Chapter 3 Marriage

Aurora's POV

I walked into the bathroom, peering into the mirror to check my reflection. My dark hair framed my face perfectly and I adjusted my lip gloss. The bathroom was silent except for the occasional drop of water from the faucet.

Suddenly I heard a faint moaning sound, and couldn't detect where it's coming from. I froze glancing around,but  I think the noise seemed to come  from one of the stalls. I shook my head, trying to brush it off.  Maybe it's someone having a moment.

But then I heard it again, louder this time…..

"Adriano... oh Adriano," a woman's voice moaned, and my heart skipped a beat. That name sent shockwaves through me. Adriano? My Adriano? No,   this can't be. My heart was pounding, each beat reminding me of my growing fear.

My breath caught in my throat. Adriano? My Adriano? No, it can't be. My heart was pounding, each beat hammering a reminder of  my growing fear. I took a hesitant step toward the counter, my pulse pounding in my ears. This cannot happen. Not him with someone else.

I crept closer to the toilet door,where the noise was coming from, my mind  racing. Who is  ? And what Is  he…….? I  couldn't  even  think  of  it . The moaning grew louder and more insistent. "Oh Adriano, fuck harder. I can't wait," the woman gasped, her voice echoing in the small restroom.

The thought of it flashed through my mind. Never!!!!!!

My shoulders slumped, a cold terror descended on me. I had to see it for myself. With trembling hands, I slowly turned the handle and pushed the door open. What I saw stopped my world. Adriano and Mirabel were entwined in a passionate embrace. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.

"Adriano..." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

They froze, their eyes locked on me. Adriano scrambled to pull away, his face contorted with guilt. Mirabel was shocked. I felt a wave of nausea come over me.

Adriano hurried away, his face contorted with guilt. "

"Aurora..." Adriano began, but I cut  him  off.

"Don't". My voice was cold and detached. “Just don't"

I turned and ran, the restroom  door slamming  shut  behind  . I couldn't breathe. Couldn’t think .  My heart shattered into a million pieces.

How could they do this to me ? How  could  they  betray  me  like  this ?.

I stumbled on  Brandon in the hallway, tears streaming down my face. He looked at me with concern and I perceived he knew what  was going  on.I had to get out of there, to escape the pain and hurt.

I never  knew  it's  been  happening  all   this  while . How could they? The two people I trusted most in the world. Memories flood my mind. She has  been  the  life  of  the  party, my confidant, my rock. And Adriano, the man I loved , the man I thought I would spend my whole life with. Their betrayal deepened, each memory echoing the pain of being deceived.

I burst into the room, slamming the door behind me with a force that shook the walls. Belinda and Dorcas, who had been chatting quietly by the window, jumped at the sound. The tension in the air was visible.

Belinda, always observant, looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Aurora, what’s going on?” she asked.

But I ignored her, my eyes fixed on the mirror  in front of me. I grabbed a glass bottle from my dresser and hurled it at the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces. "Aaargh!!!! How could he!" I yelled, my voice raw with a mixture of agony and fury . The tears streaming down my cheeks said it all.

I approached my makeup stand, my hands shaking with anger and sadness. I swept everything off the stand, the sound of shattering glass and breaking plastic filled the room. Belinda and Dorcas gasped, their eyes wide with fright and felt a small hollow of  satisfaction in the chaos I was creating.

I felt betrayed, heartbroken and disappointed. Why ? After ten years of dedication to love? My prince charming, the man I thought was perfect, is cheating on me. Our dream wedding, the future I had imagined, is falling apart before my eyes. The dream wedding I envisioned is crashing down in mere seconds.

Belinda and Dorcas looked frightened. Belinda's face turned pale, her eyes wide open. "Aurora, what the  hell  is wrong with you? Why not tell us what's bothering you instead of scaring us half to death?"

Dorcas, her usual calm self, was sick. wavered, added.  “Talk to us, Aurora. ” Her voice was soft and gentle but the worry was clear .

