Chapter 4

Haley

I watched as the man I called my father battled with his emotions for a few seconds before reining them in and walked out of the room.

When he got to the door, he stopped and said,

“The ladies will be here to touch up your makeup and get you downstairs to the car. We leave in twenty minutes.” Before he walked out and closed the door behind him.

I felt the remaining pieces of my heart crumbling down to my stomach. There was no going back now. I would be married off to Logan

Wesley and I would become his property and be dead to this family. It seemed that there was no hope of ever

finding happiness in my life. I was doomed to a life of suffering and serving others.

A couple maids came in and helped me fix my makeup and my dress before it was time to go. I took one last look at myself in the mirror, resolving to go on with this wedding without

shedding anymore tears. No more would they be able to control me.

I walked down the stairs to where my father and stepmother stood by the door, waiting for me. My father had his usual

empty expression while my stepmother looked like she would rather be anywhere else than be here. She looked

at me with a condescending look as she kept clicking her heels.

“Finally, could you be any slower? Leave it to you to almost make us late to your wedding.” She snarled as she snapped her hands at us.

“I’m sorry, ma”, I said as I followed her outside the house to the limousine that was waiting for us outside.

“Of course, you are. You are nothing but a sorry excuse for a human being.” She said, I bit my tongue to try to control the tears that threatened to fall. I was not going to let her get to me.

“Can we finally get a move and get this done and over with?” she said as soon as my father got situated in the car.

The car roared to life before we ride to the road of my wedding venue. I counted down the minutes till when we would get there. During the ride, my stepmother just scrolled on her phone,

occasionally looking up at me only to then turn her nose up at me and hiss while muttering something vile to me.

I refused to say or do anything in response, resorting to just looking down at my hands on my laps.

Soon enough, we felt the car come to a stop. We were here. I carefully climbed out of the car with the help of the driver. My stepmom and father went out before me, ditching me to go and talk to some of their friends.

I nervously stood by the double doors that led to the church, waiting for my father to come back so that he could walk me down the aisle.

I watched as people came and passed me to the hall, some stopping to greet and congratulate me, offering me nice

words while others just turned their noses up at me and openly commented on how low Logan Wesley was stooping to marry someone like me.

“I’m very sure she had blackmailed him somehow to finally get him to want to settle down and marry her.”

“I heard that he got her pregnant and she refused to abort the child, look at how round her curves are. I’m sure it is only a matter of time before she starts to show.”

“Why does she look so basic? Is she not aware of the family she is marrying into?”

“Logan can do better than this.” A few young ladies said as they walked past where I stood.

It had been over an hour that I had been standing out here and my feet were beginning to hurt. I looked around

hoping to see my father or my stepmother or even Logan himself. But no one came.

I was beginning to get worried when I noticed a few girls standing by and discussing. I leaned in to try to hear what they were saying.

“I told you that Logan doesn’t really love that girl, because he is supposed to walk with her down the aisle and for the past hour, no one has been able to get a hold of him.” The first one said, I gasped.

“I heard that the family was going broke

and offered her to him so that they could get some funding from his company and maintain their social status.” The other lady said.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I fought to regain my composure and not break down there. I didn’t blame Logan for

not wanting to come here and sign off his freedom to be tied up with someone like me.

But just ghosting without a trace hurt more than just outrightly refusing to marry me in the first place.

I decided I should at least find a spot to sit and rest my already aching feet. I was not going to let this get to me. I had just turned a corner when a voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Trying to run away from your own wedding?”

I turned around and there he was in all his glory, a beautiful three piece Armani black suit adorning him as he walked up to me, tossing the cigarette between his fingers into a nearby waste bin and walking up to me. I felt my body stiffen in in shock, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of the water.

“No… I mean, I… I … I was not trying to run … run away fr …. From my wedding.” I cleared my throat and willed my brain to form words.

“I was not running away, I needed a place to sit before you arrived. I have been standing for over an hour and my feet were beginning to hurt.” I explained in a soft voice, my head down.

Hmm, okay. I was beginning to think I was going to have to sue your father for breach of contract.” He said, like he was talking about the weather. I just kept my head down.

“Look at me when I talk to you.” He said, making me snap my head up as I looked up at him, his eyes immediately sucking me in.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered as I tried to maintain eye contact with him. He looked like he could see into my soul.

“May I?” he said, making me blink.

“Huh?” I asked, most definitely looking stupid.

He just smirked and got down on one knee before helping me out of my heels, making me blush. He got back up, smirking at me as I tried to cover my blush.

“What do you say we go get married now?”