Chapter 1
Edited date: 29/04/2023
“No!” my voice trembled as I witnessed the horrific scene before me. With his murderous eyes, and his hand with that murderous weapon pointing at my fiance, he looked anything but remorseful.
“Please no!” my body quivered just by looking at that gun in his hand.
“Make your choice,” for the first time I felt a shiver run down my spine as I heard the man speaking to me. I felt scared for the lives that I loved. My family, my fiance, and my friends become a victim of this person with the gun.
“Sign the paper or accept a bullet in his forehead,”
His voice so calm that it scared me further. Taking a life seemed like a normal thing for him.
***
How did it turn up like this?
It was supposed to be the best day of my life. A day that every woman awaits and wants to cherish.
My hands shivered as I touched the hand of my lover. It was as cold as ice.
But as I looked out at the sea of faces gathered in the grand hall, I felt a sudden sense of unease. Something was wrong. And then, in an instant, my worst fears were realized.
A gunshot rang out, echoing through the room like thunder. I felt my body jolt in response, the sound reverberating through my bones like a shockwave. And then, as I turned to see what had happened, I saw him.
“Emmett!” my voice came out as a whisper and my heart stopped in my chest as I watched him fall to the ground, blood spreading rapidly across the front of his shirt. The love of my life, my soulmate, my everything, lay motionless on the floor, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow.
I felt my knees weaken, my entire body trembling with fear and shock. It couldn’t be real, it had to be some kind of terrible nightmare. But as I looked around the room, I saw the terror on the faces of our guests and heard their screams of horror and disbelief.
The room was chaos, with people running in every direction, tripping over chairs, and knocking over tables. But I was frozen in place, my eyes fixed on him, willing him to wake up, to open his eyes and tell me that everything was going to be okay.
But he didn’t move, didn’t stir. And as the seconds turned into minutes, I felt a cold dread settle in my chest. This couldn’t be happening, not on what was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives.
“Juliette!” I could hear someone calling my name but my eyes refused to turn back and meet the person.
My gaze drifted towards the satin white dress that I had so meticulously picked out for this momentous occasion - my wedding day. The very thought filled me with both excitement and a tinge of nervousness. But all of it was soon overshadowed by the horrifying reality that lay before me.
Blood stains - a deep, crimson hue that seemed to seep into every inch of the pristine white fabric. Blood that belonged to the two men I loved the most - my fiancé and my lover. The sight was too much to bear, and for a moment, I refused to believe what was happening.
But then, as I cradled his lifeless head on my lap, it dawned on me - this was no nightmare. He wasn’t going to get up and hold my hand as we exchanged vows, as we had planned. Instead, he lay there motionless on the very altar that was meant to be the site of our union.
My wedding day had turned into a nightmare beyond comprehension.
As I surveyed the scene around me, my eyes caught sight of the ominous figures that had infiltrated our once peaceful ceremony. Men dressed in black suits, armed and dangerous, pointed their guns at the guests, rendering them immobile. Panic surged through me as I realized the gravity of the situation.
And then, my gaze settled on my younger brother, tackled down by one of the intruders who held a gun to his head. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I felt my hands tremble uncontrollably.
“J-Jace,” I managed to choke out, my voice shaking with fear and disbelief.
I heard footsteps behind me, and my heart raced up with fear. I turn my head slowly, my eyes locking onto the intruder with a gun in his hand. It’s clear that he’s the one who fired the shot that took my fiancé’s life. My stomach lurches at the sight of him, and I feel a wave of nausea wash over me.
He’s a tall man, dressed all in black with a mask covering his face. His eyes looked cold and unfeeling, and I can see the glint of malice in them as he approached me. His footsteps echoed throughout the grand hall, cutting through the tense silence that has taken hold of the room.
I try to back away, to find a way out of this nightmare, but I’m surrounded by guests who have been forced to stay in place by the men with guns. My eyes dart around, searching for a way to escape, but I’m trapped.
“Why did you do this?” I ask, my voice trembling with agony. “Why did you take him away from me?”
The man with the gun only sneers in response, his expression twisted with cruel satisfaction. He takes a step closer, his gun still pointed at me, and I feel my breath catch in my throat.
“You’re a monster,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “You’ve destroyed everything.”
“Juliette!”
I heard Kiara who was signaling me to keep quiet out of fear.
I ignore Kiara’s plea and keep my gaze locked on the man with the gun. He looks at me with cold, calculating eyes, his hand steady on the weapon. My heart beats rapidly in my chest as I struggle to stay calm.
“Why?” I ask him, my voice trembling. “Why did you do this?”
He doesn’t answer me, just continues to stare at me with that same dead-eyed expression. I feel the bile rise in my throat as I realize that this man has no conscience, no remorse for the lives he’s destroyed.
The man just stared at me, his eyes flicking toward the motionless body of my fiancé on the ground.
“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he spoke up, his voice cold and indifferent. “Just like you.”
My knees buckle beneath me as I feel a surge of pain and anger course through my body.
I felt a sharp pain in my arm as the man’s rough grip pulled me up from the ground. Fear and confusion flooded my mind as he shoved a paper in my face. It took me a moment to process what I was seeing, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. A marriage document.
My heart raced as I tried to make sense of the situation. The man had just killed my fiancé, and now he was ordering me to marry him? I felt sick to my stomach, my hands trembling with fear and disbelief.
I looked up at him, hoping that this was all just some twisted nightmare, but his cold, commanding voice shattered any hope I had left. “Sign it,” he repeated, his eyes narrowing at me.
“I won’t do it,” I say, my voice shaking with anger and fear. “You can’t make me.”
He grabs my arm again, this time more forcefully, and points his gun at my father.
“Think again, Juliette,” he says, his tone menacing. “If you lose your mind, you’ll lose your father too.”
My heart races as his grip tightens on my arm, and I feel a wave of fear wash over me. I look up at him, and my eyes meet his cold, calculating stare. His voice is harsh and unforgiving as he speaks, and I know he means every word.
I can see the gun in his other hand, and I know he’s not bluffing. I have to think fast. I can’t lose my father, not like this.
I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice steady. “What do you want from me?” I ask, trying to buy some time.
He looks back at me, and I feel a shiver run down my spine. “Just your compliance, Juliette,” he says, his grip on my arm relenting slightly. “Sign the document, and we can both move on with our lives.”
I glance down at the paper he’s shoved in my face. It’s a marriage document, and I know I have no choice but to sign it. But marrying my fiancé’s killer? It’s unthinkable.
My mind races as I weigh my options. I have to protect my father, but at what cost? I take a deep breath and look up at him again. “I’ll sign it,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nods, a cruel smile spreading across his face. “Good girl,” he says, pushing the document closer to me. “Sign it, and this will all be over.”
I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I look at my father, who is standing frozen in place, his eyes wide with terror. I know I have no choice.
I wanted to run, to scream, to fight back. But I knew deep down that I was trapped, powerless to resist this man’s will. I looked down at the paper in my hands, my mind racing with the impossible choice before me. To sign and become this man’s wife, or to refuse and risk facing his wrath.
Tears streamed down my face as I took the pen from his hand, my hand shaking as I tried to steady myself. I closed my eyes and signed my name, feeling like I had just sold my soul to the devil. My eyes fell on the other side of the paper, where his signature was already written in bold letters.
Zachary Udolf Sullivan.
