Chapter 12: “Final rites…”

LISA'S POV 

As the ceremony began, Grandma took her place at the front, a warm smile on her face. She gazed out at the gathered guests, her eyes twinkling with love and joy.

"Dear friends and family," she started, her voice clear and strong. "We are gathered here today to witness the union of Lisa and Leo. A union that will bring together two families, and create a new one."

She paused, looking at us with tears in her eyes. "Lisa and Leo, your love is a beautiful thing. It has brought light and joy into our lives, and we are so grateful to have you both as part of our family."

As she spoke, Leo took my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine. I felt a surge of love and happiness, knowing that this was just the beginning of our journey together.

Grandma continued, her voice weaving a spell of love and commitment over us. "Today, we gather to celebrate your love, and to witness your commitment to each other. Lisa and Leo, will you please repeat after me?"

We nodded, our voices echoing Grandma's as we repeated our vows. With each word, I felt my heart fill with love and promise, knowing that I was committing myself to this man, and to our future together.

As we finished our vows, Grandma smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Leo's lips met mine, and I felt a rush of happiness and joy. We were married, and nothing could ever come between us again.

The reception was a blur of laughter and tears, music and dancing. We were surrounded by our loved ones, all of whom were there to celebrate our love and commitment to each other.

As we danced our first dance as husband and wife, I felt like I was on cloud nine. This was the happiest day of my life, and I knew that I would never forget it.

As the traditional rites were completed and the knots were tied, a sense of relief and joy filled the air. I couldn't believe it - Leo and I were officially husband and wife! The guests erupted into cheers and applause, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. 

But just as the celebration was about to begin, a loud, jarring sound pierced the air. A band, uninvited and unexpected, burst into the room, blowing trumpets and banging drums. The noise was deafening, and I covered my ears in shock. 

I saw Grandma's face turn red with rage as she stormed towards the band. "Who invited you here?" she demanded, her voice thundering above the din. "This is a sacred ceremony, not a carnival!" I saw Leo's eyes flash with anger as he strode towards the band, his fists clenched. "Get out of here!" he bellowed. 

"This is an abomination!" But the band refused to leave, continuing to play their loud, discordant music. I stood frozen, my eyes wide with horror. This was not how my wedding day was supposed to end. 

The priest, still standing at the altar, looked like he had been struck by lightning. "This is sacrilege!" he thundered. "Stop this noise at once!" But the band played on, their music growing louder and more frenzied by the minute.

It was like they were trying to destroy the very fabric of the ceremony. I watched in dismay as Grandma and Leo tried to physically remove the band, but they were too strong. They pushed and shoved, but the band refused to budge. The scene was one of utter chaos, the music and shouting and pushing creating a maelstrom of drama and confusion. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.

I was still in shock from the sudden interruption of the band when I saw Leo's face turn red with rage. He knew someone must have done something fishy, and he was determined to find out who. He immediately ran to the troublesome person who had been a rival to him in the community, a man named Marcus. Leo held Marcus's shirt, throwing punches and demanding to know if he had done this to distort our wedding.

"Did you do this?" Leo shouted, his fists clenched. "Did you do this to ruin our special day?"

I watched in horror as Leo randomly held people and threw punches, accusing them of being involved in the sabotage. His grandma was furious too, her face red with anger. The priest, still looking like he had been struck by lightning, was being led away by his servants, who were trying to cover him and take him out of the chaos.

"This wedding is an abomination!" the priest shouted, his voice echoing above the din. "It's sacrilege!"

I felt like I was in a nightmare, unable to wake up. This was not how my wedding day was supposed to end. Leo was doing all of this, not because he was angry, but because he wanted his grandma to believe that the wedding was real. He wanted her to know that he was committed to me, and that someone was trying to destroy what we had built.

But now, with the band still playing their loud music and the guests in chaos, it seemed like everything was falling apart. I saw Leo's grandma, her face twisted in anger and disappointment, and I knew that I had to do something. I had to make her see that this was not our fault, that someone was trying to sabotage our happiness.

I took a deep breath and walked towards her, my heart pounding in my chest. "Grandma, please," I said, my voice shaking. "You have to believe us. We didn't do this. Someone is trying to destroy our wedding.”

Grandma's face was set in a determined expression as she held Leo and me together. "This is the only way," she said, her voice firm. "We need to appease the priest, make him see that our marriage is real. And we need to find out who brought that band to our wedding."

I nodded, my mind racing. Who could have done such a thing? I turned to look at my family, but they were unmoved, their faces expressionless. I felt a surge of suspicion - could they have been involved?

I didn't want to accuse them, not yet. So I turned to my sister, Louisa, and dragged her into a room, locking the door behind us. "Tell me," I demanded, my voice low and fierce. "Did you bring the band to our wedding?"

Louisa's eyes flashed with anger, but I could see the guilt written all over her face. I slapped her, hard, and she retaliated, her nails digging into my skin. We were fighting, throwing punches and holding each other's hair, our voices raised in a fierce shout.

"You don't know who brought the band?" I screamed, my throat hoarse. "You're lying!"

Louisa's face was red with rage, her eyes blazing. "I didn't do it," she spat. "But even if I did, you deserve it. You think you're so perfect, don't you?"

I was furious, my anger boiling over. I pushed Louisa against the wall, my hands around her throat. "You're going to pay for this," I hissed.

But then our parents were banging on the door, shouting for us to open up. We stopped fighting, our chests heaving, our faces flushed. I knew I had to calm down, think this through. But I couldn't shake the feeling that my family was against me, that they were trying to destroy my marriage.

"You're lying!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the walls. "You're the one who sent the band to my wedding, aren't you?"

Louisa's face turned red with rage, and she launched herself at me, her fists flying. We crashed to the floor, rolling and punching, our hair tangled together.

"I didn't do it!" Louisa screamed, her nails digging into my skin. "But even if I did, you deserve it!"

I was furious, my anger boiling over. I pushed Louisa away and scrambled to my feet, my heart racing. "You're going to pay for this," I hissed.

Just then, the door burst open, and Leo and his grandma rushed in. "What's going on here?" Leo's grandma demanded, her voice shocked.

Louisa and I stood panting, our faces flushed, our clothes dishevelled. Our parents rushed in behind Leo and his grandma, looking embarrassed and worried.

"Lisa, Louisa, stop this!" our father shouted, trying to separate us. "This is madness!"

But we were beyond reason. We were fighting, shouting, our voices raised in a fierce argument.

Leo's grandma looked shocked, her eyes wide with dismay. "This is terrible," she said, shaking her head. "Such disunity in the family."

Leo's face was grim, his eyes flashing with anger. "This is not what I expected," he said, his voice low and menacing.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, our parents managed to separate us, holding us back as we struggled and shouted.

"Enough!" our father roared, his face red with anger. "This is enough!"

The room fell silent, the only sound was our heavy breathing. I glared at Louisa, my heart still racing with anger.

But then I saw Leo, his eyes fixed on me, his face grim. And I knew that I had to calm down, think this through. This wasn't just about me and Louisa anymore.