TWO | REJECTED

CHAPTER TWO | REJECTED

AMANDA

“That fucking bastard. When I find him, I will make sure I rip his balls off. You would be the last girl he ever tries shit with."

Karen has been yelling since I announced to the congregation that the wedding has been cancelled. If I let her, she would march down to Marcus' house and do something stupid. In the short time I have been sitting on her couch, she has mentioned more than fifty ways to kill Marcus and get away with it.

Remind me never to annoy her in the future, I don't wanna get killed.

I still haven't digested the fact that Marcus left me on the altar, this all still feels like a sick nightmare to me. I have never felt something like this in my life, so I am expecting someone to come out of somewhere and shout that everything is a fucking prank.

I'll surely be doing something stupid to the person playing this sick prank on me.

“I'm dreaming right? I must surely be having a nightmare. This can't be happening to me, after everything. Marcus certainly can't do this to me, he loves me...right?" I whisper in a trembling voice.

“I am so sorry, Amanda. I knew I hated him for a reason. My gut told me he is an asshole." Karen mumbles the last part.

I guess I should have seen the signs that he is not into me. Thinking about everything that happened and his attitude to me, I realise that he wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he doesn't love me. I was just blinded by my love for him and the fact that I am used to getting everything I wanted.

Everything becomes clear to me and I start reading differently into the way he treated me.

Marcus has never taken me on a date, he has never bought something for me no matter how little or cheap that thing is. He has never initiated anything that has to do with us going out in public. It was as if he was embarrassed of me or something.

I always thought that the reason he didn't do those things was because I'm wealthy and he didn't want to get me something smaller than I am worth. But even after I was kicked out of my house, he still didn't try to do anything for me. He never tried to take our relationship to the next level, he never apologised to me no matter how wrong what he did was.

How was I so blind to not have noticed all the signs? Why couldn't I see him for everything he is? I am a fool for not noticing these things earlier and letting everything get this far.

My heart aches as the reality of my miserable situation sinks in.

I fucked up! I fucked up real bad.

I can't believe I left my family and friends for a bastard like Marcus. I can't believe I forsook everything I have ever known and loved to be with him.

The reality that the only person I have ever trusted enough to want to spend the rest of my life with just left me at the altar shakes me up to the extent that I rush out to puke my heartbreak out.

Karen rushes after me, pulling my hair out to make sure I don't get any vomit on it.

I might have successfully puked out my pain, but I can never vomit the shame and humiliation I just caused myself.

The fact that I invited some of my parents' business partners and a journalist to cover the event haunts me everytime I think of it. The only reason I invited the business partners was so that I will be given expensive gifts. I also wanted the journalist to cover the events that happened before and after the wedding. I wanted the journalist to paint me as a brave hero who stood up to her parents and followed her heart to be with the love of her life.

Now, all she is going to write is about how Amanda Wright, the heiress to the Wrights empire got dumped on her wedding day. She'll probably add a few lies to make everything more interesting.

“What do you plan to do now? As much as I'll love you to live with me, we both know that that is impossible. I live with my younger sister and my apartment is too small to contain us three?" Karen laments.

She doesn't need to worry about that, I won't be staying with her even if my life depends on it. I am done disobeying my parents. I am done living like a pauper when I could have any mansion in any part of the world handed to me before I could blink.

“I am going home Karen, I'm going back to my parents." I whisper.

Karen claps excitedly and wiggles her eyebrows. “Does this mean I will be able to get the money I asked for?"

Yeah, I totally forgot about the money Karen asked me to give her. If I go back to my parents, everything will go back to normal and I'll be able to give her the five thousand dollars she asked for.

I wonder what she uses the money I give her for though. The last time I gave her a huge amount of money because she told me she wanted to buy a house to stay with her baby sister. Yet, they are still living in the same run-down apartment they were staying in.

“Yeah, sure." I mumble as she helps me up the dirty toilet floor.

She squeals and hugs me tightly, jumping as she does so. “Thank you so much bestie, you know I love you right? My sister would be so happy."

I smile and mumble a short ‘I love you too' as I vacate her small apartment. I didn't notice any sign that someone else is staying with her but I don't point it out.

I think I am just reading into everything now that I'm seeing things in a different light. I shouldn't let what happened between Marcus and me affect my relationship with other people, especially Karen. She was the only one in my circle of friends that supported my decision and stood by me. The rest of my friends are rich brats that didn't want to be friends with the wife of a nobody.

