CHAPTER 5 The Ridiculous Wedding

TRINITY CHURCH (CURRENT TIME 8:45 AM)

Emily Scarlett walked down the aisle, with no one to stand next to her and cheer her, to tell her that today is meant for her and just for her. For her?! She'd stab the person who dares to cheer her on such an awful day like this.

Never, ever had she expected herself to be a victim of Forced Marriage that she couldn't even fight her way out of. Charleston doesn't look like someone she could mess with.

Emily's mind isn't still over the portrait she saw. Somehow, Emily wanted to find out what is going on and why Charleston is doing what he was doing.

How could he be so heartless to make her get married to him when he's a total stranger? Talks about her education! Will she ever be able to make it off her last year in class, now that she's married?

As Emily had expected, No one was present in the church. It was just the priest, Charleston and the man she came to know was Andrew, the right hand man.

How ridiculous it is! Emily wondered if she was being used as bait. While she fights to hold back the tears threatening to fall, Charleston fights the urge of leaving the church premises.

A wedding?! With someone who's reminding him of someone else?

While Charleston stared at Emily, he couldn't hold back his feelings. Not because she was looking beautiful or anything else. But because when he looked at her, the only person he sees is Olivia Machman.

Why does this woman have to look so much like her? The feeling of guilt was there again. The feeling that had never gone away no matter how much he tried.

The guilt that Olivia died because of him! Because of his selfish behavior. If he had to hold back and try to understand she was going through a lot, maybe she will still be alive and probably healthy.

Maybe the person that is walking down the aisle right now would be her! With that pretty smile that is always on her face. With her trying to do everything to keep him happy and satisfied.

Her death had taken the best part of him. She broke him and turned him into the monster he is now. That he hated relationships and love because of Olivia. Because of the guilt.

The guilt that he was the reason she died. Will he ever be able to let go of the past and move on? Even if he wants to, will he ever be able to do that now he's granting a wish of getting married to someone who will keep reminding him of the one he loved?

TRINITY CHURCH

"We are gathered here today to join Charleston Roman and Emily Marshall in holy matrimony," the priest finally spoke after he did the sign of the cross in the air.

It was happening, Emily thought to herself. She had thought about different escape plans while she was been brought here but seeing how tight the security was she knew there was no way out of there.

There was security at every corner of the house, even while she was being brought to the church, three cars had escorted her and in her car alone two security personnel had sat in the car with her.

She had tried to gather some information from the maids who had come to dress her up and do her makeup about the picture she had earlier seen in that room that looked so much like her but none of them seemed to be interested in talking rather they were hell bent on getting her ready as soon as possible, to avoid the wrath of their boss.

They had even encouraged her to eat but she refused.

"Please ma, we don't want our boss to fire us," one of the maids had begged her to eat kneeling down and ready to even lie flat on the floor as the two other maids joined her by kneeling down as well.

She was forced to eat the food and drink enough water as well.

What had baffled her was how fitted the wedding gown was on her body, it was like they went to take her exact measurements from her tailor.

She had resulted to pinch herself at an interval to see if she was dreaming or hallucinating but she only ended up hurting herself and realizing it was reality.

"Do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in holy matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked staring at Charleston.

"I do," Charleston responded immediately like he had been wanting to say those two words for as long as he could remember, the more he stared into her eyes the more he could see Olivia right now standing in front of him but the moment his gaze fell on her lips and having to see that awful frown, he was reminded that she wasn't Olivia.

His little angel would never have that annoying look on her face, she was always full of joy, for a split second when Emily had earlier compared herself to Olivia when she saw her picture, he was tempted to tell Andrew to get rid of her immediately.

No one had the right to compare themselves to Olivia, she was one of a kind but he soon calmed himself and remember that he was only going to have to endure seeing Emily's face for a year, after that he would divorce her.

"Do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in holy matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?" The priest asked this time looking at Emily who was looking at Charles with a killer look.