Life after Death: The Afterlife of Hezekiah Chamblee

Chapter Forty: The Chamblee Wedding Scandal, Pt. Two

St. Angus Catholic Church...

"When you least expect it, expect it."

It's an old maxim that's used tirelessly throughout centuries when it comes to unexpected moments, but it remains the truth nonetheless.

And for the people in Boston who were slated to attend the Chamblee-Coleman wedding, it was a late-summer Saturday afternoon when the maxim would indeed come into play.

Everything started smoothly for the first part of the ceremony: the wedding procession featuring the flower-girls and ring bearer (the grandchildren of one of Adelle's closest friends), the bridesmaids and groomsmen (the various maids and servants alongside Cameron who escorted one of the young maids, Leigh-Anne and Alex), and the matron-of-honor and the senior best man (Jeffrey and Adelle themselves).

Then came the arrival of the bride herself as Mariah wore a stunning Marchesa gown as she walked solo across the aisle while Andrew waited for her dressed in his Zegna tuxedo.

Then it was time for the preliminary wedding rituals: the singing of the Catholic approved hymns followed by a speech from the bishop who acted as the officiant of the ceremony. One of Mariah's friends stood up to sing a solo, one of the songs that brought Mariah and Andrew together when they were dating. Leigh-Anne's closest friend arrived to do a spoken word accompanied by an interpretive dance.

And then, the exchanging of vows. "Marriage is a sacred covenant, one that is not to be entered lightly," the priest began as he faced the couple. "By exchanging your vows in front of everyone and in the sight of God, you agree to bind yourselves to each other and to His commands. If for any reason why either of you do not feel that the time is now to enter into this commitment, you may now confess it."

Aside from a cough, silence remained.

The priest turned to Mariah, she looking as beautiful as any typical blushing bride would. "Do you, Mariah Veronica Chamblee, take Andrew Nicholas Coleman as your lawfully-wedded husband- to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?" he asked.

"I do," Mariah replied, her voice loud and strong.

"Do you, Andrew Nicholas Coleman, take Mariah Veronica Chamblee as you lawfully-wedded wife- to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Andrew intoned, his voice clear.

The priest turned to the witnesses and the crowd of guests. "If there is any reason why these two should not be entered into this holy wedlock, let the person speak now or forever hold your peace," he said.

And then... "I do."

The crowd gasped as Cameron stepped forward, eyes lit in hatred and aimed at his family.

"Cameron, what are you doing?!" Adelle hissed at her son, shooting him a glare.

"WE DO!"

Everyone gasped in shock as the doors opened wide to see various officers from the Boston Metro Police Department storm inside with Minnie Jean Simmons, Andrew's parents, and Captain Antonio Slater leading the charge.

"Blanche, Matthew! What is the meaning of this?!" Jeffrey bellowed, outraged of what was taking place. "This is not the time or the place."

"But it is, Dad," Cameron shot back. He then turned to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, there will be no wedding today on the grounds that my family has conducted a heinous crime back in May of this year."

"What?!" Mariah yelled. "Cameron, you're finally losing it!"

"Stuff it, sis!"

"Captain Slater, please do something," Adelle said smoothly. "My son clearly is still distraught."

"He's not distraught, Mrs. Chamblee," the chief of police said, smirking. "He's speaking the truth. You see, I have been looking into the death of your late son Hezekiah Oshea Chamblee back in May, and one of your workers has been working undercover in the days before and after his death. And after gathering enough evidence, it is clear that you and your husband have been hiding a big secret."

"Enough of this!" Jeffrey boomed, rage rising to new levels as he stormed to the chief of police before being restrained.

Cameron turned his attention back to the crowd. "My brother was indeed the son of a rapist, but he was also seeing my mother Adelle Chamblee beforehand," he intoned. "The man was desperately in love with my mother when she and Dad separated, but she didn't love him back. So he raped her before Dad killed him. And it happened on the same day that Hezekiah died."

"Mom, is this true?" Mariah asked her mother.

Adelle looked unperturbed. "Yes," she said. "It's all true. I was seeing the man who was the former chauffer back then. And it made me sick on how I stayed with a lovelorn and sadistic bastard. That's why your father, Leigh-Anne, Alex, and I all agreed to have Hezekiah killed on the day he graduated from high school. If your grandfather hadn't dictated that we keep him alive, we would've gladly had him aborted."

She turned to Cameron, who glared at her with contempt and pity. "I hope your happy, young man."

"Not as happy as I'll be when I see you all being sent to jail," the teenager said. "And as of today, I am no longer a Chamblee as I'm taking your maiden name as my last name: Cameron Nathan Warner!"

"That won't be necessary," his father growled as he snapped his fingers, Leigh-Anne pulling out a gun. "You're just like Hezekiah, boy, a flaw in the Chamblee Diamond Standard. But don't worry. You'll reunite with him soon enough."

"You wouldn't dare!" Minnie Jean Simmons yelled furiously.

BANG!

On August 11th, 2019, Cameron Nathaniel Chamblee was abruptly gunned down with a single gunshot to the chest much to the shock of the wedding guests, Mariah, and Andrew while the rest of the Chamblee family were arrested. But as they say, gentle readers, everything is not what they appear to be. Turn to the next chapter, dear reader, and you'll see what I mean.

Ooh! I hope y'all are ready for the final ten chapters, folks, because they're going to be when everything is set right on Earth and when all would be revealed! It all starts with a trip to the Palace of Dreams in Heaven where another wedding will take place! You will not want to miss it, folks! Don't go anywhere!

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