Chapter 4 Wedding Bells

"You look beautiful.” The lady doing her makeup said to her and Bernice smiled as she swirled before the mirror. Her mermaid style wedding dress made her look so beautiful. Days ago she was trying to make ends meet, a poor and struggling waitress and now the bride to the richest man in all of Italy. The woman before her in the mirror was nothing like her. She was so beautiful and could even pass out for an Empress. Who says that luck can't shine on anyone it wants to? "On a scale of 1 to 10 rate my wedding dress." she said to the waitress. "I will give it a 100 over 10." The beautician said and Bernice threw her head back and laughed at what she had done to both Ethan and Olivia. Taking the glass of vodka, she took a sip. "Ma'am I think we should start getting you ready because the driver will come and pick you up soon." "Yes, I know."she said, giving herself one last look in the mirror and smiled. She was still admiring herself in the mirror when there was a knock on the door and it was pushed open. She turned to see that it was Ethan and without saying anything she poured herself another glass of vodka. "I would like you to excuse us." she said to the beauticians who immediately left, leaving them alone. "And who asked you to open it?" she barked at him. "I thought we had already had this conversation already, So why are you back here?" "I came to see you for the final time as my girlfriend, before you become my aunt." he said sarcastically. She took another sip from the glass and nodded at him. "That was so thoughtful of you so you can get going now and also let me drop a little piece of advice for you, if you take your job as the best man very seriously who knows ....she shrugged. “It might be your wedding soon.” She laughed as she whirled the wine in the glass. If the word anger was a person that was definitely Ethan, he looked as if he wanted to explode but he kept his tongue in cheek. "So do you have anything else to say to me? As you can see, I'm a bride and I will soon get ready to meet my husband." "I don't have anything to say.” He said, his tone was tinged with a little anger." But don't you think about getting married to an...." Before he could finish he had something hot and stinging land on his cheeks and he almost fell back on his feet. "I will not let you stand before me and insult me and my husband. "She said as she gave him a dirty look. "If you haven't betrayed me and stabbed me in the back I won't be doing this." And with that, she pushed him out of her way as she left the room in a hurry. Immediately she came down the stairs the driver got the door open and she got in, he started the car and they began to race to the cathedral. She rested her head on the headrest trying to think, that was when she saw another car zoom past them. She recognizes it as Ethan's. Good for him but she thought to herself, he had better get there before her to act as the best man. Soon, the car pulled up to the cathedral, and the crowd she saw mesmerized her. what was she thinking, she was getting married to Italy's richest man. Cameras flashed as bouncers tried to push back the crowd as she walked into the church. And there, far ahead standing with the priest was the man she was getting married to, the man who could lead her to the ladder of success and wealth, to give her the power for revenge. He smiled at her and Ethan was there but he quickly looked away. She stood facing him, as the priest recited the vows for him. "I do," he said. The priest turned to her . "Do you Bernice Elizabeth Francisco take Rafael Ricardo Fernandez as your lawfully wedded husband to love and to obey, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" And it was at this moment that she realized what had happened,everyone was waiting for her but as she swallowed hard and look at Ethan, she remembered the love they both shared and all the memories came flowing back. And from the corners of her eyes, she could see him staring at her, silently begging her not to do what she had in mind. But he had betrayed her trust, he had stabbed her in the back,he had taken her for granted, threw their love and stamped on it. The priest repeated the vows and while he waited for her to say something everyone in the hall began to murmur. She never knew that this part of the wedding would be so hard for her to let go but she was doing it for the money and for revenge. She gave one silent look to Ethan who turned away trying to avoid her gaze. "What is going on?" she heard Rafael ask. "Don't you dare back out now." He said in a hushed tone."We have come a long way for you to do this." She glanced at Ethan and wondered if he was going to tell Rafael about the affair. And if he finds out, what was he going to do anyways . She cast it out of her mind and she remembered how hurt she was. She looked at the priest with pain in her eyes as he repeated the vows for the fourth time. Looking at Ethan, she sealed her fate. "I do," she said in a small voice.