Lethal Lust

34 | always a cheater

"How could they? How could anyone do something like this? Kylie and Elijah...how could they do this to me?" Jess had planted herself down on her mothers' glassed tiled floor, her arms cradling her knees as she rocked back and forth repeating the two names.

She'd dreamed of nothing but elegance on her wedding day, yet there was nothing elegant about the picture she was creating. What with her blotchy mottled skin, puffed-up eyes that one would usually get from nights of insomnia. She was the very picture of devastation, and the worst thing was that as she recalled the events since Kylie's arrival, she realised she'd missed every single sign. Maybe, that was what devastated her the most. How could someone be so naïve to multiple red flags?

"This must be a joke...she's pranking me, isn't she? Mum, Kylie's pranking me because it's my wedding day and that's her idea of a joke, isn't it, Mum?" Jess stared up at her mother, a small giggle escaping from her lips as she finished her sentence.

Pattie was stunned into silence. She had little idea of how to react now that things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of mere seconds. She'd planned it all, she'd just wanted to protect her little girl, and she'd succeeded for years, never allowing any misery to meet her and Kylie had come along and single-handedly ruined it all.

"Jess, I...really don't think this is a joke." Cody was kneeled down beside his older sister, a glass of water in hand, offering her sips periodically to calm her. "I can't believe all this time...they were...I can barely get my head around it."

Jess sobbed at her brothers' words. Was she destined for a life of unhappiness? Had seven years of love really been destroyed by a few months of lust? Or worse, had there been more between Kylie and Elijah than just mere lust? The questions flooded through her mind, and coupled with her hysterical crying, she could feel a migraine coming on.

"I'm supposed to be getting married half an hour." Jess laughed.

"Mum, you should probably call the Church and let them know what's happened...before it's too late." Cody continued rubbing his sisters' back whilst their mother remained stood, motionless and silent.

"What? No...what are you saying, Cody? Jess is getting married today. She's marrying Elijah, have you forgotten that?" Pattie explained slowly, a smile gradually appearing on her face as though she'd not truly acknowledged the events that occurred only moments before.

"What?" Jess replied, tears still streaming down her face.

"Mum...listen to me. You need to call the venue and let them know. Jess isn't going to marry Elijah anymore. He's been cheating on her."

"No. Jess, my darling, you're hurting right now so you're not thinking straight, but you're still going to marry him, aren't you? You can't let Kylie ruin this for you, this is your big day and you can't let that bitch steal that from you. You can't Jess, okay? You can't!" Pattie yelled, leaning down to shake Jess's shoulders with each word she spoke.

"Mum, I can't marry him...not now." Jess wept, pulling herself away from her mothers' harsh grasp.

"Listen to me Jess, okay? Sometimes, men make mistakes. Mistakes that hurt us, the women that they love. But it's not...it's not really their fault, they can't help it. It's her fault. She tempts him, she makes him think that the grass really is greener on the other side, but he doesn't really think that. And when we find out, we get angry, we shout at them, we tell them were hurt. But we learn to forgive them because they love us. He just can't help the temptation." Pattie elucidated; as though her words were common sense to anybody.

Jess stared up at her mother, her mouth dropped open in consternation at her mothers' ludicrous words, "Mum, what are you even saying? Are you hearing yourself, right now?"