Forever Changed

Chapter 5: Classy and Coveted

Mattia POV

As I watched Angelique handle the wedding guests with such poise I felt something shift in my chest. She was a sight to behold. She'd been hurt multiple times today. First by the whispers and snickering at the church, then by me and my awful comments about her mother's dress. Finally the veritable icing on the wedding cake was Bess and her inappropriate behaviour outside.

But to our wedding guests she was kind and gracious. Accepting compliments with a small blush, thanking guests, listening to stories from people and making everyone feel welcome. She was the epitome of a perfect hostess. Handling everyone so graciously, nobody would be able to guess this was her first time hosting a formal event with me, nobody we spoke to realised just how unhappy she was. She hid it so well.

I couldn't believe Bess had actually pulled that stunt to be honest. I realised now I shouldn't have agreed to the photo. It obviously gave both of them the wrong idea for different reasons. The fact she'd deliberately marked my jaw with lipstick when she always wore the kind that didn't leave a mark pissed me off. It made Angelique think more had happened outside than it had. Bess had acted like a spiteful bitch and we would be having words about her actions today.

While I did still hold some fondness for Bess, I mainly did it to avoid a bigger scene. She could be explosive when she didn't get her way and I didn't want her to cause a problem on Angelique's big day. She'd worked so hard to ensure everything was perfect for our wedding and a big part of me already felt protective of her.

If the situation was different and I'd offended Bess in front of an old girlfriend she would have exploded and caused such a scene that nobody at the wedding could miss it. Angelique on the other hand shared her displeasure with me in her quiet way and then continued to participate in our wedding reception with more grace in her pinky finger than Bess had in her entire body. The next group of well wishers made their way towards us and I felt her try to shift subtly away from me. Nobody else would notice but I was well aware she didn't want me in her personal space. If anything, it compelled me to stay close to her. To protect her in case anyone had in fact seen the fiasco outside and decided to say something unkind to her. It was my fault she had been upset by the appearance of my ex and from her comments about the women she encountered while changing her dress people felt they could disrespect her. Again that was my fault, I had given many people the impression I didn't want this marriage. They were following my lead. She did not deserve that.

As I listened to her speak with our guests I thought back on the night I'd told Bess we could no longer openly date. I recalled how upset she'd become. How she'd cried and screamed and reminded me that I'd given her a ring to signify her importance. I noticed she had been wearing it today. It was a large diamond and gold knot ring. She loved to tell everyone that I chose it because it symbolised how we were tied together, that it was a placeholder until she wore my wedding ring. Little did she know I'd had my assistant purchase the ring after she'd nagged me repeatedly for some token of affection. My only instructions were to make sure it did not look anything like an engagement ring.

I think until that night when I told her things had changed she'd expected that I would call off the engagement, that we would marry. That was my fault. I'd gotten more involved with her than I should have. She had convinced herself we were a real couple, with a future together. That was the problem with your betrothed being six years your junior and our society's rules of purity for their brides.

Thinking back I'd never meant to make Bess my regular girl, she wasn't anyone special to me. I never thought to myself it has to be her. It basically boiled down to the fact she was a truly great fuck and after we'd been together a handful of times she became territorial and made it clear to other women in our circle that I was hers. Going so far as to cause problems for them if she saw me out to dinner with anyone else. These women didn't want the kind of drama she caused and I was lazy. Just wanting to get off without any real effort.