She looked at the beautiful high-rise Church and smiled to herself.
Zion never missed anything.
From the beautiful location, she had asked to have her wedding, to the exact Church she wanted. Everything was just perfect. She eagerly tapped the cab driver that she was going to alight and eagerly stepped out of the vehicle, her beautiful knee-length ivory dress, studded with beautiful pearls gleaming in the sunlight.
She heard the ringing of the Church bell and gasped. ‘Oh, she was getting late.’ She whipped up her phone from the little purse attached to her dress and dialled Zion’s line for the umpteenth time. She ended the call when she heard the words she had been hearing for days now.
“You are not allowed to call this number.”
She would really have to give him a scolding when she saw him. What on earth was wrong with his phone? Network providers, as usual, she concluded. Always doing the most. The whole thing was beginning to grate on her nerves. Zion was not telling her anything. It was just by chance that she stumbled on a picture, stating that Zion was to get married the next day. Saturday. In the Bahamas. Which was strange because Zion hadn’t told her that their wedding had been moved.
However, she wasted no time. She packed a few things, putting the six thousand dollar wedding dress that Zion had gotten her carefully in her suitcase and was off to the Bahamas.
She looked at the Church once again with a smile and stepped in. Taking in the beauty of the place. She saw the poster of the both of them pinned on the wall and grinned. What a dramatic man.
Speaking of Zion, where was he? Her searching eyes found him, already at the altar and she blushed. But Zion didn’t smile at her, in fact, he had a really strange expression on his face. She turned to everyone and noticed they were giving her strange looks.
Was Zion suddenly getting cold feet? He had better not, she thought. They would soon be married. And that was all that mattered. Not the weird looks the guests were giving her, or the fact that the pianist didn't start the tune to welcome her. Nevertheless, she started the customary glide towards the altar. But her smile started fading when she saw the panicky expression on her groom’s face. What was going on?
She was nearly at the altar when a man stopped her. It was Zion’s brother, Aaron. Why was he stopping her?
“Sharon no, please.” He begged.
“What do you mean no, get your hands off me!” Sharon said with gritted teeth. A low murmur went through the crowd.
“It’s not your wedding!” Aaron urgently whispered.
“Have you gone mad? What do you.....”
She stopped, lifting her eyes to the poster again. And became still. For it wasn’t her face on the poster with Zion. It was someone else. It was another woman. It was......Stacy, her best friend. It had all been an illusion. Her illusion. She nearly swooned but Aaron caught her in time and guided her to a nearby seat.
At that moment, the pianist started to play the tune ’You look so beautiful in white’ by Westlife. Everyone stood up for the bride as she walked down the crafted stairs, made for the occasion. The stairs that she had specially asked for. The bride that wasn’t her. The bride that was her best friend, getting married to her fiancee. She looked at Zion, the man that she had given seven years of her life as an angelic smile swept his face.
How had she not noticed? How could they have done this to her? Getting married in the Church and in the city that she had picked and with the song that she had chosen.
How could they?
How dare they.
Then stillness swept over her. That calm she occasionally felt when she knew she was about to do something deadly. Red swam over her eyes as she slowly reached to the side of her calf-length leather boots and steadily brought out the jagged dagger she took everywhere with her. She wasn’t going down. Not without a fight.
And so as the bride and groom faced the priest to begin the wedding declarations, she ran madly towards the people she had once called her own. The screams of the guests are a blurry echo to her. And before anyone could stop her, she lunged.
