TAINTED LOVE (Racer×CEO)

E I G H T E E N

EIGHTEEN: WEDDING DRESS & BATHTUB.

IT WAS TEN when I was finally done with packing my stuff. I never thought that I had inhabited this place with all my heart and soul until it was time to leave. I couldn't help but realize how my heart constricted with unspoken pain. 

The workers took my cartons and cartons of luggage downstairs. After having a last look at my house I locked the door with a heavy heart. I pressed my forehead against the door, breathing in the air of my home. Exhaling deeply, I turned and walked down the stairs.

I was currently in the car which Theodore had sent. We were heading towards the hotel where the wedding would befall. 

Somehow my heartfelt strangely empty and in pain considering that I don't have a home of mine anymore. But more than that, the regression of accepting the proposal for the wedding was eating me alive. I kept on shuffling in the backseat feeling homesick. Even trying to engage me in the phone was worthless. I was just restless and felt out of the place. Homeless. Stray.

It was like I was leaving behind a fragment of my life - memories and moments. And I knew that it meant that I'll have to start a new chapter in my life. I wasn't good at beginnings.

And in this chapter, it would not be just me. There would be my husband, my better half. That's what the world called it but my destiny wasn't merciful enough to provide me with the privilege. My life would no longer be just governed by me. It will be catalyzed by him, whom I didn't trust at all. 

I was doomed.

I was lost. 

I wanted to go back to my cocooned, safe, and forlorn life.

 I didn't want my life to be handled by someone else. 

But, was it too late? 

My ride came to a halt and I gingerly walked to the entrance. The receptionist accompanied me to my room. The hotel was beautiful and massive. Crystals and ancient wall paintings accompanied me until I reached my room.

My room was big, very big. I was awestruck.

The furniture was high and bespoke. Every price was hardwood and hacked back to the Victorian Era but not a scrap in the room looked more than a year back. The fabrics were spotless and color coordinated in muted natural hues. 

The room was furnished with a massive bed which could easily make you crave a touch of sleep, even if you have already slept all your life. The head of the bed was carved in shining oak wood. There was a similar fashioned desk in the corner. 

The dressing table looked ancient yet beautiful. A big round mirror with two pairs of drawers in the bottom, engraved in brown planks. A velvet couch set with a glass table laid under the thick floral curtains. And the carpeted floor enhanced its richness. 

There were dozens of shoe boxes and a wide range of jewelry spread on the desk. Soon, there were white embroidered, satin, silk, and velvet dresses draped in mannequins brought inside the room by members of staff. 

My jaw hit the ground at the number of products and makeup which followed after that. 

Were they preparing for the birthday of the Queen of England? 

Elizabeth and Madelyn, Raymond's personal beauticians, walked up to me. After the greetings, they started their torture on me, wordlessly. Someone was working on my hair and face, some on my legs and others on my arms. It was a pleasurable feeling, blissful, and fulfilling. But still, I was uncomfortable letting everyone touch me. 

I don't know when I dozed off in the midst of these facials and spa but my mind woke up at the sound of Rohanna's cheerful voice. 

"You shouldn't be sleeping now, the bride-to-be." She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. Her elbow was resting on the handstand of the couch, overlooking me and supervising the procedures.