Her Substitute Groom

‘Let’s meet tomorrow evening’ As evening slowly approached, I couldn’t help the fear that was living in me and didn’t want to go no matter how much I tried to chase it off. I was scared of what that man had in store for me, I was scared when I saw him and going to see him again was like a nightmare and as much as I didn’t want to go see him, I didn’t have a choice.

It was finally about thirty minutes to the time that he asked us to meet, so I got dressed and left my room. Connor was seated on one of the couches in the living room when I arrived downstairs.

“Babe…” He paused and gave me a long confusing stare.

“Are you going out?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yes. I need to step out for a moment. I’ll be back shortly,” I said to him, hoping he wouldn’t ask me questions because that was the last thing I needed at this point. I wasn’t in the mood for it.

“Oh… Where to? It’s past 6pm, and you don’t even know anyone here. Where are you going, babe?” He finally put his laptop away and stood up.

“I just need to see someone. I’ll be back,” I replied to him and hurriedly left the living room before he could ask me another question. It’ll only get worse if I stay back.

After taking a brief walk to the side of the road, I hauled down a cab and boarded it. Of course, there were many cars in the parking lot and I could’ve taken any, but I didn’t have the strength to drive. My head was so messed up that I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I had to drive, so taking a cab would do me good.

“St. Louis bar,” I said to the cabby that had just pulled over in front of me, and the man who was in his late forties gave me a long weird stare before he gestured for me to hop in. Why is he staring at me like that? I asked myself, but hopped in the cab regardless, and the drive to the place began immediately.

Many thoughts lingered on my mind, but sadly, I couldn’t gather my thoughts together because they kept falling apart and driving me crazy. How the heck did all of these start to happen? What the fuck happened that day? I asked myself but in the end, I was left like a fool because I couldn’t figure out not even the tiniest thing that made sense.

“We are here,” the cabby’s voice jolted me out of my deep thoughts and I had to look out of the window and that was when I comprehended the weird stare he gave me earlier. The bar was in a remote earlier and I could swear that things may happen here without the knowledge of the outside world because it looked like another city here, if not a ghetto.

“Thank you,” I forced him a smile after I hopped out of the car and paid him.

“You should be careful here, miss. It’s dangerous,” His words made my heart skip a beat and for a moment I thought of going back from here but I had to brace myself up and just nodded at him.

“Thank you. I will,” I smiled at him. A smile that was nothing, but fake because my fear had already taken over me.

After the cabby drove off, I turned to face the old bar that was behind me and I could tell that this place was abandoned. Why did he ask us to meet here of all places? What are his plans? Maybe I shouldn’t have been here in the first place.

“Brace yourself up, Janice. You’ll be fine,” I said to myself, and with my heart pounding hard against my chest, I proceeded toward the entrance door. My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob and twisted it then pushed the door open, and there was a man in a suit, sitting with his back facing me. My heart dropped immediately, and again, I thought of going back from there because I wasn’t sure if it was safe for me here.

“Don’t keep me waiting and come over here,” my soul left my body for a second when I heard the cold chilly unfamiliar voice and I had to knot my eyebrows together to put together where I’d heard the voice before, but it was so unfamiliar that I was sure it was my first time hearing that. It didn’t sound like his voice.

“Wh… what is going on here?” I mumbled, but my legs subconsciously moved toward the man, my body felt weak and trembled, and my heart wouldn’t stop hitting hard against my chest like it was trying to force its way out. I finally arrived at the table.

“Sit!” He ordered and I walked over to sit in front of him. Now that I saw his face, I was sure that it was my first time seeing him. He was a man in his late thirties. Flat and shiny forehead like he rubbed groundnut oil on it, long ears, a long nose, full lips, and a horrible hairline. He was the definition of being ugly and I felt like bursting into laughter but held it back when I recalled that we were all created by the same creator and also I was in the middle of trouble.

“Uhm… Hello… Where is Mr…” My voice trailed off at the sound of my phone that had just beeped. I stared at the man for a few seconds then checked my phone for the text that had just popped on the screen.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

‘Had something to deal with. My assistant will attend to you’ I bit my bottom lip and sighed briefly after I read the text. How could he choose someone like this to be his assistant when there are other handsome-looking men out there? I asked myself as I looked at the man again, forgetting that I was not in a safe place. Well, that’s his choice.

“I will go straight to the point… Mr. Jason asked me to give you this,” he uttered as he handed me a piece of white paper, and I stared at him confusingly. Who the heck is Jason? Did he change his name?

I would’ve asked him who the person was, but it was obvious that the young man must’ve changed his name so there was no reason to ask him, so I just took the paper from him and unfolded it, but my jaw dropped when I saw what was written inside.

“But…” I raised my gaze from the paper but gasped when an empty space welcomed me. The man was nowhere to be found.

“Wh… where did he go?” I mumbled and looked around the place but he was really gone. At that moment, fear gripped me as the realization dawned on me that I was all alone here in a dangerous place.

“Fuck!” I cursed under my breath as I rose to my feet and dashed out of the bar at once, but I collided with someone and my soul left my body immediately.

“Babe?” My heart and soul returned to my body immediately when I heard the familiar voice, so I looked up and it was Connor staring down at me.

“Connor?” I called surprisingly.

“What are you doing here?” I wasn’t supposed to be asking that kind of question now but I couldn’t help it.

“Who was that man?” He asked, his face filled with rage.

“Huh? Which man?”

“Are you cheating on me, Janice?” He asked, his voice laced with pain and anger as his eyes pierced into mine, and I huffed unbelievably. How could he even ask me that kind of a question? Do I look like a cheat to him?

“What are you talking…”

“Are you seeing another man, Janice?” He cut me off, and my jaw dropped as I stared back at him, unable to believe that he was asking me that. I wasn’t in the mood to answer him so I walked past him, but he held my hand and, me back angrily.

“You don’t walk out on me when I’m talking, babe. Are you fucking seeing another man?” I flinched fearfully when he yelled at me, and tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at him wordlessly…