Cruel

Henry and Florence arrived first at the Corossa estate. The castle was decorated beautifully with flowers that glimmered under the afternoon sun and filled the air with their delicious scent. The breeze played with the white flowing fabrics that hung from the ceiling, making everything look magical and serene.

As Florence took in the scene, a smile drew itself on her face. This was how she had imagined her wedding to be. 'Well, apart from the forced husband.'

"Congratulations, Lord and Lady Flock," a few servants who had formed a line in front of the couple bowed as they cheered.

"Please, follow me," one of the maids ushered them. She guided them to the study upstairs. "Please, stay here until the guests arrive. Refreshments will be brought in a moment." She bowed before leaving the two alone.

It was awkward. Florence walked to the settee and sat with a sigh. She was already tired even though the banquet had not even started yet. She was thankful for the tonic that Rilla had prepared for her earlier, she was sure that her acid reflux would have been raging without it.

Henry took a few steps to the wooden bar in the corner of the room, and poured himself a generous glass of bourbon. He gulped half of it in one go.

'This migraine is not going away anyway, I might as well just drink more.'

As promised, the maids brought tea and snacks to the study. Florence had something to eat while Henry stuck to his drinks.

When the music started downstairs, Florence knew that it was only a matter of time before someone came to fetch them. She watched as Henry downed another glass.

'How many does that make? Six? Seven?'

She was worried. She wanted to ask him to stop. It would not look good for either of them if he joined the banquet, drunk. But she did not have the courage to say anything to him. She just prayed that he could handle his liquor, which he could. When the marquis and marquise came to escort them to the banquet, neither of them could suspect that their son had had about half a bottle of bourbon.

"Shall we?" Sofia beamed. "All the guests have arrived."

Florence's nervousness turned into excitement as they walked down the stairs to the ballroom. The room was dazzling and the guests cheerful. If they were gossiping about them, they were hiding it impeccably. Applauds filled the room as they entered.

There were servants scattered around the room, holding trays of chilled champagne and expensive bourbon and offering them to the guests. Other rooms had food tables spread around, where finger foods, fruit, sweets, and small snacks filled them. Everything was dreamlike.

"It is time for your wedding dance," Sofia announced, ushering them to the dancing floor. She motioned to the band and they immediately stopped their background music.

Henry grabbed Florence's hand and pain shot from her wrist from how forceful he was. She swallowed a yelp and immediately smiled at the guests as they passed them.

"You are hurting me," she whispered as they reached the middle of the dancing area.

Henry loosened his grip a bit, but he was too angry to care. The alcohol also intensified his feelings.

The music started a moment later and they both swirled around as the guest watched. Henry was all but gentle.

"Please," Florence pleaded. "You are going to break my hand."

Henry looked down at her, she was fighting her tears. Florence felt the squeezing stop. She tried her best to smile, even though she was sure it looked more like a grimace. At least she was not frowning and squeezing her jaw until it almost broke, like Henry was showcasing.

As soon as the music stopped, Florence sighed in relief. The guests applauded and cheered while they bowed slightly to them. Henry guided her to where his mother was standing.

"I need a drink," he mumbled, before he disappeared into the crowd.

Sofia's gentle eyes met Florence's but the latter immediately averted her gaze. She was too embarrassed, too ashamed.

The festivities continued for a few hours. The food and drinks seemed never ending, and the musicians made it their mission to get everyone to the dancing floor at least once. Florence danced three more times–with Richard, Marquis Flock, and Jonas, her brother-in-law.

Halfway through the banquet, Florence was ushered away by the marquise's maids. Rilla was with them and her smile was splitting her face in two. They took her outside and crossed the wisteria trees garden to arrive at the manor.

She was guided to the bathroom where a bath was already prepared, it was filled with rose petals and milk. The maids helped her undress and bathe. Florence's face reddened and her heart trembled, she knew what this was and it made her anxious. They were preparing her for her wedding night. The giggles of the maids made her blush darken.

After the bath, Florence silently followed as the servants helped her wear quite the lingerie piece. It was white silk decorated with lace. She was thankful that it came with a robe. They styled her hair and then put some light make-up on her. When they were satisfied, they bowed and left her room while still giggling.

Florence took a deep breath. She debated whether to sit on the bed or on one of the chairs. She was not even sure if Henry would come. She decided to take the chair, at the slightest chance that her husband came, she wanted to stay away as far as possible from the bed. She was not ready.

She was tired and her back hurt from sitting. She had been waiting for about three hours and still no sign of Henry.

"I guess it's time to sleep."

She pushed off the chair and she almost fell back down because of her numb feet. As soon as she could walk, the door flew open. Florence watched with wide eyes as Henry stormed in and slammed the door closed with his foot. He had a bottle of champagne in his hand. She could tell that he was quite intoxicated just by looking at him.

As soon as Henry saw Florence, he frowned. Then he chuckled as his eyes traveled up and down her body. "Did you actually expect a wedding night?" he asked with a condescending tone. "I thought I made it clear that I will never consider you my wife. I also doubt you would be able to satisfy me anyway."

Florence flinched. "You don't have to be cruel."

"Cruel?" Henry spat in disbelief. "I am not the one who lied to our families to trap you in this marriage." He took a large gulp from his bottle. "I only came here tonight to prevent any more rumors that would damage my family's reputation. You can sleep on the other side of the bed, or on the settee, or even on the floor. I do not give a damn, as long as you stay the bloody hell away from me."

Henry took one last sip before kicking his shoes off and lying under the sheets. Florence stood in her spot, frozen for a long time after Henry had fallen asleep. She just stared at the floor and squeezed her hands together. She wiped her tears and walked to the left side of the bed.

'What the bloody hell did you expect, Florence? This is going to be your life from now on.'