What HE took from ME

Chapter 10-wedding

Days later

"I am not feeling well. Can we push the wedding?"I asked Tim, who in turn looked at me cryptically. No matter how cute he tried to look, all I kept seeing every time I looked his way was a grandpa. Sure, he washed up ten times a day and exercised like a mad man, but he still did not wash the ages away. God, I was marrying a sick sugar daddy.

After being quiet for a while, Tim sat on the edge of my small bed," No, we cannot push the wedding again." He stated with resolve.

"It has been two weeks, remember? You wanted someone to love you, and I am ready to give you that. The ceremony will be brief because we are only going to sign the necessary things. Or, I can ask the judge to come to your room, but it has to be today." While he was talking, I fixed my eyes on him, wondering what kind of thing ticked in his brain whenever he was crazy like that. I wanted to ask him why he wanted my signature that badly, but I knew he would not answer me. I had tried a couple of times but failed to get anything from him.

" At least let my friends come. " I begged.

"No!" he curtly turned me down." You had a big fight with those poor people, and you ended things. Do you not remember? And to be honest, your friends will never belong to this class. They will only feel out of place, and then they will be tempted to steal something."

"That is not true."I object, offended.

"Hey, Is this about your feelings for that Andrew? " He asked accusingly.

"Who is Andrew? "I was tired of unanswered questions.

"Never mind. But I can not risk them stealing from me. The cheapest thing here costs more than all your friends combined. If I sell their organs in a black market, of course." He said indifferently, then got up.

He got out of the room, but when I was about to breathe, he marched back." Shower, someone is coming with your wedding attire." The tone made it clear that he wanted me clean post-haste. With tears hanging loosely in my eyes, I hopped into the shower, feeling like a lamb about to get slaughtered.

I stripped out of my pajamas, then turned on the waters. I had gotten used to preserving water given where were lived. It bothered me how that pig would send a maid to start the shower for him and get into it two hours later. He was an obnoxious animal who would one day make the city face a water shortage.

After wetting myself, I turned off the tap and lathered my body. I swear I looked different. I felt different, too. Having taken a shower every day for a full fourteen days made my skin begin to blossom.

Every once often, I wished that Edgar was there with me. He deserved that kind of life. He was a good person who could not misuse water or abuse his workers. At the thought of the love of my life, a bitter smile formed on my lips. I had not stopped thinking about him, not even once. I remembered when Tim had yelled in my face that he saved me from dying poor, and I did not care. I kept falling for him every day.

"Andrea!" I gasped, startled. "Get out of the shower." The voice was his, but that creepy name did not match anybody I knew. Assuming he was on the phone or something, I continued enjoying the warm water and the expensive shampoo.

I had not even rinsed off when I heard the door banging. Tim clicked his tongue before scolding me," I said, get out of the shower, "he growled impatiently. I rolled my eyes before turning it off. I grabbed a towel and hurriedly wrapped it around my body. I stepped out of the shower cursing him out loudly and wondering why he had been calling weird names in the house all the time. Who the hell was Winnie, Andrea, or Andrew?

Once I was safe, I hurried into the bedroom only to find Tim fuming." What were you still doing in there? I asked you to get out like five hours ago," He growled.

"You said, Andrea. I thought you were on the phone with someone." I said truthfully. He rolled his eyes as if I was supposed to know the owner of that name. He then walked to the dressing table.

"Hurry up." He pointed at the table before stepping away to answer his phone. I saw undergarments on one side, and a white dress, and a pair of heels on another side. I put on the underwear and bra then stepped back, waiting for someone to walk in with my attire: a pair of jeans and boots possibly. Tim finished his call and turned, expecting me to do a curtsy bow in my dress. Sorry, grandpa.

Our eyes met, and he was scary, so I turned away. Consequently, Tim got so angry that he grabbed one shoe and threw it at me. I ducked in time, and it ended up on the wall." What are you still doing in that towel? " He asked like he did not try to break my head open.

I went down and picked up the shoe, "Please, do not make me wear this."I begged, looking at the shoe he had thrown at me. It looked deadly. "I do not know how to walk in them," I added.

He took two strides and stopped in front of me. His right hand reached for my chin, forcing me to look up," Listen to me carefully, you filthy garbage. I want you to stop being you, for a minute, and try to look like a woman I could marry. I am not going to take you looking like a raccoon. Now put the damn shoes on before I lose my patience with you! "I quickly took a seat on the bed and forced the white shoes on my legs. They were like two sizes smaller than my size, and it hurt. I could not do it, so he grabbed the shoes and pushed until my toes snapped." Problem solved. Now get up and put the dress on."

"Ow!" I fell back on the bed. My feet were dying a slow death. I wished I could ask him to let me wear them while seated. He huffed and walked to the table and pulled the horrible dress, and forced it over my head. As expected, the gown was also not my size. Not that I had ever put on a dress, but the space it left would have accommodated another me.

"Let us go. Thanks to your slowness, we are late for our wedding, "Tim seethed before grabbing my arm. Without sparing me a glance, he took very long strides out the door. I cried, swallowing the painful tears. But he did not care.

We got to his unnecessarily large office to find the judge happily conversing with a woman like there was no hurry. I scowled at him and an evil smirk formed on his lips.

"The other witness is about to arrive." he did not even get to draw in his breath when Margaret threw the door, almost separating it from the inches. She stepped in and posed with both hands on her waist. After she was sure that everyone was gawking, she cut-walked in. Her dress was whiter than mine, even though they were the same kind as mine. Even her shoes looked like mine.

She made eye contact with Tim before a smug appeared on her lips. Tim was smiling too, "And she is here." He announced. He wanted to taunt me, but I did not know why.

The day we met, I told him everything about Magret. The way she mistreated us, and he invited her to my wedding? Which part of every horrible thing I told him about her made him want her near me? Did he want to see me fight? My teeth ground against each other, but before I could turn, I felt a tight grip on my arm, "Do not embarrass me in front of my guests." He whispered. The statement had an underlying threat, and I could not risk getting killed. So, I settled down.

"Hello Andrea, it has been long since I saw you." the other woman who had been conversing with the fat judge smiled. Alas! She was the same woman that told me Goldstine had pulled out from funding Edgar and me even though we were the best students.

I could not understand what was going on. Why were the only ones who wanted to hurt me invited? And who was that Andrea everyone kept calling?