CHAPTER NINETEEN
SOPHIA'S POV
With my broken heart in my loose grip, I slowly made my way out of the airport, only to be met with sirens and photographers lined up outside of the building.
At first, I didn't want to think they were there for me and so I just tried making my way through all the chaos while struggling to get my own gown to cooperate.
"Ma'am are you okay?" Echoed from all around me and for a long minute, I felt dazzled by the chaos which made me feel a little dizzy. There were unfamiliar faces, neatly dressed officers and photographers who didn't seem to care about how I was feeling but so terribly concerned about getting the perfect angle.
A mini truck suede pulled up and I was saved by the familiar faces of the wedding team who, according to Maddy, notified the police of my disappearance.
Apparently, they had thought I had been kidnapped from the venue by one of Damien's grumpy ex girlfriends, because I had suddenly gone "missing". I hated being the center of attention but here I was, being drilled from left and right.
The makeup artist, without waiting for an instruction, took my arms and started pulling me gently into the truck, saving me from the harassment I was getting freely from those sent to take care of me.
While in the truck, I suddenly realized how badly my crying must have been to have ruined the entire make up. The artist didn't really say a word or expressed any form of displeasure but just got back to working.
Although a part of me insisted I ignored her (the make up artist), I heard myself apologizing for stressing her out by making her do a job twice. To this, she smiled sweetly and insisted that it wasn't a problem at all, convincing me she was paid more than enough to do the job seven times over.
The drive back to the venue was quiet and exhausting, with the occasional stream of tears that rolled down my cheeks. To the wedding team, the excitement of tying the knots with the heir to an empire must have been the reason for my emotional breakdown as they had assumed we (Damien and I) have been dating for a while. I guess it makes sense now that to them, there wasn't a need for me to be sad and happiness was all I was supposed to feel.
"Do you, Damien Smith, take Sophia Richardson to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" The preacher announced in a clear, audible voice.
"I do." He replied casually and without any form of emotion whatsoever.
Do you, Sophia Richardson, take Damien Smith to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, to hold and to cherish, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"
"I do." I said in the exact same tone that he just might conclude that in petty.
"If there be any one among you with reasons as to why this two should not be joined in holy matrimony, he should speak now or forever hold his peace." There was a silent pause for a minute and I just hoped someone would break the cycle.
"By the power invested in me by God and man, I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Although we knew this was for show and unreal, we still had to act right in front of the guests who strongly believed that they were there to celebrate the magic of love.
An outright refusal to seal a new marriage with a kiss was going to be a direct violation of Mr Smith's family's respect and honor. Coupled with the fact that that was just going to raise questioning eyebrows, we both swallowed our pride and settled for a convincing peck on the lips, successfully passing the message that we were a shy couple. The guests did receive this well enough as they applauded and cheered happily.
From church service, we took lots of pictures, strictly following the photographer's instructions and although our hearts felt empty towards the entire ceremony, our faces still managed to hold a fake smile. For Damien, I could see his smile was real as he kept on staring at one female face, and grinning from ear to ear. All through the ceremony, Damien couldn't take his eyes off her, and that kind of tickled my jealous bug.
After pictures, there was a reception and I got into dress number two, changed my hairstyle and makeup to suit the magnificence of this particular dress, with the assistance of the wedding team, of course.
All through this, my mood was visibly sour but my parents and siblings cared less. They knew why I was at the airport and didn't see the need to encourage me in my stupidity. I was now, after all, married to a billionaire, making them in-laws to this billionaire. Their excitement knew no bounds and they openly danced, praised and complimented me and the outfits. It was nice to at least have their support even though they were the major reason why I was in need of such support.
Eventually, the party came to an end and Damien and I was driven to a hotel where the room for the honeymoon has already been booked. By the very next day, the honeymoon trip was scheduled to happen and I found myself looking forward to that as I saw it simply as an opportunity to actually visit places I could only dream about one day going to.
Once in the room, and settling on a sofa for less than five minutes, he suddenly sprang up and headed for the door.
"And where are you going?" I involuntarily asked.
"To my girlfriend's room, of course." He said bluntly, fingers still on the knob.
"I don't understand."
"Which part exactly do you not understand?"
"Shouldn't you be in… you know what? Never mind." I said, stopping myself from saying what I know I would be ashamed of later on, "You can go."
"By the way, how is your boyfriend?"
"Why are you suddenly interested?"
"I'm not interested, just curious because I didn't really see his face during the ceremony." He gave a smile before walking through the door, showing his clear uninterest in whatever my reply was.
Well, it was pretty obvious at this point that Damien derives so much joy from seeing me in discomfort.
As I cried my eyes out, not in any way related to the fact that my newly wedded husband just admitted to having brought his girlfriend to our honeymoon, but over the fact that I didn't even get to know exactly what was going through Marcus' mind, my phone suddenly beeped with a notification. I didn't really bother to check as I just assumed it'd either be another congratulatory message from my coworkers or acquaintances who just heard of my marriage into money or a clout chaser barking up the wrong tree.
To them all, I had played a fast one on Marcus and gotten myself a rich boyfriend, keeping it under locks till the big day. I had already had my full by reading messages and viewing posts, very well tailored to massage my cold brutality. The comments under such posts were even more treacherous, and unlike the poster, they had no reason to sugar coat their words or hide behind a mask. I was called all sorts of names by people who didn't even know I existed and the hate just kept multiplying as big social influencers posted my pictures, having a dig at the newest viral topic.
Another notification came some few seconds afterwards, followed by yet another and although I still wanted to ignore, a part of me convinced me that it just could be Marcus reaching out.
With that thought now fully invested in my mind, I reached for my phone, with a million and one wishes going through my head, to view the notification only to see some messages from an unknown number. Initially I didn't want to open it but I guess curiosity always wins, and I did open the message.
"You think you'd finally be happy?" It read, Or do you actually think you won the long game at last? Be careful b*tch!! I was just one of their many victims. Don't be stupid else your nudes being leaked to the press would be the nicest thing they'd do to you. And by they, I mean, Damien and that devil of a woman he has as a girlfriend. I can bet everything I have that he's with her right now, plotting how best to get rid of you. If you ever feel the need to reach out, Vanessa is the name and this is a reachable number."
Okay, what the f*ck did I just read and who the fuck is Vanessa?
The dots suddenly connected and gave a click as I realized that the name Vanessa was not actually strange to hear; as it was the name associated with the girlfriend whose sex tape got viral on social media. I think so though because I was unable to watch it before money got it and every traces of it the off the internet.
Then if Vanessa isn't the girlfriend as I thought, who was Damien even with right now?