El was feeling extremely jittery thinking about the life ahead of her.
Everything was going to change for her overnight.
She was sitting besides Alec on an elated platform. The band was playing the music and the guests were all spread around enjoying themselves.
Some of them were dancing while the others were having dinner.
Given the circumstances that led to the marriage, none of the friends of the groom or the bride made any speeches.
Alec hadn't even asked El for a dance.
El was becoming more anxious by sitting idly at the same place.
She gulped the wine in front of her in one go.
Alec sensed her fear and anxiousness but decided not to say or do anything that might make her more anxious.
He thought sitting at a place might calm her but it had an opposite effect on her. Unable to take the silence she asked,
"Have you let go of Harry?"
Alec's eyes darkened at his mention. "Concerned for your ex?"
His voice was filled with contempt.
El got more discomposed with his reaction.
"N..no.. He wasn't my boyfriend, he.. he was just a date Elena set me up with. Now I know why" El said, her voice got lower as she finished her sentence.
"I had informed the guards to throw him and Elena out of the hotel premises once the wedding ceremony was done, Elena's parents have left as well." Alec said in a plain tone.
"I don't want you to ever mention him again, is that understood?" He asked fiercely.
El meekly nodded.
Alec cursed himself for scaring her again.
"I know this isn't the ideal wedding idea you might have had for yourself, but this is what it is, you'll have to live through it." Alec said firmly.
Listening to his words, El was lost in her own thoughts,
"I didn't have any wedding planning for myself. I mostly imagined my life to be Live Alone Die Alone types."
she said in a low voice thinking about her past.
After a few minutes, pointing at Alec's untouched wine glass, El asked
"You going to drink that?"
"No" he replied.
"Do you mind?" she asked again.
He slid his wine glass to her side. She again gulped the glass of wine in one go.
"Slow down" Alec said and El nodded.
Shortly after El started massaging her head hard with her fingers.
"Is everything alright?" Alec asked her.
"My head is hurting." She said, discomfort was clear in her voice. To distract her Alec gave her phone back to her.
"My phone"
He looked her and lied saying
"It was at the peacock point".
"Thank you" she said with a smile.
It was the first time this evening she had genuinely smiled.
She went through her phone to check missed calls and messages.
There were 16 missed calls from Mark.
Looking at it she pressed her head again, she looked at Alec and said "I need to go to the restroom please excuse me." El hurried to the rest room.
She got into one of the stalls and called Mike, the call got connected quickly.
"Where were you El, are you fine?" Mike asked her.
"Yeah". She replied.
She sounded low.
Sensing it Mark asked
"What's wrong and why didn't you pick up the call?"
"I misplaced my phone"
"Mark….. I got.. I got married" Mark was shocked,
"How did this happen?" He asked.
"Its a long story",
"Whom did you marry?"
"Alec Wilson", she replied.
"Okay, I've to tell you something very important, listen to me calmly first."
"Yes" she said.
"Get out of that place as soon as possible" Mark's tone was firm.
"What? but why Mark?" She asked getting anxious.
"Relax first"
She took deep breath and tried to relax.
"I can't get away from here Mark, there are Alec's guards everywhere. Besides, my head is hurting a lot."
"Why don't you leave that place with your husband?"
"Where does he live?"
"South-hills" she replied.
"Ask him to take you to his place, go with him if you have to but don't stay back at Hamspearl, got it?"
"Fine" El nodded.
Mark continued, "Most importantly, don't reveal your true identity to anyone.
No one must know that you are Michelle Ford".