Twice Upon a Time

As the clock ticked down, the murmurs in the church grew louder than even the bride, Leila Elizabeth Kart soon-to-be Leila Elizabeth Cruise, who stood tall in front of the altar in her simple yet elegant designer gown, could ignore.

"I have never attended a wedding, where we had to wait almost an hour for the groom to show up. This is preposterous". A woman whispered to her friend, eyeing Leila's back sadly.

The friend nodded in agreement. "I wonder if she thinks her groom had run away. This is so sad"

"I feel so bad for her. She is so beautiful and young". A guest named Carly said, staring at Leila with a broken heart.

A younger woman with a bright lipstick scoffed scornfully. "I don't. This is what a druggie's daughter gets when she tries to marry into the richest family in the U. S"

"Diane!". Carly whispered harshly. She looked back to see if no one heard her idiot of a daughter.

"What? I'm simply saying what everyone else is thinking"

"Yeah, think. They're smart and empathetic enough to not say it out loud. Unlike you, who don't think before you speak"

Diane rolled her eyes at her mother. "Whatever"

Leila's heart grew heavy with every seconds that passed. The humiliation of her groom not here yet, made her wish the ground would split open right now, and swallow her whole.

Leila blinked her tears away trying to put on a genuine smile, but she kept failing at it. She turned her head subtly to her frail god mother, soon-to-be mother in law, who had already been staring at her. Leila gave her a small smile, which she responded with an apologetic smile of her own.

"He's on his way". She mouthed, earning a nod from Leila.

The clear of the throat from the old priest made her raise her amber eyes to him.

He leaned down to whisper. "Child, where is your groom?". He asked with a tender gaze, his heart tugging at her circumstance.

"He's on his way". She repeated what her godmother had told her. "He's a very busy man"

"Too busy for his own wedding?". He asked incredulously.

Observing the fallen look on Leila's face, the priest straightened up and tried to calm the growing voices overlapping each other.

Sandra Cruise, the mother of Ethan Cruise, was absolutely vexed at her son's tardiness. She signaled her Personal Assistant to call him for what seemed like the hundredth time today. Just as her PA was about to dial his number, the mahogany door of the church swung open.

The entry of two stern-looking armed bodyguard silenced the murmurs that had overtaken the church. Leila turned back to see the guards had separated, standing on each side to let someone through. Leila's gaze fell on her groom in a dashing three-piece Tom Ford suit.

Her lips instantly widen to a bright smile, as her heart leaped happily. All she wanted was to leave the altar and run into his arms.

She watched him with a bright smile as he walked to the altar. His presence had a way of commanding people, that the guests all looked at him with astonishment; someone even brought out their phone to take pictures of him. However, a bodyguard apprehended the phone and deleted the pictures.

"Apologies for the delay. Shall we start?". His deep rich voice resonated in the quiet church.

Leila couldn't contain her smile, as he stood in front of her. His intoxicating cologne filled her nose, almost making her weak in the knees.

"Hi". She whispered with a smile still present on her face.

He only stared at her in return, before his gaze fell on his mom.

Leila swallowed her disappointment, her smile faltering only for a second before returning. Her happiness soared; it felt as though the world could end right then, and she wouldn't mind, just so long as she stood before him, with a priest about to pronounce them husband and wife.

The priest started his speech with the couple not paying attention. Leila gazed up at his flawless face, her smile still ever-present. She couldn't believe she was marrying Ethan Cruise, the richest bachelor, and the person who stole her heart without knowing.

Ethan, however, oblivious to Leila's staring, fixed his gaze on his mother throughout the priest's speech with a motionless face, trying to make some kind of point to her.

As the moment to say "I do" arrived, Leila said it with a flushed cheek, while Ethan said his drily.

When the time came for him to slide the ring on her finger, Ethan signaled one of his guards, who promptly stepped forward with a black box. Removing the ring, Ethan passed the box to the guard. He delicately slid on a sunny yellow VS1 diamond, set in platinum with a two-tone design, onto her manicured finger, eliciting a gasp of astonishment from her at the sight of the ring. Its weight brought about a new sensation.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride". The priest announced joyfully.

Leila shyly gazed up at him, anticipating his first move. As she noticed him lean down, her heart raced with excitement. Closing her eyes, she awaited the moment his lips met hers. The immediate spark that coursed through her body when his soft lips captured hers, sent goosebumps down her skin. She couldn't get enough of his kiss, but just as she moved to deepen it, he pulled away.

The resounding applause from their guest brought Leila's thoughts back to the church, where scattered shouts of congratulations filled the air.

***

The reception party kicked off shortly after. Leila dazzled in a stunning white designer spiral gown, as she greeted guests alongside her mother-in-law. She tried to enjoy the party without her husband, who had left right after he got to the reception.

After two hours of greeting, smiling, socialising and monitoring her champagne intake, she arrived at her new home, which was more or less a luxurious mansion, nestled in the Cruise's Estate.

***

The polite maid guided her to Ethan's room after she had settled Sandra in her own room, which was quite a distance from her son's quarter.

As she entered, she was awestruck at the humongous bedroom and it's luxurious interior. As a graduate of interior design, she possessed an acute awareness of expensive taste, and Ethan's room epitomized it. Glancing into the closet, she noted with satisfaction that the maid had already brought her belongings. With a contented smile, she proceeded to the bathroom to take a long and relaxing shower.

Leila prepped herself up for the wedding night, putting on a minimal make up and a lip gloss. She sprayed some perfume and hairspray.

Nervously, she smoothed out her appealing night gown, adjusting the robe to fit snuggly against her body. "He's now your husband, Leila. He's yours, and you're his"

A hearty smile spread across her face, as a blush crept up her cheek.

Leila stood from the huge vanity and paced nervously. She glanced at the clock every two seconds, wondering what was taking him so long. After a while, she sat at the edge of the bed.

Leila didn't know when she fell asleep, until a voice cleared their throat pointedly. She roused, confused for a minute before she noticed a figure standing few meters away from her.

"Ethan". She instantly stood up.

She brushed her hair nervously, to make herself look more presentable. "When did you get ba-". She began, only to be cut short.

"What are you doing here?". He asked in a emotionless tone.

Ethan restrained himself from letting his gray eyes sweep across her outfit that snuggled her figure and showed her attractive cleavage. As he stared at her confused face, Ethan could not deny that she was a gorgeous woman with a breath taking amber eyes and a curvy body. Any sane man would fall for her instantly, but he couldn't bring himself to love her.

Leila laughed awkwardly. "What do you mean? We're married"

Ethan simply stared at her impassively. "We won't be sharing the same room"

"Wha-"

"Please leave"