The so-called virtuous woman.
1059 Words
Emily's shoulders relaxed, and her breathing caught as she gazed at the eyes fixed on them.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed at Samantha, his lips parted to speak, but a loud beep interrupted him.
The screen flickered to life, showing the footage of Samantha's nightstand encounter. Everything was vividly displayed except the stranger's face.
Samantha's eyes widened in horror, her face pale, she couldn't move or breathe for a second.
Th guests gasped in shock, some whispering to each other, while others pulled out their phones and captured the moment including Samantha's reaction. “The so-called virtuous woman has been a w***e all along."
“She got no shame, she should have stopped her dirty acts right after the wedding date had been picked."
“Poor thing. How do u expect fatherless children to behave?"
Their words were razor-sharp, cutting into Samantha's heart, and she couldn't hold down her scream. “Enough! This devil set me up," She pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes.
“That video was uploaded online two hours ago, it's all over the internet.” The hall erupted into a chorus of murmurs and hate speech, with Gabriel's face twisted in disgust.
Samantha's heart raced, her breath coming in short gasps. She was drowning in humiliation, her legs like lead, refusing to move.
Samantha stumbled away, her teary gaze scanning the area. She had longed for her way out, but not in such a humiliating manner.
The stranger's blurred face in the footage confirmed Samantha's worst suspicion - Emily had planned the nightstand encounter, and she had deliberately hidden the stranger's identity.
Samantha fled the wedding hall, unable to bear the weight of her humiliation. She had intended to expose Emily and Gabriel's betrayal but got embarrassed instead.
Now, she wondered how her friends would react to the videos. Outside, she crept around the wedding hall, trying to peek through windows to gauge the reactions of the guests.
As she turned a corner, she heard a familiar voice behind the wedding hall and moved closer, her heart racing with curiosity.
“What going on?" She heard Emily say. “Don't tell me you still love Samantha!”
Peeking around the corner, she saw Gabriel,
“Ma'am you can't offer me just 500 dollars to get rid of that bride,” one of the men complained.
Gabriel's response sent a chill down Samantha's spine. “Will you calm down? I would inherit a share of Samantha's wealth when she dies and pay you double.” Gabriel added.
Of course, Samantha left all her properties to Gabriel in her will which Gabriel somewhat found out. Samantha trembled.
Samantha's heart shattered the words playing in her head like a cruel mantra. She moved back and made a fearful sound which alerted Gabriel and his men. “Who's there?” Emily asked.
She began to run in her wedding dress, the sound of her ragged breathing and the rustling of her dress the only accompaniment to her desperate escape.
She didn't know where she was headed, only that she needed to escape from death.
She collided with a wall and fell, her eyes welling up with tears. As she looked up to continue running, she saw her friend, Amanda rushing towards her.
“Cong..." Her voice trailed off as she saw Samantha's expression. Amanda paused her already planned statements, the bouquet slipped from her grasp, forgotten in concern.
She quickly helped Samantha up, “What happened? Where's your groom?" She asked, her voice laced with worry.
Samantha's lips quivered, and her mascara and makeup were ruined, exposing her eyebags.
At the residence of Amanda.
Amanda paced back and forth in her living room, “So all these happened just while I was away in New York for a few months?” She asked, trying to process the situation.
Before Amanda left for New York, she had seen Samantha's relationship was perfect and the sudden problems seemed to be a shock.
Samantha stared blankly at the floor.
“You should have at least told me about these riffrags earlier. We need to file a case against them,” Amanda said in an affirmative tone.
Amanda is Samantha's childhood friend, and they've always done everything together until Amanda travelled to New York to further her education.
Samantha's phone started ringing and the caller ID was also seen by Amanda. “So that b***h could call?" Amanda said in surprise. Eager to hear from Emily, she answered the call against Samantha's will.
“Can we meet, Samantha?” Emily's voice sounded innocent but Amanda knew it was a trick.
Samantha swiftly snatched the phone from Amanda, ended the call, and broke her SIM card out of fear. “Samantha, stop it," Amanda shouted, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
“T..the people I took in as family want me dead," Samantha whimpered, her body trembling.
In New York (Weeks later)
Amanda watched from behind as Samantha vomited in the closet for the fifth time. “Are you sure you are healthy, Samantha?”
Samantha washed her mouth, her eyes darted at Amanda. “I would have been fine if the oatmeal you prepared didn't disgust me, " she accused.
Amanda squinted her brows, remembering that Samantha had vomited in the mornings even when different foods had been prepared.
“We need to visit the hospital, ”' Amanda ordered. Samantha had always resisted hospital visits, the antiseptic smell reminded her of her Father's passing.
But for the first time, she accepted the suggestion, “Alright." Samantha was so eager to find the reason for her weakness.
Amanda grabbed her car keys and they both walked out. The check-up was so fast that they returned to the car in time.
The car ride from the hospital was silent. “So who's the Father?" Amanda broke the silence, her eyes flicking to Samantha's stomach.
Samantha's silence made her more nervous. “I hope it isn't Gabriel's,” she exclaimed, slamming on the brakes.
“It's MK,” Samantha said softly, her voice barely audible. She was so lost in thoughts, preoccupied with the consequences of her forgotten pill after a night with the stranger.
“The doctor said it's a twin,” Amanda gasped a hint of relief in her voice. “MK...His name even sounds luxurious,” Amanda continued, a smile plastered on her face.
- Writer
