Chapter 5: 05: HELP HER

RAVEN.

“I’m going to the restroom,” I told my parents. “I’ll be right back.”

Walking across the room to find the sign that said “restroom,” I kept thinking about where Kaden might have gone off to.

He seemed to be in a hurry. Was he going to meet the woman from before again? Bella?

I wasn’t jealous or angry, but I was feeling something that I couldn’t quite place.

As soon as I was in the empty restroom, I crouched slightly to the sink and turned on the faucet to wash my hands.

I didn’t need to pee. I just needed some space. My semblance of privacy was cut short when the door was pried open and someone walked in.

“I knew I’d find you here. Hiding.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I turned to her. She was intimidatingly beautiful.

“You.”

“Did you get yourself pregnant for Kaden and force him to marry you? Is that how you did it?”

“Why do you care?”

“You are not going to last. I’ll tell you that for free.”

I scoffed. “But you should've been the one to marry him?”

“Kaden loves my company,” she said with a sly smile.

“You should find someone else’s company, seeing as he’s married now.”

A mocking laughter reverberated in her chest. “You may be married to Kaden, but trust me, Kaden is not married to you. He’ll never be yours.”

She sized me from my head down, and I had no choice but to do the same. I was taller than her by a fraction, but her confidence put her way up there.

Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her lips were stained in red to match it. Her heavy makeup only made her look more beautiful.

She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder and cat-walked out of the restroom.

The way she looked at me made me hate myself and her words only made my uncertainty double.

As I got back to the hall, Bella was nowhere to be found and Kaden had returned from where he had been.

He closed the gap between us, took my hand without a word, and led me to the center of the dance floor.

At least, I knew he wasn’t with Bella. Or did I?

“This is different than I imagined it would go.”

“What?” he asked coolly.

“My wedding.”

The music started and Kaden’s hand found my waist. My skin started to heat up… but in a good way.

We started to sway to the music in silence.

“If you had plans for a wedding, then why did you agree to this one?”

I tipped my head to look him in the eyes. He was extremely handsome.

“My parents needed help. They asked, and I agreed. There’s not much of an explanation to do.”

He sighed.

The dance floor was beginning to fill with other people after the first song ended.

“Do you mind if I cut in,” my dad said from behind me.

Without a word, Kaden took a step back and left.

“Hi, Dad,”

“Raven, thank you for doing this for us. Your mom and I are very grateful.”

“It’s fine, dad. I’ll be fine.”

“Promise me that you will try your best. You will show him and every other person the type of woman we raised you to be. Kind and compassionate.”

My vision started to blur with a film of tears. “I promise, Dad,” I said in a whisper.

“Thank you, baby,” he said with more emotion than I expected.

He planted a kiss on my forehead before he left.

I turned in the opposite direction to find the bar and ordered a drink as I sat down.

“Welcome to the family.” I didn’t realize Kaden’s grandfather was the one on the stool beside me.

“Mr Hawksworth,”

“Call me Miller,” he said with a wave of his hand.

I nodded. “I don't think we've properly met,” I said.

“We have.”

“Oh,” I said. I somehow found the will to ask him what had been bothering me. “Why me?”

“That doesn't matter, love. What matters is that you're here now, and it will all go as expected.”

He downed his drink and left me even more confused than I had been.

After a toast, cake, and more pictures, Kaden’s car pulled up in front of the building to take us on the honeymoon, as he said.

Still keeping up appearances, Kaden waited until I had slipped into the car before he slid in from the other side.

Kaden’s cologne filling up the space made it seem like a lifetime ago when I had my freedom.

I sighed heavily as I reached for my purse and fished out my phone.

There was only one unopened message from an unknown number. I opened it with furrowed brows and after reading the content, my stomach squeezed.

“No way,” I muttered.

I flung the door open and raced back into the hall. The place was almost empty and my dad was the first person I saw.

“Hey. Raven, what’s happening?”

“Where’s mom?!”

“She’s somewhere around here. Talk to me. What’s happening?”

“What’s going on here?” I turned to see Kaden who I didn’t realize came after me.

“Raven,” my mom called with wide eyes. “What is it?”

I lifted my phone in front of me for her to see. “Why on earth did you stop your chemo?”

She stilled for a second to process what she heard.

“Tell me you did not quit chemotherapy, Mom!”

“Raven, this is not the place or time,” Dad responded.

That’s why she looked pale and tired hours ago. Now, she looked paler. White, even.

Her breathing instantly became shallow and she swayed like she was dizzy. Before my dad or I could catch her, she fell to the ground with a thud.

“Mom!”

My thoughts scattered as I watched my mom's eyes roll to the back of her head and my dad and Kaden rushed forward to her.

“Help her!” I screamed and realized that I was already crying hysterically.

Was I going to lose my mother just like that?