Chapter 3
I finally felt at ease, not bothering to think about him and Tilly anymore.
One day, while tidying up, I found a shirt in Zariah's closet that had been shredded.
In the trash can, there was a project contract covered in angry doodles, completely ruined.
Worried, I gave Jasper a call.
"How's that thing about suing Tilly going?" I asked.
Jasper sounded totally taken aback on the other end.
"Wait, who are we supposed to be suing?" Jasper blurted out.
For a moment, my heart dropped and my ears buzzed.
My grip on the phone loosened.
But Jasper just kept rambling.
"I know you were pissed when she ruined the wedding last time, but that's just how she is. You'll get used to it," he said.
Before I could get a word in, he just kept going, rambling about the past.
"You know, back in the day, those two almost ended up together," Jasper said.
"But then Tilly started dating some guy just to get under his skin, and Zariah wasn't about to let it slide. So they kept butting heads over it..."
I held the phone, my fingers numb and shaking.
Listening to all these stories I'd never heard before, it just felt so absurd and bitterly ironic.
Turns out, all that tension between them was just leftover flirty fights from their past.
Catching himself, Jasper switched gears.
He said, "Come on, that's ancient history now.
"He's about to marry you. You're the only one he cares about. Don't let it get to you."
His attempts to smooth things over just sounded even more harsh, like he was trying too hard to brush it all off.
I just couldn't listen to any more of it, so I hung up.
Suddenly, his jacket, still warm from his body, was draped over my shoulders.
Zariah's voice sounded right above my head.
"Why are you wearing so little?" he asked.
"Tomorrow's our wedding. What if you catch a cold?" he said.
As he spoke, he wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin lightly on the top of my head.
His warm breath brushed against my neck, and I could hear the excitement in his voice.
"Alyvia, tomorrow you'll be my wife. I'm so happy," he said.
That familiar hug was supposed to be comforting.
But as I heard him say all those sickly sweet things, my heart felt like it was soaked in ice water. There was no warmth in me at all.
I barely made it through the night, my heart weighed down by sorrow.
Halfway to the wedding in the bridal car, out of nowhere, another vehicle crashed into us, hard.
The driver smacked the steering wheel, cursing under his breath.
"The car's wrecked! How are we supposed to get to the wedding now?" the driver cursed.
Still dazed, I turned and saw Tilly step out of the car behind us.
She didn't give anyone a chance to react, just marched straight up to our wedding car.
She swung her arm and slashed her key hard across the paint, scratching a long, ugly line into the side.
A deep, ugly scratch tore right through the white paint, so deep you could see the metal underneath.
I rushed out of the car and snatched her wrist.
"What the hell is your problem?!" I shouted.
"I've never wronged you! Why do you always have to pick on me?" I asked.
She tried to yank her wrist free, but her eyes grew even fiercer, a cold, mocking smile tugging at her lips.
"Because I hate Zariah. And anyone close to him, I can't stand either, including you!" Tilly snapped.
She glared at the scratch she'd just made on the wedding car.
"Isn't this his car? Perfect, let it be ruined!" she sneered.
With our car blocking the road, a long line of vehicles started stacking up behind us.
Someone stuck their head out the window and yelled, "There's an ambulance back here! Lives are at stake. Get out of the way!"
Tilly shot the guy a sideways glare, hands on her hips, standing her ground.
She snapped, "I don't care about your stupid ambulance!
"No way this wedding's happening today.
"I just don't want Zariah to get what he wants. What's it to you?"
The ambulance's siren was blaring behind us, making my ears ache. I stared at her and scoffed.
I said, "Admit it, you're into Zariah, aren't you?
"I've never seen an enemy cling to someone the way you do."
She froze, not even bothering to hide it anymore.
Tilly shot back, "That's right! I like him.
"I'm wrecking your wedding. What can you do about it?"
"You lunatic!" I hissed through clenched teeth.
I stormed back into the car, my hands shaking as I urged the driver, "Just try to get us out of here!"
But Tilly blocked the way, planting herself right in front of the car.
"Nobody's going anywhere today!" Tilly declared.
I couldn't take it anymore. I snapped a photo of her and sent it straight to Zariah.
"Your nemesis is at it again," I messaged him.
"I'm coming!" Zariah shot back.
It didn't take long before Zariah showed up.
Instinctively, I stepped forward, but he walked straight past me, grabbed Tilly by the collar, and went off on her.
"Tilly, are you out of your mind?!" Zariah shouted.