Despite their pleas, I remained frozen, tears streaming down my cheeks. My mind was a whirlwind of images,  him with another woman, the lies he told, the promises he broke. The pain was unbearable. How can I face them? How could I admit that my perfect life was a lie?

Belinda's frustration was boiling over. She strode across the room, stopping just short of me . "Aurora, you're getting on my nerves ! For the  last  time , What's going on?"

The tension grew thicker and thicker, an invisible weight weighed down on all of us. I felt trapped, suffocated by my emotions. I wanted to scream, to disappear, to stop feeling.

As for Belinda, she's more than an elder sister, ever ready  to  get down for her  friends,always a straightforward type,not as cunning as that snitch!!!.

Dorcas cautiously approached, her hand reaching out to touch my arm. “Aurora, we can't help you if you don't let us in.”

Her words broke through the fog of my despair. I looked at her, seeing genuine concern in her eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out, tears kept pouring down. The silence stretched on, the weight of my secret hanging in the air.

Finally, I whispered, “Adriano is cheating on me.” The words sounded dead, like they belonged to someone else. "Everything I thought we had... It's all a lie."

Belinda and Dorcas exchanged a shocked glance, their faces a mixture of anger and sadness. "I knew  it, that bastard," Belinda muttered under her breath

Dorcas hugged me, her embrace warm and comforting hug, leaving me speechless

As I stood there, enveloped  in their  support, I felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe , just maybe, I can survive. But deep down, I knew the journey ahead will be long and painful.

I'll  never  forgive Adriano  for What he did to  me.

Adriano's POV

Walking into Aurora's room, I felt a knot tighten in my stomach. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken words and the strong scent of her favourite vanilla candles. As she sat on the bed, in a tight hug while Belinda stroked her  hair, her eyes red and swollen with tears, I took a deep breath and tried to find the right words. "Aurora," I began, my voice shaking slightly, "what you saw in the bathroom..." was a mistake”.

She looked at me, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "A mistake? Adriano, do you really expect  me to believe that ?

Before I could reply, the door flew open. Mirabelle barged in, her face twisted in rage. “It’s never a mistake, Adriano,” she said in a loud, accusatory voice. "Why don't you tell her about the secret affairs you’ve been having  with me before you met her?".

The words hung in the air, heavy and overwhelming. I felt like  I  had  been  punched  in  the gut. Her eyes widened with shock and pain. Her rage boiled over. She stood  and  slapped  me across my  face. The  sound  echoing  through the  room. " You Liar!"

"You're a jerk, Mirabelle!" Belinda's voice cut  through the silence. She rushed towards Mirabel, grabbing her hair and pulling it violently. Mirabel screamed  struggling against  Belinda's grip as  she  was  thrown  onto  the couch she was thrown onto the sofa, clutching Belinda.

"Don't you dare?". I thundered,Dorcas was already there and pulled Belinda away. "Let me go!" -  Belinda yelled, her eyes blazing with fury. I rushed to Mirabel, helping her  to  stand ,  I turned to Aurora, anger boiled up inside me. "You're all against her," I spat. "She  isn't  at  fault, Aurora is."

Aurora turned pale and stared at me. “The whole time we were together I begged you to make love to me,” I continued bitterly,  “You refused. Mirabel had to replace the missing rib you left on me”.

Aurora's face  crumpled, her body shaking with silent sobs . She looked like she   was  about  to  collapse . I felt guilty, but put it aside. "No one should blame Mirabel," I said, my voice hardening. "And nothing will stop me from getting married to her ".

The finality of my words seemed to break something inside Aurora. Tears streamed down her face as she glanced at me, her eyes filled with sadness and betrayal. I took Mirabel's hand and turned to leave.

“I'm  going  right  now  to  cancel  the  wedding  and  fix  a  day  for  our wedding," I said coldly. "We're no longer married, Aurora."

As we walked out, Belinda muttered under her breath, "Damn, you  should  have  allowed  me to beat that bitch!!!!!!!”.

I ignored her and focused on the future, heading to the wedding altar to break the news. Aurora's sobs echoed behind me, a haunting reminder of the life I left behind.