at the both of them. The two people whom I trusted the most, who were supposed to love me unconditionally. But they didn’t love me. Not really, none of them did. And in that moment, something inside me broke.

I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, my mother’s voice shouting after me, “Where do you think you’re going?!”

I didn’t answer them because I didn’t owe them an answer. I ran all the way to the wedding hall and stopped halfway down the aisle and turned to face the crowd. My voice was shaky as I was trying not to cry.

“I have an announcement to make and I hope you listen to me carefully. This wedding is over.”

Gasps rippled through the room, and I heard my father’s booming footsteps behind me, “Kehlani!” He roared, but I didn’t flinch.

“I said, this wedding is over.” I repeated, louder this time, “There will be no marriage between me and a man who doesn’t know the meaning of loyalty. A man who threw away everything I had sacrificed for him just to sleep with my so-called sister right in the middle of our wedding.”

Finn stepped forward, his face twisted in anger, “Kehlani, don’t do this…”

“Don’t you dare.” I snapped, cutting him off, “You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to pretend that you care about me when you’ve been sneaking around with my sister behind my back.”

I turned to the guests, my voice rising, “You all came here expecting a fairy tale, didn’t you? Well, here’s the truth, there is no fairy tale. This is a farce, a sham! And I refuse to play along any longer.”

The room was dead silent.

“You’re making a fool of yourself.” My mother hissed from behind me.

I spun to face her, my eyes blazing, “No. I’m finally standing up for myself. If that makes me a fool, so be it.”

“And you…” I turned to Natalie, anger blazing in my eyes, “You're such a bitch!” I muttered and walked out of the hall, ignoring Finn's calls.

I had always dreamed of a wedding where my husband would look at me so lovingly as we recite our vows. A wedding where my parents would be so happy for me, clapping and cheering. A wedding where my sister whom I loved with my life caught my wedding bouquet while smiling and blushing when I teased her about getting married. But what did I get?

A cheating fiancé. A sister who slept with said man. And parents who still want me to get married to said man.

“Ha… Hahaha.” I laughed. A very hollow laughter that practically summed up everything that I was feeling inside me, “What a joke. This entire thing is a joke. But still, I guess if I had not found out and still went ahead to marry him, it would have been the biggest joke of my life so I guess I was saved?” I couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of my throat.

“Ah…” I sighed as the cold evening air hit my skin as I dragged my wedding dress along the pavement as I walked aimlessly. I turned a corner and stumbled into an empty street. I felt exposed under the streetlights, but I kept walking. Then suddenly, I felt a hand grab my arm.

“What…” I started to shout, but another hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my scream. Panic surged through me as I struggled against the grip of a man in a dark hoodie. Two more men appeared, one grabbing my legs and the other holding my arms down.

“Let me go!” I tried to scream, my words muffled against the hand over my mouth. My heart pounded as I kicked and thrashed, but they were too strong.

“Keep her quiet.” One of them growled.

I felt a sharp blow to the side of my head, and everything went dark. When I opened my eyes, my head throbbed, and the world around me was a blur. I blinked a few times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The room was dimly lit, my hands and ankles were tied together. I was still wearing my wedding dress, though it was now dirty.

Panic set in as I tugged at the ropes but instead, they dug into my wrists. My breathing quickened as I looked around the room. There was a single chair and a small table in the corner, but no windows.

“Hello?” I called out, my voice trembling, “Is anyone there?”

The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside. His face was shadowed, but his presence was imposing. He closed the door behind him, locking it with a metallic click.

“Finally awake, are we?” He said, his voice calm but laced with menace.

“Who are you? Why am I here?” I demanded, my voice shaking.

He stepped closer, crouching down in front of me, “You made quite a scene at the wedding, didn’t you, Selene?”

My heart sank, “What… What do you want from me?” But then I got confused, “Selene? Who is Selene?”