Craving Her Ruin: Brother in-law

Audrey

I batted the brewing tears in my eyes and trailed my tired gaze to the mirror before me.

“You look stunning ma’am.” The maid complimented as she pinned the veil to my hair.

“Sir Mason will be so thrilled to see you.” She added, I forced out a smile as my heart painfully raced in my chest.

“Can I be alone for a moment, please.” I mouthed and caused the maids in the room to exchange glances,

“Is everything okay ma’am?” One of them asked, I nodded slowly.

“Alright ma’am.... we’ll excuse you.”

Quietly and without hesitation, they all exited the room.

I stood to my feet as a high-pitched wail of a siren tore through the quiet air, a painful knot of fear tightening in my gut in an instant.

Dragging my heavy legs, I made my way to the window and took a glance outside spotting a procession of sleek black convoys wading its way through the open gates-a jarring reminder I was only seconds away from setting fire to everything I had ever loved.

I crashed to the ground as panic clawed at my throat without warning, sucking out every wisp of air from my lungs.

The door flew open and the maids came rushing back in, no doubt alerted by the loud thud of my body reaching the ground.

“Ma’am.... are you okay?”

“Ma’am, is everything alright?”

I darted my trembling fingers to my hair, yanking off the veil as my breathing spiralled out of control, cold sweats breaking from my skin and my vision turning blur.

“Ma’am, is everything alright?”

My eyelids clenched tightly shut as my heart painfully slammed against my ribs, draining every strength in me with every violent beat, leaving me barely able to take in any air.

“I... I can’t breathe...” The words escaped my shaking lips.

“You... you can’t breathe?”

The door flew open and with my eyes still shut, I could hear someone step in. I didn’t care.

“What is going on here?” Mrs Carter's voice sliced through the room, I curled in on my trembling self in fear, fist reflexively clenched, every heartbeat a worse battle.

“I think she’s having a panic attack...”

“What do I do ma’am? she says she can't breathe...”

I could hear her break into scornful chuckles,

“Is this a joke?” she let out a long hiss without concern.

“The guests are arriving soon.... wrap this madness up and have her downstairs immediately.” She barked.

“But ma’am.....”

“Do not.... make me repeat myself.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She hissed again and majestically exited the room.

The maids yanked me off the ground, taking me back to the dressing table and immediately getting to work to fix the mess I had made of myself.

I wordlessly bowed my head as my tears spilled freely.

"You've got a text, ma'am." Alexa announced, scurrying to my side and taking out my phone from my purse.

"It reads...."

I snatched it from her as quickly as I could.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." she apologised, stepping away guiltily.

I tucked in my lower lip and unlocked the phone, landing my eyes on the message on screen.

"You better behave today."

I swallowed hard into nothing as I felt the sharp jolt of a kick in my stomach-not sure if it came from the little life in my womb, or from the crushing realisation I was just about to take the one unforgivable step-the one that would cost me Mason Carter forever.

**********

“Is she really the illegitimate daughter of the Bellingtons?” I heard and froze to the spot, suddenly unable to move or breath.

“I hear her mother is of lowly birth.... she used to be a maid.”

My fingers tightened around the bouquet so hard, I could feel the stem digging into my palms.

"There must be something truly special about the slut.... I mean, it takes special skills to climb into a bed like that of Grey Bellington, almost wrecking a marriage worth billions of dollars in global alliances."

“It was a scandal years ago, but now it's forbidden to even speak of it."

"Of course.... it'll be bad for the Carters if word got out."

"I know, right..... to think the side piece's seed gets to walk down the aisle with a Carter-and not the true daughter of the Bellingtons. What a shame."

I tried to proceed but staggered on my feet, lurching forward before stumbling back, barely holding myself.

“Is she okay?”

Already falling apart, I looked up. My teary gaze, landing on an anxious looking Mason beside the priest-neatly styled in his tuxedo, his eyes seeming to plead for me to come forward.

I tore my gaze from him, letting it fall on Blain-Mason's best man, Mason's elder brother.

All I needed to do was get myself to him-all I needed was to end it with Mason publicly.

