Be My Bride

chapter 29

The air in the room weighed heavy, thick with tension that settled the instant Jennifer stepped through into the house.

She sucked the warmth from the room with her presence, and I felt my pulse quicken.

"You never saw me, did you, Samuel?" Jennifer's voice was quiet, almost too soft for the words she spoke. Yet in that softness, it held an edge, razor-sharp, that sent a shiver down my spine. Her words were loaded with years of pent-up emotion that now brimmed into the open with an intensity that was threatening to become dangerous.

Samuel didn't move; he said nothing. His face was set, a mask of control that barely concealed the turmoil roiling beneath the surface.

"I have loved you for so long," she went on, her voice cracking with a hint of that hidden vulnerability. "I was always there, hopeful and waiting. But you never even looked in my direction." Tears remained unshed, sparkling in her eyes, and for one moment, I saw the woman behind the anger, the woman who had silently loved, who yearned for something she would never possess. For an unrequited love

My heart seemed to contract in my chest.

"Am I not good enough?" Jennifer's voice was raised, laced with a desperate edge that twisted my stomach. "Why her, Samuel? Why not me? What does she have that I don't?" The question just hung in the air, heavy and unanswerable. Her eyes radiated anguish.

Samuel took a cautious step forward, his hands hiked in a placating gesture. "Jennifer, this isn't the way-"

But his words were cut off abruptly when Jennifer reached into her coat and pulled out a gun. My breath caught in my throat as she pointed it directly at me, her hand firm, steady, her eyes cold and unyielding. My mind shrieked that I should turn and run, cower in some corner, but my body refused to obey. I was frozen in fear!

"If I can't have you, Samuel," Jennifer hissed, her voice shaky, "Then nobody will." Her finger hesitated upon the trigger, and I felt anxious , with the agonizing suspense of what would happen next.

"Jennifer, please!" Mandy pleaded. She stepped forward, her hands outstretched in a gesture of peace, her face a picture of maternal concern. "Put the gun down, dear. We can talk about this. You don't have to do this."

Jennifer's eyes flickered with something-doubt, perhaps, or regret. For an instant, I thought she might lower the gun. But in just that quick a moment, her resolve hardened again, and she shook her head, tightening her grip on the weapon.

"Stay out of this!" Jennifer snapped her voice venomous. "You don't understand! You never will!" Her glance darted back to Samuel, and the pain in her expression was real. "You never gave me a chance, Samuel. You never even noticed me!"

Samuel took another cautious step forward. His voice was placating, soft, but I could hear the strain beneath it. "Jennifer, listen to my mother. You don't want to do this. There's still a way out-"

But before he could finish, there was a blur of movement; a sudden blur behind Jennifer. My breath caught as I realized what was happening. Matilda, who had entered into the house unnoticed, now stood right behind Jennifer, her gaze fixed upon the back of Jennifer's head. She held a heavy vase in her hands, her knuckles white with the force of her grip.

Time seemed to stand still as Matilda raised the vase high over her head, with a mask of determination etched upon her face. And with all the strength she could muster, she brought it crashing down on Jennifer's head.

It was a sharp sound of impact, almost deafening in the quiet that followed. Her eyes went wide at the finality of it all, her hand releasing its grip on the gun as Jennifer crumpled to the floor. The gun clattered on the ground, spinning out from her reach.

There was a collective sigh of relief that escaped into the room, tension releasing from everyone's shoulders. Samuel sprang forward, kicking the gun far away from Jennifer's fallen form.

" Mom take Kyle." Mandy carried Kyle .

He grabbed Jennifer's hands and yelled, " Get me a rope Gerta" Gerta hurriedly rushed into the kitchen to grab a rope which Samuel used to bind Jennifer's hands.

Samuel knelt beside me, his hands shaking as he reached out to pull me into his arms.

I clung to him, my face pressed into his chest as the reality of what had just occurred settled in. My body shook with aftershocks of fear, but I was safe..

Matilda stood over Jennifer's unconscious body, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Tears were streaming down her face

"I'm sorry Kim, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have agreed to help Jennifer, I..I didn't know what she was planning on doing, I'm so sorry" Matilda said, her voice shaking with the slight tremor in her hands.

I nodded . I was too shaken up to speak.

It was not long before the police arrived. They worked in a timely manner. Jennifer was handcuffed, behind her back, as she stirred. She opened her eyes groggily, out of focus, and then blinked as they escorted her from the room.

As they took Jennifer away, her eyes met mine. The anger and the hurt that had driven her weren't in them any longer. All she revealed was a kind of hollow look, as though the fight had finally gone out of her. The woman who had terrorized us was replaced by someone who looked lost and broken.

Samuel's grip on me tightened as his arms wrapped protectively around my shoulders. There was tension laced in his muscles that spoke of adrenaline still pumping through his veins. We just stood there for a moment, the sounds of police moving about the house a distant background to the bubble we found ourselves enclosed in.

"Thanks," I whispered, my voice muffled against his chest. "Thanks for being here,for saving me."
He kissed the top of my head, lips lingering in my hair. "I'm just glad you're okay," he whispered with emotion coating his tone. "I don't know what I would have done if...

He didn't finish the sentence, but then again, he didn't have to. I knew exactly what was running through his mind because it was running through mine. What if Matilda hadn't acted when she did? What if Jennifer had pulled the trigger? The questions lay there unsaid but hung in the air, heavy with what could have been.

After series of questioning, the police car disappeared into the distance with flashing lights, taking Jennifer with them. It was over. The nightmare finally was over, and we all had survived. But I knew that the scars of this night would linger, etched into our memories-a reminder of just how close we came to losing it all.

Samuel and I stood together, holding on to each other as if we might lose our balance if we let go. We were safe now, finally. The road to healing would be long but, I knew we would face it together, no matter how hard it may be.

For now, though, I just wanted to feel the warmth of his arms, gain comfort In the steady beat of his heart and remember that we were still here, standing.

Alive.