"Dominic Hale, do you take Rosetta Black to be your lawfully—"
The priest was yet to officiate the wedding when someone burst into the church, screaming at the top of her voice.
"Stop! Rose, don't—"
Before she could finish, a gunshot tore through the air, silencing everything. The lady collapsed to the ground. Dead.
"Lilah!" Rosetta, the bride, shrieked, throwing off her wedding veil as she ran toward the fallen woman.
This was Lilah, her best friend. The person she'd known all her life. And now she was lying there, in a pool of blood. What could be worse?
Inside the church, panic broke out. Most of the guests rushed to escape, but a few ran toward Rosetta. Among them were her parents and the groom.
"Rose! Let's leave," a man's voice sounded beside her, but Rosetta didn't move. She seemed trapped in her own world of grief and terror.
"Lilah, wake up," she whispered, gently patting her friend's cheek, her eyes silently begging for a miracle.
"Rose! Rose!" The man groaned and grabbed her arm. "We have to leave, alright?"
Rosetta stared at him blankly. Nothing made sense. The image of Lilah being shot played again and again in her mind, blinding her to everything else.
"Rose!" another voice called out. It was an older man, her father, Rafael Black. Beside him stood her mother, Helena Balck, eyes full of worry.
"Come on, dear. Let's leave first," her father urged, worriedly too.
"Fa...Father. She's not waking up. Why won't she wake up?... I know!... She never listens to me. Please...you tell her to stop being stubborn. I'm scared. Please... tell her to wake up or I'll get really mad. Lilah... can you hear me? Lilah..."
"Rose! Stop it. She's... dead! And if you don't want anyone else to end up like her, then pull yourself together!" the man beside her snapped, his voice harsh as the sound of gunfire grew louder.
He looked up at her parents and worriedly said, "Mom, Dad, please leave first. I'll bring her with me."
"But Nick—"
"Trust me, Dad. I won't let anything happen to her. She's my life."
Rosetta's parents hesitated, then nodded. They were quickly escorted out by their own and some of Dominic's bodyguards. The rest stayed behind, forming a shield around the couple as they fought off the intruders.
Dominic, her groom, turned to Rosetta. His heart clenched seeing her like this. Slowly, he pulled her into his arms, hiding her face in his chest. He could feel her entire body shaking.
"It'll be fine, love. Let's just get out of here for now," he whispered, gently stroking her hair.
Rosetta didn't reply. She didn't resist either. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as thoughts and memories crushed her to the core. How could anything ever be fine again? Lilah was gone. Her best friend. Her sister in everything but blood. The one who was supposed to laugh with her, cry with her, and be the godmother of her future children.
For the first time in her life, Rosetta felt the weight of real loss. She had always been the only child, and Lilah had filled that empty space like a sister. It devastated her and she didn't know how to handle it.
"Rose, can you hear me?" Dominic asked, slightly pulling her back to look into her eyes.
Rosetta stared at him blankly. "Nick... is she really..." Her choked voice trembled in the air.
Dominic nodded slowly, his face filled with pain. He hadn't been close to Lilah, but her death affected him too, because it hurt Rosetta, and Rosetta was the person he loved to the extent of giving his life for her.
He helped her stand, placing his arm around her waist as they walked toward the safer exit.
Everyone else had left. Only Rosetta, Dominic, his bodyguards, and the intruders remained inside the church. Gunshots still rang in the air.
Just as they neared the exit, Rosetta stumbled. Her long wedding dress tangled around her legs and she fell to the floor.
She didn't scream, nor did she even flinch. The pain in her heart was far greater than anything her body could feel. The pain Lilah felt before she breathed her last was far greater than hers, thus she dared not make a sound.
"Come here, let me carry you," Dominic said, bending down to help her.
He had just placed his hand on her waist when he saw a masked man in the distance, aiming a gun straight at Rosetta.
Before Dominic could think, the gun went off.
"Rose!" he shouted and wrapped his entire body around her to shield her.
Rosetta gasped, suddenly snapping out of her daze. She tried to pull away from his tight grip, but then Dominic collapsed in her arms.
"Ro...se... get out of... here, okay?" Dominic's voice was faint. His eyes were on her, full of pain and love.
"Ni...ck? What's happening?" she whispered, panic rising in her voice. "Come on, let's go. I won't be stubborn anymore, okay?"
He gave her a weak smile, raising his hand to cup her cheek. "Promise?"
Rosetta nodded quickly, tears falling again. "I promise."
She wiped her eyes and tried to help him stand. But Dominic looked past her to his men and said, "Take her away."
"What about you, boss?" one of the bodyguards asked.
"Nick, what are you saying? Why should they take me? Aren't you coming too?" Rosetta's grip on his hand tightened.
He turned his eyes back to her. "Didn't you promise not to be stubborn anymore?" She nodded slowly.
Before she could say anything else, two bodyguards gently lifted her up. They were strong. Too strong for her to fight.
"Nick—!" She paused when her eyes fell on her hands. There was blood and it was not hers. Earlier, she was sure she had not touched Lilah's but where did this scary liquid come from? Slowly, her eyes went back to Dominic and that's when she noticed it was Dominic's. He was bleeding from his back.
"Ni... ck, you–"
"I love you... Rose." Those were Dominic's last words before his breath stopped.
Rosetta froze, staring at his lifeless body. Her world went still. If she had been devastated before due to Lilah's loss, now she felt absolutely nothing. Just cold... and empty.
"Nick..." she whispered, before everything went dark.