We Found Love

TWO

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Elegant, alluring, beautiful. Three words that has already described Lauren, but today, wearing her couture wedding dress and her dark as midnight hair tucked in perfect bun with a bit of loose curls on the side, those three words were magnified to an entirely new definition so much that Noah Webster and the Merriam brothers would be speechless.

Everything is perfect.

From her dress to her make up. From the flower arrangements to the food served in the reception. From color motifs of pristine white and pastel pink to the sound system that will echo throughout the venue. Everything is all set. Everyone is excited and joyful.

Except for Lauren.

She is heartbroken. She is devastated. She is not joyful or excited.

The messages she received from the night before revealed that the woman she fell in love with, the only person she only committed herself to in a romantic relationship, was nothing but a cheating bitch.

The messages from this Lani person were proofs of unfaithfulness, and this very same person was the one her fiancé cheated on with. Screenshots after screenshots of their explicit conversations, of their very suggestive exchange of words. A video of them laughing and cuddling together just like the way Lauren and Ashley did, a picture of them kissing just like the way Lauren and Ashley did.

It hurt. So bad.

So bad she couldn't cry. She was betrayed so painfully, all she can feel is anger. She can feel her chest cracking on each rib, it's broken shards poking her tender heart like a needle to a squishy toy.

Five years.

She spent five years investing her time, her energy. She spent five years showing her genuine affections, her endless generosity. She spent five years loving Ashley so blindly.

And five years led her to this moment.

The previous night was supposed to be a blast. A blissful farewell to singlehood. A blissful welcome to the married life. The previous night was supposed to end on a blissful drunken mess but it ended with excruciating heartbreak for her.

Finding out from the other woman that you're fiancé was, and still is, cheating on you, hurt so damn much. She was in so much emotional pain getting home along with her drunk wasted friends was a blur. They didn't even notice the abrupt change in her demeanor.

She didn't sleep, or even cried. She spent all night thinking what she did wrong, what she said wrong, what she didn't do or say, to make Ashley cheat on her. Why would she do that to her? Her affair with that Lani person only started ten months ago, and she can remember ten months ago they were happy, spending time dancing stupidly in their apartment making meals, feeding each other, kissing and fucking each other all weekend.

How could Ashley do this to her? How could she keep doing this to her?

The morning sun came up, reminding her what today was supposed to be, reminding her that reminiscing the past won't appease her aching heart. Reminding her that the person who was supposed to occupy the space next to her must be lying somewhere else, next to someone else. All the alcohol she consumed dissipated on its own from her system at the thought, and instead of feeling hope, she felt drained and empty.

Now, Lauren stared at herself on the mirror, her make up artist long gone and her mother and sister are just outside fussing around with the other guests. Lauren stared at herself on the mirror, devoid of any emotion. She saw a young woman wearing her best gown, her perfect make up, accentuating all of her best features, but the best feature in her face was lacking it's usual brilliance, it was as dark as a forest in the nightfall.