Chapter 4

Abigail’s POV

I stood at the altar, my legs shaking, my heart beating wildly. The minutes ticked by, and still, there was no sign of the groom. I felt a rising sense of panic and began to wonder if something had gone wrong. "Had he changed his mind? I would be happy if he does. It would mean neither of us wants this." I thought.

I could see the look of panic on my wicked stepmother's face, and I knew she was angry. The family of the groom was present except for the groom. I watched as my stepmother's face turned red with anger. She shot a glare at the empty altar, then stormed out of the chapel.

The rest of the guests were murmuring among themselves, casting nervous glances at the empty altar. My stepmother returned later and walked towards the altar where I was still standing. My legs were aching, and I felt the need to sit down. So, I called out to her. "Um...stepmother?"

"What is it?!" she snapped, her voice angry.

"I...I need to sit down...my legs are hurting." I stammered.

"You can't sit down." she said, her tone cold and harsh. "You have to stand at the altar until the groom arrives. That's how it's done."

“But…my legs….hurt-”

“No excuses!” she interrupted..

“You have to stand up straight and look presentable. You’re going to be the center of attention, and I won’t have you ruining this wedding. Do you understand?”

I nodded, feeling my heart sink into my stomach. I wanted to cry, but I knew that if I did, my stepmother would be more pissed because she would say I ruined my makeup.

"What's taking the groom so long?" my stepmother asked, her voice laced with impatience. She adjusted her pink suit and hat, her eyes fixed on the entrance door.

My father shrugged, his expression neutral. "I'm not sure," he replied, his eyes also fixed on the door. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Maybe he got cold feet."

My stepmother let out a mocking laugh.

"Hah!

Can you imagine getting cold feet on your wedding day?" She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "That's the worst possible time to have second thoughts!"

Just then, Zoey entered the church hall with my asshole ex-boyfriend Liam. "Well, well, would you look at the bride..." Zoey teased. I rolled my eyes dramatically as she said those words.

“You’re lucky Liam here has been feeling guilty as sin ever since you caught us in bed together.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger. I guessed Liam saw my expression and spoke. "Zoey, don't."

I felt like slapping her hard on her face for that rude comment she had just made. But I just inhaled and exhaled, trying hard to control my temper.

I wanted to be the bigger person here. I wanted to show her that I was strong, and that I wasn't going to let her get under my skin.

"So save your sorry ass speeches. I don't give a f*ck about your guilt, Liam. And you, Zoey, could you be any more insensitive?" Zoey smirked.

"Oh, spare me. It's not like anyone else is bothered." She gestured towards the groom's family.

"Look at that lot. Couldn't care less."

"That's enough!" I said, my voice rising. "We're in a church, show some respect. This isn't the place for your snide comments."

Liam shook his head. "She's right, Zoey. Lay off."

But Zoey wouldn't back down. "But why should I?" She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing with defiance.

"You really wanna know, huh?" I raised an eyebrow, my voice firm. I took a step closer to her, my eyes locked on hers.

Zoey stood her ground, her chin jutted out in a challenge. "Yeah, I wanna know," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm dying to hear this."

I scoffed.

"You are the reason I am in this mess." I said. "Because you had to sleep with my boyfriend and get yourself pregnant, just so you could avoid marrying Elijah Lester Wright. Why? Because he's an illegitimate son of the Lester Wright?"

“I don’t care what you think, sister.” Zoey shot back, her voice venomous. She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair over her shoulder, her expression dismissive.

“I never wanted to marry him, but mother was bent on marrying into the Lester Wright family because they are rich and popular.” She sneered, her lips curling in distaste. “So I came up with my own plan to stop it.”

Zoey's eyes gleamed with triumph as she spoke, her voice dripping with malice. She took a step closer to me, her face inches from mine.

“So…you seduced my boyfriend to get pregnant and avoid the marriage?” I asked, my eyes burning into hers. My voice was laced with anger and disbelief, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

“Bingo!”

Zoey exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with triumph. She snapped her fingers together, a self-satisfied smile spreading across her face.

I stood there frozen, my eyes wide with shock and disbelief. My mind reeled with the implications of her actions, my body numb with anger and hurt. How could she do something so cruel and manipulative?

“Why….?” My voice was weak, barely above a whisper. I felt a lump form in my throat, my eyes welling up with tears. I took a step back, my legs trembling beneath me. My arms felt heavy and limp, as if they were weighed down by the truth.

Zoey met my gaze, her eyes cold and hard. "Because I'm not like you, Abigail." She said. "I'm not the perfect daughter. I'm not the goody two shoes. I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want, and if that means using people, so be it. I have no regrets."

I was shocked and disgusted by what Zoey said. How could she be so mean? How could she only think about herself? I looked at Liam, my ex-boyfriend.

He looked so sad. He was just a pawn in Zoey's game, and I felt bad for him. But I was also mad at him for letting Zoey control him. Mostly, I was just really disappointed.

Just then, a really handsome man walked into the chapel, and everyone couldn't help but look at him. My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met, and I felt a spark of electricity run through my body.

Who was this man, and why was he staring at me like he knew me?