Since I don't have much money on me, I will trek down to our mansion in the rich side of my community. Luckily, the money I have on me is enough to buy chocolate bars to mend my broken heart.

The woman behind the counter watches me with suspicious eyes as I go into the store to get my chocolate bars. She must think I have lost my mind.

I guess I should have borrowed some of Karen's clothes before I left her apartment but oh well.

Seeing a girl dressed in a wedding dress with mascara running down her eyes must have scared the other customers as they all moved away from me.

I am approached by the person I guessed owns the shop or probably the manager. “Hello ma'am, how can we help you?"

The lady's voice is soft and companionate and this immediately triggers another round of tears from me.

I don't think twice before pulling the lady close to me and hugging the life out of her. “I just got dumped."

I didn't realise that I shouted it until I start hearing sympathetic words from the other customers.

That's how I ended up leaving the store with ten chocolate bars, a drink and a less broken heart. I begin my journey to my parents house and luckily for me, it isn't that far.

On getting there, I press in the code to get into the house but to my shock, it doesn't work.

They must have changed it while I was gone. I look around for Mr Morris, our gardener but unlike what I expected, he doesn't welcome me back.

“Miss Wright, I'm afraid to inform you that your parents instructed me not to let you into the house again. They are out at the moment and I don't know when they will come back." He informs me with a bowed head.

“What the fuck are you talking about? This is my house as much as it is theirs. I need to get in right now." I yell while stumping my fit.

My bratty side is showing for the first time in my life and I should be ashamed of myself for it, but I'm not. The only thing I can think about right now is going into my room and crying my heart out. I don't care what my parents told him, he needs to tell me the new pin.

After multiple tantrums and cursing, Mr Morris finally gives me the passcode and I go into the house. I head straight to the bar and pour myself a glass of wine.

Time to drink my sorrow away. I don't get the chance to drink much because my parents arrive.

I rush to my father's wheelchair, expecting him to comfort me but he doesn't even flinch. As usual, he can't tell anything around him.

“What are you doing here, Amanda?" My mother's cold voice rings from the doorway.

Confused, I untangle myself from my dad to gaze into her eyes. “What do you mean Lucia? This is my house too. You said I should come back home whenever I leave Marcus and I just did. We are over."

My mom scoffs, hangs her coat and takes off her shoes. “Really? Tell me, how did you guys break up?"

I look away from her knowing fully well that she already knows what happened. She must be disappointed in me. Hell! I'm disappointed in myself too.

“He didn't show up for our wedding, dad. The bastard left me on the altar. You are not going to let him go scot free will you? You will make sure he leaves to regret what he did to your princess for the rest of his life won't you?" I pout.

This is exactly what I want to happen to Marcus. I want my dad to make his life miserable and I know he is capable of doing it, all he has to do is say the words.

My dad has been silently watching so he rolls over to the couch. “And why would I do that?"

A frown appears on my face because of the weird way they are acting. Usually, my dad would be ready to tear Marcus apart.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean dad? The bastard left your princess on the altar. He humiliated me in front of everyone."

My mom drops the newspaper she has been reading on the table. “Read the headlines."

Behold, there is a picture of me in the newspaper with the headline ‘Amanda Wright, heiress to the Wrights empire gets rejected at her wedding.'

The headline doesn't shock me, what shocks me is the fact that it was said that I paid Marcus money to get married to him. As if that wasn't bad enough, there is a picture of me walking on the street, eating chocolate bars that I was accused of stealing from the store.

“What the fuck is this. I never stole those bars." I mumble.

“Read the last part, Amanda," My mom instructs in a robotic voice.

At the end of the article filled with ridiculous lies, the journalist wrote. “The Wright empire would crumble in a blink of an eye if it ever gets in the hands of the selfish brat. I hope her parents will be wise enough to keep her away from it."

What is it with journalists and lying? Why would she write something like this?

“Do you know the damage you have caused?" My mother suddenly yells.

I slam the newspaper on the table and fold my hands. “You know everything written in the paper is a lie dad, you shouldn't even have read it. I am better than that."

“Are you really better than that, Amanda? I thought you were better than disobeying me and your mother, but I was wrong. I thought you were smart enough to know that having anything to do with a gold digging nobody wouldn't end well but you proved me wrong. I don't know who you are anymore."

If I was heartbroken about Marcus, my heart just shredded into pieces now.

“You are not our daughter anymore, Amanda. You've brought shame to our family. We don't want to have anything to do with you."