KALIA
"Kalia, wait. Please wait." Callum ran after me, approaching me at the parking lot and stopping me from opening the door to my car.
"At least tell me why you don't want to get married to me anymore. I thought that we loved each other and that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together?"
I laughed. Not sure why I did though but I just couldn't help it. He sounded funny talking about love when his only aim was to kill me.
"We?" I raised a brow at him. "Do we really love each other Callum or rather, do you think you love me?"
"Don't be like this babe. I love you so much, you know I do." He held my hands firmly but I yanked it away. "If I made a mistake or did something wrong then let's talk it out. Calling off the marriage is too much of a punishment for tardiness, don't you think?"
I clenched my fist when I saw flashes of myself locked up in that closet, the injuries that were inflicted on me and the blood on the floor that resulted from losing my baby. Everything came rushing back, overwhelming me and altering my senses.
How dare he say that he loves me when he didn't even think twice before hurting me in that manner. I want to hit him where it hurts, I want to inflict the same pain on him but I knew that I had to wait for the perfect time and until then, I have no choice but to keep my emotions under wraps.
"I was the one who loved you Callum, ME!" I screamed at him whilst pointing at myself. "I loved you even before I knew what that word meant. I gave myself up for you because I thought that you loved me as much as I loved you but we both know that you never did."
"Where is all this coming from? We had dinner last night and you were happy about getting married to me and now you just want to call it off cause I arrived late to your dress fitting?" He asked and I chuckled dryly.
"No." I answered, facing him squarely. "I'm calling it off because you're a cheat and the last mistake I want to make in this lifetime of mine is getting married to one."
Callum's eyes widened in shock, his lips slightly parted as he stared at me like someone who had been caught in the act.
"W-What are you trying to say?"
"Oh please. Did you think that I wouldn't find out about it? You're not as smart as you thought you were Callum and I won't let you fool me again."
With that, I turned away and got into my car. Once settled, I started the ignition and drove off.
All through the drive, my mind wandered aimlessly. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived home. I don't know what might be waiting for me over there. Would they be happy to see me or would they pretend that they were?
Would I be able to face Celyn knowing that she had conspired to steal my birthright and marry my husband in the open after murdering me? Would she feel bad and remorseful?
Would she try to deny that she had nothing to do with my husband and that it was all a prank? Or will she be happy that I have broken things up with Callum?
Halfway through my ride home, my chain of thoughts was interrupted when I accidentally ran into another vehicle. My car came to a sudden and abrupt halt and I peeked through the steering wheel to see the damage that I had caused with my car.
"Oh no!" I whispered silently to myself. This isn't how I had envisioned the rest of my day to go. I was already hurting so much to be fixed into this crazy dilemma.
Haven't I been through enough problems already? I just came back from the dead and now I want to kill myself again? Why punish me more? I hurriedly unbuckled my seat belt and jumped right out of the car to see the damage I had caused. "What have I done? How do I fix this now?"
The door to the other car pulled open and the driver stepped out.
"Hey!" He hollered at me in a stern voice. He was an elderly man in his late forties or early fifties. My mind was too disoriented to settle for one. "Do you have any idea what you've just done? Why can't you look at where you're going young lady? Do you have any idea how much this car costs!"
"I am sorry." I apologized sincerely but the look on his face told me that he wasn't ready to hear it. "I'll call for a mechanic and have it fixed. Please don't get upset."
"You annoying little—" He was about to curse at me when an unfamiliar voice interrupted him from the car.
"What's going on over there, Charles?" The voice asked and before the driver could respond, the door to the car pulled open and a man stepped out of the car.
He was clad in a crisp white shirt that was unbuttoned down to his broad chest with beige pants. On his feet were the shiniest pair of shoes that I had ever seen. His left wrist was adorned with a Rolex watch and his fingers with expensive cut rings.
I don't know who he was and i have never seen him anywhere around before but he screamed of wealth by just looking at him.
His hair was neatly cut and his chiseled jaw was tightened in a deep frown. His broad shoulders accentuated his physique and if I wasn't in this situation, I would have acknowledged properly how handsome this man was.
At first I panicked. Who is this man? There was something unnatural yet familiar about him. He looked like he had walked straight out of those fashion magazines but what if he's a killer or worse? Heavens! I'm as good as dead if that's the case.
"What's up with all the noise?" He went further to ask and from his tone I could tell that he was equally irritated. "Are you both stupid or plain delusional right now!" He yelled in a stern voice.
"Sir, she—"
"I'm sorry." I blurted without giving the driver a chance to speak. "It was all my fault." I started, tears falling freely from my eyes like twin rivers but yet, I didn't stop. The dam of tears I was trying to bottle in came crashing down at the mention of that word 'delusional'
Yes, I was delusional for thinking that someone like Callum ever loved me. Maybe if I wasn't naive and stupid then I wouldn't have gotten to this point. I hated myself for it and it hurts so much.
"Everything is my fault. I should've paid more attention while driving in this state but I didn't. I didn't mean for any of that to happen and now—" The rest of my words are caught up in my throat when he held me with both hands and pulled me into an embrace.
I cried on his shirt for a while and for a moment there, he didn't stop me until I had calmed down a bit.
"Are you okay, miss?" His strong, deep and masculine voice resonated through my ears leaving me mesmerized and at a loss for words as I tried to rein in my own emotions. What exactly is happening to me? My world suddenly became quiet, with only his voice dancing in my head.
Petrified, I pulled away from his grip. "I'm sorry if I ruined your shirt." I said pointing at his tearstained shirt. "I'll pay to have your car fixed and I'll buy you a new shirt—" I offered, running back to my car to grab my purse.
Sniffing my tears away, I hurriedly opened my purse to grab some money without counting it. "I know that it's not much but I'm pretty sure that it'll be enough to get a new shirt." I stretched out my hands to him so he could take my money but he folded it and pushed it back gently.
"I don't need your money." He turned me down. "And I'll take care of this so you don't have to worry about me."
"Please, then let me at least pay for the dry-cleaning or to fix your car—"
"It's just a minor scratch." He shrugged. "Nothing serious so please don't stress over it and don't embarrass me by giving me your money." He added. His face had gotten a lot softer than it was when he first got out of the car. He was less terrifying now.
He nodded his head at me. "It's okay, you can go." He said. I looked from his driver to him and after thanking him profusely, I made my way back into my car. Once settled, I started the ignition and drove away but not before thanking him once again.
When I arrived home, it was a bit late and without taking my bag out of the car, I made my way inside the mansion. I was welcomed by the guards as well as the maids who knew me.
I tried to put up a smile on my face but I was breaking inside. Hopefully, none of them notices anything because I wouldn't be able to explain my condition to anyone even if they asked.
Taking the hallway that led to the living room, I paused in my tracks when I heard familiar voices coming from the opposite direction.
My heart did a flip and my stomach churned as I slowly approached the direction of the noise to see my stepmother fuming angrily with my father and stepsister by her side.
"What is this nonsense Kalia?" She stood up to attack me. "I just got off the phone with Callum and he says that you've called off the marriage. Are you stupid?"
I glanced at Celyn but she looked away from me.
"I told him that it's a joke and you didn't mean it so get ready for the dinner with his family tonight or—"
"But I meant it." I said, interrupting her. "I am not getting married to Callum and the marriage arrangement between us is over. I have rejected him as my mate and that's my final decision."