Chapter 44 – A Bloodstained Aisle
Bailey looked at her phone for the hundredth time while sitting in the bridal suite, her leg jumping uneasily. The band had begun playing gentle tunes, the guests were seated, and there was a tangible sense of excitement in the air.
By now, Emily ought to have returned. Bailey didn’t know where she had gone, although the had excused herself more than twenty minutes prior.
Bailey frowned and texted Emily again,
‘Where are you? It’s almost time” But the message was delivered without a reply, and anxiety twisted in her gut,
“Bailey, it’s almost time, where’s she?” Emily’s makeup artist asked, her voice full of concern,
“I don’t know” Bailey admitted, looking around the room as though Emily may show up out of nowhere. Her heart leaped when the suite door opened, hoping it to be Emily, rather, Albert entered with a frown on his face,
‘Everything okay?” He asked, looking across the room for his future wife. He had returned to see Emily for the second time, and his mounting anxiety mirrored Bailey’s,
“She’ll be back soon” Bailey said quickly, forcing a nervous smile,
“Let me just call her”
Albert gave a nod, but his face stayed stressed. As she slipped out of the room, Bailey put her phone to her ear and phoned Emily’s number. The phone rang and rang and rang and no one answered,
“C’mon Em, pick up” Bailey muttered to herself as she hurried down the opulent staircase. Emily’s meticulously planned lavish decorations appeared to mock her mounting fear,
“Emily” Bailey’s voice echoed through the silent hallways as she screamed out. She pushed open a door to the rear exit.
Bailey stopped as she came to the last floor, something didn’t feel right. The air carried a subtle, metallic smell, and her stomach rumbled. Her blood turned to ice as she froze as she
turned a bend.
Emily was there, sprawled on the floor. A puddle of blood covered her lifeless body, and her once–beautiful white gown was now crimson. Bailey let out a scream as her breath seized in her throat,
“Emily! No!”
Her scream ripped through the air raw and piercing, her knees were on the verge of giving out as she staggered back, her hand shooting to her lips. Emily was there, lying in an expanding
pool of blood. Life had been sapped from her pale face, and her immaculate white clothing was splattered scarlet.
Bailey’s screams caused a flurry of activity. Visitors pressed against the windows and started muttering as they tried to see what had happened. Sensing chaos, paparazzi rushed into action, pushing their way toward the scene of the disturbance while hurriedly snapping their
cameras.
Following the sound of Bailey’s cries, Albert ran outdoors, his pulse racing. He saw Emily’s lifeless body and slid to a stop next to her, gasping for air,
“No, no, no” he muttered, dropping to his knees beside her,
“Emily! Stay with me!”
“Bailey, what happened?” he demanded, his voice breaking as he crouched beside Emily’s motionless body.
Bailey’s trembling fingers fumbled with her phone, finally managing to scream,
“Somebody call an ambulance!”
Albert’s suit was now stained with her blood, but he didn’t care. Bailey became enraged when she noticed a paparazzi approaching with a camera. She was furious that someone would dare to interrupt this terrible moment,
“Get the fuck away from her!” Bailey grabbed the camera and smashed it to the ground as she yelled. The paparazzo gave the rest of the crowd a surprised look as she took a step back in surprise,
“This is not a fucking show!” Still holding Emily’s body, Albert got up and started to walk to his car. Bailey followed him with shaky steps.
“Move! Out of the way!” Albert barked at the crowd. Albert gently positioned Emily inside the car after Bailey unlocked the door, moving her as if she were still alive and sensitive to his touch. After getting behind the wheel, Bailey punched the gas and sped out of the venue.
Other than the two passengers‘ labored breathing, the car was quiet. Albert’s face was a mask. of devastation, and his hands were shaking as he caressed Emily’s hair.
“What happened? Who the fuck could’ve done this?” Albert muttered.
Bailey didn’t answer, she didn’t have to. She already knew, deep within. In her heart, a single name ignited a fire of hatred as it rose to the front of her head,
Sebastian.
