Emily, Please Don't Go Away

Fourteen

 Today should have been the best day of my life. I was getting married to the man of my dreams. Everything was absolutely perfect. The venue was beautifully set up, and I never even had to lift a finger. Gerard made sure that everything was taken care of, down to the tiniest details.

Yet, as I stood before him, I felt trapped. My life as I knew it was over, and from this day on, it would be our life. I never questioned him about the information I had discovered, because honestly, I was scared to know. He was slowly showing his real self, and I didn't know how to respond. The excitement I had felt about the big day faded into dread in the days leading up to the wedding.

Any time things didn't go just the way he had planned, he would lash out. Then, he would cry and apologize. More often than not, I would have to talk him down from wanting to kill himself. By the time the day of the wedding arrived, I was terrified that he was going to hurt himself. I ended up feeling more like a caretaker than a soon-to-be bride.

As I stood in front of him, the minister continued to say his lines. He then motioned for me to read my vows. I pulled out the note card that had the vows he wrote for me to read. I cleared my throat and began to read.

"Gerard, these last few months have been some of my best. I never imagined that I'd find true love in a crummy apartment complex, but here we are." There were some polite chuckles from the crowd. "My solemn vow to you is that I will be your light in the darkest of the night. I will stand beside you when it feels as though no one else will. I vow to love you, with all of your quirks and faults, for the rest of my life."

I looked up at him and saw the tears in his eyes. There was a soft sniffle from the crowd, presumably from his mother. The minister carried on, motioning for Gerard to read his vows. He smiled at me before he began.

"Emily, I've never met anyone in my entire life that makes me feel the way that you do. You are the peace in my mind, the hope in my soul, and the love in my heart. From that first day, on the stairway, your beauty took my breath away, and I just knew that I needed to know you. Then, as we got to know each other, I fell a little harder, and before I knew it, I was asking you to marry me." There was another chuckle from the congregation.

"You made me the happiest man that day. I could never tell you enough how much you mean to me, or how grateful I am for that shitty apartment complex. That's where I met the love of my life. So, my vow to you is that I will live every day of my life trying to make you as happy as you have made me. I will love, honor, cherish, and protect you until the day I die."

I stared at him in awe. He didn't read his vows from a card. Either he had memorized his piece, or he decided to wing it. Either way, I was impressed that he didn't stutter or seem at all flustered. The ceremony continued on with the religious shit, exchanging of the rings, and our first kiss as a married couple. He pulled me close and kissed me passionately as the guests whooped and cheered. He pulled back slightly and smiled.

"I love you, Mrs. Way." I forced a smile and nodded.

"I love you too, Mr. Way."

* * * * *

We left the venue almost immediately following the wedding, in order to get a head-start on our honeymoon. During the eight hour or so drive, it was uncomfortably quiet. I tried to make light conversation, but he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. When we finally arrived at our destination, he grabbed our bags from the car, without a word, and headed up the stone-paved walkway to the front door. I followed him inside, and before I had a chance to say anything, he turned towards me.

"Where were you last night? You never came home, and you didn't answer any of my calls." There was an expression on his face that I had never seen.

"I stayed with Sayra. It was for my bachelorette party, remember?" I tried to calm his concern.

"Well, what did you do? Who all was there? Were there any guys?" His tone sounded even more frustrated as he continued.

"It was just me, her, and her roommate, Dani. There were no guys. We just sat around, had a few drinks, ordered some pizza, and watched shitty movies all night. I didn't want to risk running into you this morning. I've always been told that it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," I explained calmly. There was distrust in his eyes.

"I know how those kinds of parties go. The girls go to a club or have male strippers come to them. I don't believe that she didn't pull some shit like that just to piss me off. That bitch is just as bad as her prick of a brother," he spat venomously.

"Whoa. Hang on a minute. That bitch happens to be my best friend. She did try and convince me to go out, but I knew that you'd be worried. So, I told her I really just wanted to stay in. She did also try the stripper thing, but again, I said no. There's only one man in my life that I want to see strip," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh really?" He smirked. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me towards a large bedroom. He set me on the bed and began undressing slowly. "Is this what you wanted to see?"

"Oh, baby," I laughed. His super corny, overly dramatized seduction was killing me. Once he was down to his boxers, he winked at me before sliding them off slowly. He crawled onto the bed and started to take my clothes off slowly, actually being provocative. He kissed my bare skin, nipping on occasion.

"You okay?" He smirked as a shudder rippled across my body. I nodded slightly. He ran his hands across my body gently at first, but then, he grabbed my hips forcefully, positioning himself between my legs. As he pressed against me, the lust intensified.

"Gee..." My voice pleaded for him. He reached up with one hand and wrapped it around my throat. At first, it just seemed like a dominant play. He leaned forward and growled in my ear.

"You're mine now. If you ever let anyone else have you, I will kill you both."