Bright lights, lavender decorations across the room looked like something out of a fairytale. But there was a nightmare going on inside it.
"So you are just going to walk out?'' Veronica asked, her voice shaking as she suppressed her frustration. Yes, frustration was the only thing she was allowed to feel in her prison-like home. God forbid she gets or shows her anger. All hell would break loose, and her mother would drag her to their Holy Leader, where any emotion inside her would get beaten out of her.
However, she felt her anger right now was justifiable, "Why are you doing this, Rick?'' Her Fiancé, Rick, looked at her with what she would call the least guilty look on anyone's face. He tousled with his fine blond hair and said with certainty.
''I cannot go through this marriage when I have someone else that I love'' Rick sighed, "It is unfair for both of us, Ver"
"But you were the one who proposed to me!" By now, tears streamed down her face: "You asked me and I said yes, why would you even ask if you didn't love me?"
"I don't know," he said, infuriating her even more.
"You don't know?" Veronica shouted unable to control herself any longer. A person could take only so much, ''You didn't know that you didn't love me!? And you realize that on the day of our wedding'' Right now, both of them were inside thier bridal suite with their couple photos plastered along the walls. It sickened her to no end. She was wearing a bathing robe with half-styled hair and finished makeup on her face as she argued with her groom-to-be.
Rick, her long-time fiancé, suddenly barged into the room, still in his pajamas, while she was getting ready, and dropped a bomb, saying that he didn't want to marry her. The guests were arriving, and the venue she painstakingly chose was right out of this room, while the one who was supposed to walk in with her stood there, and he said that he didn't love her anymore. Maybe he never loved her in the first place, "How can you be so cruel, Rick''
That seemed to trigger him somehow. He glared at her as he gritted out,'' Stop gaslighting me. You should be thankful that I even considered marrying you in the first place''
Veronica was taken aback, "What?'' a quiet whisper left her hoarse throat. It seemed like she had no more tears left to cry.
Rick wore the expression he always had whenever he would start belittling her, "I mean, come on, I proposed to you in public with people present, no other guy will ever do that for you. Not trying to insult you but Ver…'' He took a couple of steps back and scanned her up and down like one would do to an object they were trying to buy, "A chick like you having a fiancé in the first place was a miracle. I really did you a favor in that regard''
She listened as a numb feeling started to crawl into her, "A favor?" he was saying that like she was some kind of beggar that he happend to pass by the road. Ver already knew the kind of person he was throughout their dating period, but that never prepared her for the present moment. He was an arrogant narcissist, but he was all she ever had in her life. She decided to trust him even though they started seeing each other because of a prank organized by his friends. Their friend group was notorious for challenging guys 'Dare' to ask out an unattractive girl. Curvier than other girls in her group and with a shy personality, she fit their perfect description of unworthy. To be made a joke of.
Unlike her, Rick was one of the most popular guys in her college. Blonde hair and a perfect build with a charming face, he was a hit within their circle. For the longest time, even Veronica herself felt like she was dreaming while in a relationship with him. His snide remarks or neglectful nature didn't bother for he was hers. In her fucked up life with nut-job parents and a cruel younger sister, Rick was her salvation. He was her escape route from her suffocating life.
"We can work through this, Rick'' Ver decided, "I will do anything you want, but please don't break our marriage'' Her desperation seemed to reach him, making him frown.
''Oh my god, I knew you were pathetic but this is too much Ver'' He scoffed looking at her with disgust-filled eyes, "Even for you''
Ver flinched at his tone. She wanted to shout at him for being a jerk and run away but she couldn't. This was her last chance, "Rick...''
''Vero?" Her words came to a halt when she heard a voice calling for her. Kate, her mother was here. She must have heard about Rick coming into the bridal suite from her friends. Her orthodox mother wouldn't approve of this; it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. "Vero, open the door'' her mother said as she knocked on the door.
Ver curled her nails into her palm digging her skin, she hoped pain would distract her from her current reality.
"I'm going'' Her head snapped up as she heard Rick saying while he casually started walking towards the door.
"Rick, stop," She urgently held his arms, stopping him, "Don't do this. Please''
"Get off of me'' Rick shook her off like she was unwanted, "Geez, you are like a fucking leech. Grow some backbone and accept the truth'' He fully turned to her and said loudly enough for the one outside the room to hear, "Guys like me don't like chicks like you. Maybe if you had been more like Gaby, I would consider you''
Gaby, Gabrielle was her sister. The famous and beautiful sister that everyone in their circle liked, the sister that her parents adored. Ver had been getting compared to the former for all her life, but hearing those same words from Rick broke something inside her. She let her hand slip around his arms as she watched him go to the door and unlock it.
He walked right past her mother while she stepped inside the room. Her mother's ever-judgmental eyes fell on her, pinning her in place. With a raised brow she finally asked, "What is happening, Veronica? Why did Rick leave like that?''
Veronica took a deep breath, there was no point in hiding it any longer, "He said he doesn't want to marry me''
Her mother frowned, "What did you do?''
That accusatory tone left Ver defeated, "I did nothing''
"You must have done something, Veronica'' Kate refused to believe her useless daughter, "A man doesn't just walk out of his wedding without a reason''
'"Well, he did just that,'' Ver snapped back, having heard enough, "He said he doesn't love me and left. I did nothing, I did nothing, I did nothing!''
''Veronica!'' Her mother shouted in a shrill voice, "You useless girl, how dare to speak to me like that'' Ver took a step back in fear as the former came rushing towards her. She didn't want to get disciplined by her mother. But instead of a slap, she felt her mother yanking her hair as she said, "Look at you, an ugly slug like you somehow managed to bag a guy like that and you let that opportunity go?''
"He said he doesn't love me. How could I have stopped him from leaving? He said he loves someone else", Ver meekly said, already losing every bit of courage she managed to gather.
"Another woman? Who is it?"
"I have no clue"
"Well, you should have known stupid girl. You should have begged him leave her and chose you!'' Kate said like it was the most normal thing a mother should say to her child, "You should have groveled if necessary, said you will do everything to keep him. We women must sometimes lower ourselves for our husbands''
'He is not my husband' Ver wanted to retort but held back. Men didn't appreciate a woman who bowed down to them; they mocked and joked about such women. Just like Rick had done to her.
''What will I say to the guests?'' Kate said as she pushed her daughter away, "People from our church are here, your aunt Abelene is here, how will I ever raise my head in our circle again'' She pointed a finger at Ver, "You useless girl has brought nothing but shame for me all my life. Why can't you be more like your sister? From looks to brain, you are nothing like here''
There it was again. Comparing her to Gaby never ended in their household. And every time it happened, Ver silently took it enduring, but something today made her say, "I look like Dad" Her mother glared up at her as Ver continued, "Is it my fault that I look like him and not you? Tell me, Mom, is it my fault that I look like your ex and not your shiny new husband?''
Veronica and Gabreielle shared the same mother but different fathers. She knew that her mother hated her first husband, Ver's father, for not agreeing to join her religion. Her dad tried to fight for her custody but not that hard because it left her with her mother.