Chapter 3 Three

• The venue mother chose had a helipad above. Sorren and I walked through the cheering crowd, a smile plastered on my face as we headed for the elevator, ready to board the private jet to a destination unknown to me for our honeymoon.
• Sorren smiled all through the ride up, perhaps, he was excited for our night together? As soon as the elevator doors opened at the rooftop and we exited, I understood why he wore a smile on his face. He departed from me, and with long strides, matched towards a woman. I hadn’t seen her face, but I recognised her hair colour because it was the same as the woman he had been with in that room.
• I turned and gaped at Sorren in bewilderment. He had gone to extreme ends to prove that he didn’t want this wedding. Now that we were away from the public eye, he didn’t care about his actions; not that it ever stopped him in the first place.
• “Tessa, wait for me in the private jet, I’ll be with you shortly,” Sorren says tensely as though he hadn’t expected his mistress to show up.
• “No!” I snapped. “What is the meaning of this Sorren? Why is your mistress-“
• “Wait for me in the goddam jet Tessa!” Sorren growls and I tense on the spot. My heart contracted in my chest during their exchange. But, just like I have for most of my life, I put on an I don’t care facade. With Mother’s threats ever so present in my memory, I walk toward the jet. Shortly after, Sorren joins me in the jet alone and doesn’t utter a word to me. With my hands cradled on my laps, I took in his poker, pensive face.
• He was a handsome man, insanely gorgeous even. He could make any woman drop to her knees and serve him, but for some reason, he agreed to marry me. I’m not sure what Mrs Montgomery, Sorren’s mom, has on him. But whatever it was, it must be big enough for him to succumb into a union with me, the woman he doesn’t remember sleeping with.
• I vividly remember the events of that night, after all, I had nine whole months in the convent to ponder over it. Abel and I had gotten into a fight over the choice of flavour for a wedding cake. Denise had offered to cheer me up and although it seemed a little fishy, I decided to trust her.
• I should have reached out to Abel instead and made things right. But I allowed Denise to take me to that club. And being the wicked and pretentious sister she has always been, she drugged me and led me into that room, telling me that Abel was in there waiting for me to apologise.
• I was under the influence and in that situation, both brothers looked alike. I have been keeping myself for Abel until after marriage, but after our fight, and with our wedding just a month away, I gave in. The look of horror on my face when I woke up the following morning entangled in Sorren’s arms was almost as similar to when I found out I was pregnant for him.
• “Mrs Montgomery!” I snapped out of my daydream when cold hands landed on my shoulder. I turned to look at the hostess hovering above me with a frown on her face.
• I cleared my throat. “Yes?”
• She seemed uneasy for a moment. “We’ve landed Mrs Montgomery. I guessed you missed it because you zoomed off,” she said and I took in my surroundings, my cheeks blushing a bright shade of pink realising I’d spent the entire flight thinking about Sorren.
• “Mr Montgomery already took off. He says he had some business to take care of, however, there’s another vehicle waiting outside to take you to your hotel,” she added when she’d noticed the small furrow of my brows.
• “To where, if I may ask?”
• “I’m not at liberty to say, Mrs Montgomery,” she says, bowing her head. I sigh dejectedly, utterly gobsmacked at the entire situation. Sorren had left me right after we landed and I’m a hundred percent certain the business in question is his mistress.
• “Thank you,” I addressed the hostess before rising from the chair and exiting the jet. As expected, there was already a vehicle waiting on me. I nodded at the chauffeur who followed behind me to open the door.
• Once and my seatbelt on, I spoke to the driver. “Where are we headed?”
• He peered at me from the rear view mirror. “I was instructed by my Madam to drive you and Mr Montgomery to The four seasons hotel. But I will be picking up Mr Montgomery after I drop you off,” My heart dropped into my chest. That’s the hotel where Sorren and I had sex!
• “Excuse me,” the words came out in a whisper.
• “The four seasons hotel. Mr Montgomery asked that I drive you there before picking him up,” the driver repeated, unaware of my current state of utter shock and despair.
• Mother must have been a demon in her past life, and me, the servant that always escaped her wrath. She and her daughter took immense joy in torturing and making my life a living hell. Denise must have told her what she had done. Why else would mother choose this particular hotel, out of all the hotels in Seattle? And if Denise did tell her, did that also mean mother knew Sorren is the father of my child? The child she took from me? And now, she was taking me back to where the nightmare began. How far did she have to go to make me suffer? Was there really no end to her cruelty?
• “Take me somewhere else,” I told the driver coldly.
• “But, your mother ordered-“
• “I don’t care what mother says!” I snapped. The car thickened with tension and I felt horrible for pouring my frustrations on the driver who was only adhering to instructions.
• “I’m sorry. Just take me somewhere else. I don’t care where,” staring at the driver with a tear-stained face. The driver takes pity on me and takes off.