Chapter 36: The bride
Flashback.
Luna walked back into the hall, she ran her hand gently over her expensive dress again, but this time, the rich material was far from her mind.
She was not meant to be here, that fact was starting to sink in. No matter the fact that she had to be here, she wasn’t meant to be here. She wasn’t meant to be here at all.
She had just met him, she thought to herself. Just now, on the balcony, she had met him, Justin Lake. Her husband-to-be. And he had looked at her like she was the very thing he hated in the entire world.
Luna ran a hand up and down her arm as a chill ran up her spine. Her eyes scanned the hall, Jake was the only person she knew, at least facially. Her eyes landed on Justin, he was talking with a woman. Moira Lake, Luna recognized her.
And they were not talking, Luna observed as she watched them, they were arguing. Discreetly, but furiously. And even before Moira looked up and glanced over at her, Luna knew it was her they were arguing about.
Justin looked up too, his eyes met hers, and she was certain they were talking about her. His eyes narrowed, and even with the far distance between them in the hall, Luna could see the storm clearly brewing in his eyes. He was angry, Luna was as sure of that as she was of her own name. Luna’s heart knocked against her ribs.
He turned away, he said something brief to his mother and stalked away. Luna watched him go, she glanced at his mother. Moira’s icy blue eyes glared at her from across the room, before she finally turned and walked away herself.
The party went on around her, idle conversations, music, laughter, and clinking of glasses. Standing in the midst of the crowded room, Luna realized she had never felt more alone in her entire life than she did now.
A giant feeling of sadness settled in her heart, she walked through the throng of guests, feeling cold from deep within her.
“Poor girl,” somebody whispered beside her.
Luna glanced at the woman who had spoken, but she just continued talking to her companions, not even seeing her.
“She doesn’t know what she’s gotten into,” the woman continued. “I heard she’s the daughter of a famous painter though.”
“No,” whispered another one, “I heard she’s a farmer’s daughter. She’s just looking for a rich family to sink her claws into, but she doesn’t know that this family’s is the devil’s unit itself.”
“Maybe she really loves him,” another one said, “We can’t say, this one may genuinely truly love that boy.”
“I doubt it,” the one who started the whole conversation countered, “People like Justin Lake don’t get to have true love stories, even he knows that. That’s why he’s so cruel.”
“Why would he be cruel because of that?” the woman who had suggested true love countered. “I think that would make him even more open to the idea.”
“Really?” the first woman countered again. “When you know that true love is probably not in the cards for you, and most of the women who claim to love you just want your money, that would make you more receptive to the idea of romance? That’s backward, Eileen.”
“But-” Eileen started.
“It doesn’t matter,” the second woman interrupted. “Don’t you see? It doesn’t matter if Justin is open to the idea of love or not, it’s clear that he’s not open to the idea of her. It’s clear to us, it’s clear to his family, it’s clear to the poor girl herself.”
“That’s true,” Eileen agreed, “he doesn’t even bother to hide it. I feel for her.”
“It’s a shame,” the second woman said, “All these young girls don’t know what they’re getting themselves into until it’s too late. They think the rich and influential life is all about the shiny things they see on the surface, but they don’t know about the sacrifices and tears that are shed in private.”
“Right,” the first woman agreed, “until it’s too late,” she echoed.
“There’s just something about this one though,” Eileen said, her voice filled with sadness. “She doesn’t strike me as a gold digger.”
“They never strike as gold diggers, that’s the point. It’s all part of their act.”
At that point, Luna wasn’t even sure who was talking anymore, she could barely hear her own heartbeats over the loud roar in her head.
What had she gotten herself into? Why were these women, these strangers, talking about her as if they knew her?
Not one of them had gotten her right, not a single one. She wasn’t a gold digger, she wasn’t a farmer’s daughter, she wasn’t a painter’s daughter, and she wasn’t in love with Justin.
Why were these people making assumptions about her? Coming to conclusions without even having any valid story to back it up.
And then she looked around the hall, she saw men and women dressed in fancy attires and glittering jewelry. They didn’t appear to be in a hurry, and Luna realized that was because they weren’t. They were content to stay in the party all night, chatting idly and drinking wine. They didn’t have any real-life problems, they didn’t have a mortgage to worry about because they sure didn’t have money problems.
As Luna looked around, she realized none of them would ever send their daughters off to marry a stranger to offset the debts they owed to the stranger’s company and family. No, none of them would ever.
The loneliness she had felt just a few minutes ago didn’t compare to the one she felt now at that realization.
She didn’t belong here, Luna thought to herself with clarity, she didn’t belong here at all.
“I just hope she knows what she’s doing,” the first woman continued. “Because if not, by the time Moira is done with her, well, God help her.”
“She would be lucky to leave with her heart intact,” the second woman added. “Hell, she would be lucky to leave with her soul.”
“I really wish the best for her,” Eileen added. “I really do.”