Part I Chapter IX: Wedding Fever

She was trying to sleep when the doorbell rang. Her eyes darted to the clock on the wall. It was 11:05 p.m. It had been raining since it was 8 p.m. "Who'd come here at this ungodly hour and in this terrible weather?" She thought. She put on a robe over her nightgown and proceeded down the stairs to answer the door.

"Julian? What are you doing here?" She questioned once she had opened the door.

"I wish I could talk right now but it's cold out here. Mind letting me in?" He said, still shivering.

She stepped aside so he could walk into the house. Seeing his muddy footprints on her floorboard pissed her off. She had spent hours polishing the floorboard.

"Sorry about that," He said, noticing her lingering gaze on his footprints.

"It's alright," She said, finally removing her gaze from them, "Why are you here?"

"Lori had twins…" He broke the news.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations!" She said warmly.

"We're getting married this fall," He continued.

Her face suddenly fell. She looked downwards staring at her feet. "Are you alright?" He asked. She lifted her head up and sweetly smiled. "Never been better," She said. He could detect the tone of sadness in her voice. He sighed and said, "I don't want to get married to her,"

"Are you crazy? You can't just abandon her! She is the mother of your children for God's sake! How is she going to cope?" She scolded.

"Do you want me to get married to her?" He asked.

She sighed and said, "It's not like my opinion will change anything. I may not like her, but it won't be fair if you don't get married to her,"

"And you?"

She paused and finally said, "I'll be fine. I'm way stronger than I look,"

It was a lovely Saturday morning. The birds were chirping and the sun shone brightly. She opened the window and felt the cool autumn breeze hit her face. "What a beautiful day it is!" She thought. She looked at the time. It was still 8 a.m. Her wedding would start in the late afternoon. She sighed and left the room to get herself ready.

"You look so beautiful, Miss. Wilson," her make-up artist complimented.

"Thank you, Lucy. It's such a lovely day, isn't it? The perfect day for a wedding as grand as mine to take place, don't you think?" she boasted.

Lucy smiled and said, "Yes indeed. I believe Mr. Heathrow's jaw will drop once he sees you, you look stunning!"

Once they were done, she took her time to assess herself in the mirror. Her hair was designed with the most expensive pins and ornaments. Her make-up was made as natural as possible. On her neck and ears were a diamond necklace and a pair of earrings from the best jewelry collection. She smiled once more and thought, "Everything worked out perfectly. Finally, Ethan can stop controlling me," She wore her veil over her face and was escorted to the car.

An hour later, they were at the venue. She stared at the grand cathedral where her wedding was going to take place. She was showered with compliments by her friends and well-wishers. Her parents warmly received her. She was directed to a room where she was to wait before the wedding commenced. There, her mother sat with her and they chatted happily.

"Is Ronda here?" She curiously asked.

Her mother's expression changed and she said, "She isn't,"

Hearing her mother's words infuriated her. "Why isn't she here?" She shouted, "Isn't she happy for me? It was just one silly fight and she still hasn't gotten over it?"

"We haven't spoken with her since the birth of the twins," She explained.

"Why would she do this to me? Is she that jealous that her relationship didn't work out and mine did? It wasn't my fault he bailed on her, was it?" She shouted, her tears threatening to flow.

"No dear it wasn't your fault," she said trying to calm her down, "She's just selfish. Don't cry honey, or else your make-up will be ruined. Don't ruin your big day because of your disgraceful sister,"

She nodded and finally calmed down. Her make-up was a bit smudged so she got her make-up artist to fix it up. She waited there patiently until it was time for the wedding to begin.

She turned on the television to see what station was on. After scrolling through dozens of them, she finally found one that caught her eye, Julian and Lori's wedding. She watched them say their vows to each other, Julian saying his with zero enthusiasm, his eyes full of boredom, while Lori said hers passionately. When the priest proclaimed them husband and wife, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She tried getting up and once she did, saw a pool of water beneath her feet, coupled with intense and agonizing pains. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was in labor, although she was meant to deliver the next month. She became confused about what to do. She thought about calling Julian but remembered that he was still at the wedding. She wobbled up the stairs and retrieved her delivery kit. Still confused about what to do, she quickly headed for the door but was alarmed to hear it ring. She opened the door and found Mr. Kent, Julian's driver, standing outside.

"Good evening Miss. Williams," He said professionally.

"Good evening to you too Mr. Kent," she said, trying to maintain her composure.

He saw the delivery kit in her hand and asked, "Are you going somewhere, Miss?"

"Did Julian send you here?" She asked.

He nodded. She sighed and continued, "I'm in labor Mr. Kent, I hope it won't be too much to ask if you can drop me at the hospital,"

Hearing that she was in labor, he became alarmed. He quickly retrieved the bag from her and directed her to where the car was parked. They got in and hastily drove to the hospital.