Chapter 1 Unexpected
Megan stepped out from the taxi, and there she was, standing right in front of her husband’s family mansion.
The sun was slowly setting behind her, casting a golden glow over the mansion. Her shoe clicked on the pavement as she stood still, staring at the house like it was a dream she hadn’t seen in five long years.
She had been boiling with anger when the taxi pulled over. Her chest had been rising fast, and her fingers were digging deep into her palms. How could they not show up? After everything she went through in prison, five whole years, locked up like a criminal, abandoned and alone, she thought the least they would do was be there for her release.
In her head, she had imagined the Bushman family standing outside the prison gate, smiling and waving, arms wide open, ready to take her home. But none of them came. She had stepped out, looking left and right, hoping maybe they were late, maybe stuck in traffic. But there was no one. Not even a single call or message. That made her feel like fire was burning in her chest. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout.
But now, her anger vanished, just like that.
Because what she saw in front of her was nothing short of shocking. From the look of things, she could tell that the Bushman family had thrown her a very luxurious welcome party. The whole place looked like a grand event. Her eyes moved slowly around the compound.
There were expensive cars parked neatly along the wide driveway long black cars, shiny red ones, even a white. Soft lights hung from the trees. Fancy ribbons danced with the wind. The smell of grilled meat floated in the air. She could hear soft jazz music playing from inside the house. It all looked so rich, so clean, so full of life.
She looked at the guests walking inside the mansion men in black suits, women in long shiny gowns, some carrying gifts, some holding glasses of wine. Their voices mixed with laughter. They didn’t even look worried. They looked like they came for a celebration.
And Megan, standing right there with prison dust still on her shoes, couldn’t help but feel surprised. A slow smile formed on her face. Her eyes softened, and her shoulders relaxed. ‘They didn’t forget me. Maybe they had just planned something big, something beautiful, and didn’t want to ruin the surprise by showing up at the prison.”
At that moment, without wasting any more time, with a bright smile on her face, forgetting what happened today, she immediately walked closer to the mansion and opened the front door. Immediately she stepped inside, all head, turned back immediately to look at her.
At that moment, some of the guests stared at Megan with wide eyes, blinking as if they had just seen a ghost. A few even leaned toward each other and began whispering in hushed tones. Some didn’t recognize her at all, after all, five years behind bars had changed her. She wasn’t the same shining woman they once knew. Her body was slimmer, her skin a little pale, and her hair tucked back in a simple style. But the little number of people who did recognize her those ones froze on the spot, completely shocked.
Their mouths hung slightly open, and a few of them even stepped back slowly.
“Is that Megan?” someone whispered.
“She’s out already?”
“I thought she was supposed to rot in prison.”
“No one told me she’d be here…”
Their voices filled the room in soft confusion.
But Megan wasn’t smiling anymore. Her face dropped the second she saw what was in front of her, what was on the stage. Her chest began to rise fast. Her eyes blinked once, then twice. But the picture wasn’t changing. It was real.
Her husband, Vincent, stood on the stage in a sharp dark suit, holding hands with a young lady in a bright white gown. The girl’s face was glowing with joy, her makeup neat and perfect. There were lights flashing above them, cameras clicking in the corners, and on the wall behind them was a banner in gold letters that read:
“Congratulations to Vincent & Tasha – Forever Begins Today!”
At that moment Megan’s hands turned cold.
From where she stood, she could clearly see bridesmaids in matching dresses lined up beside the stage. Young men in suits stood proudly like groomsmen. Everyone was clapping and smiling everyone except her, and some guests that were focused on her.
It seems like the celebration she had walked into… wasn’t for her at all, It was a wedding, and it was her husband’s wedding.
“How… how is this even possible?” she whispered under her breath, her voice shaking.