Chapter Three

Amelia felt unsettled and Mel felt worse.

Leonard the Lawyer had said that there will be a marriage in three days time and that had really worried Amelia, there was no time to regret or anything, everything was going so fast. The death of Mr. James, Jacob’s accident and her marriage. What a bad year.

The knock on the door threw them both into motion, Amelia signaled Mel to stay put why she went to get the door. Her heart slammed against her chest as she opened the door to see a clean middle aged man, tall and handsome, with a look that told that he was a respectable and rich man.

“Hello, Miss Amelia, thank you for accepting me”, he said as he walked into the house. Amelia had to borrow Mel clothes which were very expensive and of course Mel had to wear her clothes to complete the act. 

“Welcome” Amelia said, her voice high-pitched like Mel’s. 

“If you would come with me” she said leading the visitor to the house, she assigned a couch to the lawyer and he sat, Mel sat opposite him so Amelia settled to sit beside him.

“You informed me to bring some information about Mr. Xavier, well this file contains his basic information including some few pictures, and you have to promise me to keep this...confidential” He said handing a file to Amelia and she took it with visibly shaking hands, that might have given her out, she panicked and that only made her hands shake more, to her relief the lawyer interpreted this differently, after all she's supposed to be grieved, she just lost her father.

 “I know this is too much for you, after your father’s death and everything, but if you need support....anything in my power, I will be glad to help as your father was a good man to me” Leonard said and Amelia nodded tears blurry her sight....it was not actually tears of lost.

“These are the papers your father signed, feel free to read them...” Amelia did not even notice when Mel walked to Leonard and snatched the papers from his hands, viewing them,

“How could he do this to me” she said  stupidly and Amelia felt like giving her a simple tap on the face with a chair, hard. Mel was not the intelligent type and maybe it was all this incident that is making her like this, but she had just messed up. Then it was like she finally remembered her and Amelia’s little plan, 

“Mr. James was a good man to me, he helped me, how could he die, how could he do these to me, how could he die” Mel said correcting her error as she passed the papers to Amelia and Amelia collected the papers as if it was usual for Mel to read through her personal things before passing it to her.

“I came along with a driver...i hope you have packed your things because you will be coming with me to a hotel where you would stay for a night and prepare for your wedding” the lawyer said sadly, 

“What’s wrong with me preparing from Mel’s...My house” she asked, she had mistakenly made a slip, she was about to say ‘Mel’s House’. The best way to go through this was to avoid talking too much.

 “Xavier chooses the time, place, guests...everything. He knows that your finances depend on him” Leonard said. Amelia had already made up a plan, and that was to divorce Xavier after some months of marriage,

“And to give you a tip...don’t think about divorcing Xavier because that would give you a big problem, Xavier has power, and when I mean power I mean ‘authority’, you will never be able to escape the marriage except he says so....this is just a friend-to-friend advice” Leonard said as if he could read thoughts and her face visibly fell as Mel released a very silent sob. A big hole in their almost perfect plan. ‘She would do this, she could do this’ she chanted silently to herself

 “I’m ready, when do we leave?” Amelia asked

************  

Amelia walked down the aisle, a man leading her to her soon to be ‘husband’. It was all strange. They were only a few guests to serve as witnesses, and they were all strangers. The man escorting her to her soon-to-be husband was also a stranger.

A dread feeling settled at the pit of her stomach, it was like her senses kicked back to action. How could she have allowed this, how could she have put her life and future on the line, how could she have agreed to marry a total stranger?

What if he was a serial killer?

The man waiting on the Altar for her was with no doubt the most handsome man she had ever seen, with his dark black hair, lean muscled frame and enchanting blue eyes that would put many girls to their knees, many girls but not her. She knew his type, play boys, and she dreaded her decision. Being kind and loving was good, but not all acts of kindness were meant to be exhibited and now she was trapped with a stranger she was sure she would never love, a future that held no happiness and a life filled with regrets.

'Was it worth it all?’ she asked herself as she climbed the altar to meet her husband who did not even give her a glance. Tears blurred her vision and she was glad for the veil covering her face, she didn't care about anything happening around her till The marriage declaration began.

“Are you Xavier Daniels willing to take Amelia as your lawfully wedded wife, to hold her in sickness and health, in richness and in wealth, until death do you part?” The priest asked.

Amelia's heart pounded, a part of her would like if he had rejected her, if he would agree to abandon her on the altar, 

“Yes” was Xavier’s short answer.

“Are you Amelia James Jones willing to take Xavier as your lawfully wedded husband, to love him in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” The priest asked and Amelia stood silent, she had her chance now, she had the chance to escape and there will be no more wedding, she could...but she can’t,

“Yes” she said silently “I agree” she said more loudly just in case the priest did not hear her earlier answer.

“If there is anyone that wishes to speak against this joining, speak now or forever remain silent” the Priest said looking around the small guests invited for the wedding. There were no objections.

“Then in the presence of God and in the midst of our witnesses, I pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss your bride” The priest said as he walked away. Amelia hesitated, she will never be the one to make the first move. There was silence as both of them stood not moving towards each other, Xavier had to make the first move as he held onto his bride and kissed her.

A marriage certificate was place before them and Xavier, her husband, signed it like it meant nothing, but when signing her hands shook and she might have left a fake signature which looked similar to Mel's signature.

They had not used any rings in their wedding, like who does that, and that made her feel like the wedding was incomplete, it was all done in a rush with few people so Amelia got the idea that Xavier planned to keep things....private. 

“May we” said the cold voice of her stranger-husband, Amelia looked at him confused, “I would like to take my bride home” he said and Amelia felt a pit in her stomach, she knew what was expected of her as a wife, she felt like her sacrifice was to grave, she gave away her happiness for someone’s.

“The ceremony isn’t over yet” Amelia said, almost pleading and this made Xavier smirk, she hated it, “My sweet wife, your duty calls” he said with a dangerous smirk on his face, he swept her off her feet and carried her to his limousine, Amelia sobbed silently.     

What had she gotten herself into?