“I’m sorry.” I mumbled and got my heavy legs moving, uneasily making my way to the altar.

“You look beautiful.” Mason's mouth moved desperately, like he knew something was up with me.

I ignored him.

"You look gorgeous, Audrey." Blain mouthed.

I forced out a smile.

A dry chuckle escaped Mason's lips, it was obvious I was setting him on edge.

"Ready?" He mouthed, extending his arm for me to take so we could go to the priest together.

I stepped away.

"Audrey...."

I hurled the bouquet away, turned in a heartbeat and crashed my lips on Blain's.

Everyone gasped.

As expected, Blain's arms settled low on my back, lower than any brother-in-law should as he deepened the kiss.

"Audrey...." Mason uttered, his voice sharp and ragged, like the sound of someone holding on and breaking at the same time.

"You taste just how I expected..... sweet."

I pushed Blain off. Without meeting Mason's eyes, I sprinted for the door. Sliding through the taken aback security and making it entirely out of the wedding hall.

“I’m sorry....” I cried, my vision entirely blurred as I scampered down the stairs.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Quinn, Mason's sister, raged. Suddenly appearing out of nowhere and blocking my path. Her firm hand gripping mine and stopping me right in my tracks.

“You think you get to do this to my brother? How dare you, Audrey. How dare you?”

She landed a slap on my face and sent me crashing to the ground, one step away from losing my balance and rolling off the stairs.

“How could you, Audrey." She screamed, breaking down.

I bit down on the trembling edge of my lip, my hands trailing to my hair and clutching it tight as my mind spiralled out of control.

Quinn pounced on me again.

“Audrey...” I heard Mason call as he came running out of the wedding hall after me, a few security guards behind him.

“Stay away from me.” I bawled and snapped right back to my feet, shoving Quinn aside ready to take to my heels again.

“What are you doing?” Mason quavered, frantically shaking within himself as he watched me, his green bold eyes heavy with unshed tears.

"Stay away from me..." I begged as the security guards attempted to launch forward, Mason signalled they stepped back.

"Did I do something wrong? Talk to me... What is going on?" He pleaded. Careful, calm, his voice barely firm from holding against the muffled sobs that slipped from his lips as they parted ways.

“I can't marry you, Mason.”

“Don't do this to me, Audrey. I'll lose my mind if I lose you.... you're the only person that keeps me sane.”

“I don't care...." I lied.

"Audrey, please."

"Just go, Mason. You deserve better."

"What about our baby? our little family?"

"I'm sorry.... I got rid of it."

"What?"

I saw the colour drain from Mason's face in an instant as he collapsed on his knees weakly-like my words just broke the last unbroken part of him.

“You're a witch, Audrey.... you deserve to die for doing this to my brother.” Quinn cried, charging at me again.

“I'm sorry....” I cried as she clawed at my hair, pain shooting through my skull like a lightning bolt.

"You deserve to die!"

In a desperate attempt to sprint, I shoved her off and sent her losing her balance and rolling helplessly down the stairs.

The scream that followed was raw, piercing. Eyes widening as her head slammed against the gold railings of the stairs.

My knees buckled as I watched her blood ooze uncontrollably, already spreading like a dark pool around her.

The security guards hurried to her side at once, surrounding her convulsing body as they scampered around desperately to stop the blood.

I came gasping hard for air, shaking my head wildly as I pulled at my hair. My body, stiffening in horror, watching her body grow still and lifeless.

"Quinn." I heard Mason mumble, he rushed past me and made it to her.

"What.... what have you done?" his voice shook as he looked at me, I flinched at the redness of his eyes,

"I..... I didn't mean to....." I voiced out tearfully.

Mason's gaze lingered on me-really lingered. I swallowed into nothing as my heart raced violently. I could swear a flicker of light vanished in his eyes.

The tenderness I once knew, disappeared completely from his gaze, leaving only rage.

"I swear it, Mason.... I didn't mean to."

He turned from me, scooped Quinn into his arms and walked away without a word.

My chest tightened as a cold chill of panic swept over me.

I knew I had just seen the last of whatever was left of the Mason I knew. And there was no taking anything back-Now.