Chapter 2
Theodosia
How it happened.
"Are you sure the hair is going to turn out like the inspo I showed you?" I queried.
My wedding day was just like any other day. Blue sky with tufts of white cloud. And me yelling at every single person because my stomach had folded itself into half and the other half was knotted into a tight string.
My mother was flitting around in the background. Making calls and giving orders like it's a battlefield.
"Yes ma'am. I'm almost done." The hair stylist answered monotonously.
Her mouth was twisted with distaste as I've asked her the same question for the fifth time.
"Miss, your father is on the line." Proclaimed Grace. She handed out the phone and bobbed her head, disappearing into the background.
"Yes Dad?" I muttered.
"Is the contract signed already?" He quizzed.
I couldn't stop a small pang of disappointment that curled the edges of my mouth into a sneer.
That was my father whose only daughter was going to spend the rest of her lifetime with a literal stranger, just so he could secure a deal.
"Not yet Dad. We've talked about this already." I hissed under my breath.
I could hear muffled voices and what sounded suspiciously like wet slopping and kissing sounds in the background.
I stifled the urge to dry retch. My stomach gave a huge lurch of distaste anyway.
He was with his mistresses again.
"Well...make sure you have the paper drawn up and signed before the end of today. It's all I've been waiting for." He drawled.
"Are you...not going .. to come?" I cursed myself for the slight crack in my voice.
I swallowed hard as a taut silence
stretched the receiver end.
Beep beep. The sound of him ending the call.
It was okay, I told myself. It wasn't the first time I would be making a sacrifice for him and he wouldn't care enough to appreciate me.
It was my duty after all. Only this time, it involves breathing, living and the most copulating with a stranger.
A stranger who couldn't be bothered to know my name. The last time I met my intended husband, he kept calling me Theodora even though I corrected him severally.
I'm sure he has the brain the size of a peanut. Probably the size of his nuts too.
Grace bustled over her glasses sliding down her nose as she examined the list with psychopathic obsession.
"Hurry hurry! The wedding's starting in an hour. There's still a lot of things to do." She cried out, rattling the poor highstrung hairdresser.
It made me smile a little. At least some things never changes.
"Miss are you okay? Are you feeling any sort of queazy bubblings in your stomach? Perhaps a mild headache? Maybe low blood sugar?" She peered suspiciously into my eyes, her lips tucked between her teeth.
I giggled nervously. "Are you trying to project your feelings unto me?" I joked.
She waved the hairdresser off and paced mindlessly around the room. A pencil tucked behind her hair as usual.
She suddenly turned back and pulled me into a hug.
"Oof!" I groaned.
"I'm nervous!" She bursted out. "I'm so nervous and my palm is all sweaty and balmy. And I'm not even the one getting married."
I chuckled and pulled her at arm's length. "It'll turn out just fine. It's just a business marriage." She grimaced. "Everybody do it all the time."
The words sounded bland and practiced on my lips. I injected extra dose of sunshine into my smile.
Grace wasn't having any of it. She looked worriedly at me. Really, we were kind of similar yet so different.
Down to our matching glasses. I was short sighted while Grace was long sighted.
I assured her with a little pat to her shoulder and sent her scurrying off. The make-up artist entered the same time as my mother.
Her cheeks looked flushed and her eyes bright. Almost too bright.
I could smell the dubious mixture of cooking Sherry and expensive cologne. It did nothing for my heaving stomach. I wring my fingers under the table.
She looked awkwardly around the room and cleared her throat. She opened her mouth but no words came out. She tried again.
"Theo!" She beamed. Her smile was stretched all the way to her ears.
She was ridiculously happy for someone whose daughter is being used as collateral.
"I'm so glad you're getting married to Ethan. All my friends are jealous. He's such a good kid. And rich." She laughed raucously.
"Did I mention how happy I am?"
Only about a million times, I thought bitterly.
"You'll be fine." She whispered, kissing my forehead and squeezed something into my fingers.
And then she was out.
I blinked back the tears as I stared at the pineapple flavored lollipop that she'd squeezed into my fingers. Sometimes, the woman I loved makes an appearance once a while.
The make-up was done. Something glamorous and fitting for the heiress of CC&co.
Even though all I'm feeling right now is nervousness.
As the clock ticked and the hour got closer, sticks got wedged into my lungs.
"I'll take the contact." I pointed to the eery blue lenses.
The make-up artist paused before she clipped on my veil.
Grace bursted into the room, looked more frazzled by the minute.
"It's time! It's time miss." She gulped.
"You're not wearing your glasses?" Grace asked.
I chuckled. The sound coming out weird and creaky. I swallowed and tried again.
"What sort of bride wears glasses on her wedding day?" I whimpered.
Grace gripped my hands, hard. She sniffed and gave me a wet smile.
"Hall 3 it is! Let's get you married." She beamed at me.
"Let's get me married." I whispered.
The cold of cold air whipped against my face and I shivered. At least, I picked my wedding dress myself.
"The bride is here!" A loud voice boomed.
Grace squeezed my hands again and gave me an encouraging smile. I took a deep breath that didn't reach my stomach.
Let's waltz into the future of unknowns.