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I'm still feeling as if I'm in a trance as she slowly guides me to a dressing table. She begins brushing my hair, the hairbrush feeling pleasant against my scalp as she massages me. She keeps going until my hair is silky smooth. The maid lets it fall in a silky curtain down my back, and then gets started on my makeup.
"It's not hard to make someone as pretty as you look good," she smiles. "If they had to do my makeup, it would be quite a difficult job. I haven't been as fortunate in life as you have."
She chuckles, but I grab her hand by the wrist and make eye contact with her.
"You're beautiful," I tell her. "I'm sorry you have to live this life. I'll do my best to make things better for you."
At that moment, her face breaks and I can tell she's the woman who helped me before. I can tell she's feeling guilty about not helping me when I was in a similar situation. But gone are my feelings of anger or resentment against anyone who didn't help me. In the end, I ended up with Xavier and that's all I've ever wanted.
"I don't deserve this,señorita," she tells me in a shaky voice. "I don't deserve your help because I didn't help you when I could have. I didn't help you get out of here when things were tough."
"But it all ended up okay," I say, patting her hand.
From her sad smile, I can tell she doesn't believe me, which makes me retreat and speak with an edge next time.
"Please finish my makeup and hair so we can get started on the dress. I don't want to be late today. I don't want to upset my husband."
"He won't be able to stay mad. He'll be delighted to see you looking like an angel," she says with a small smile. "You remind me of my daughter. She was just as pretty as you."
She finishes up my makeup, and we don't speak anymore. The maid adds a rosy glow on my cheeks and a faint tint of color on my lips.
My lashes are thick with mascara. I can imagine Xavier will enjoy making me cry off later. I look better than I ever have before, having filled out now that I'm finally eating properly again. And yet the nervous feeling deep inside me doesn't subside. I don't know whether I'm feeling hesitant because of the implications of what I'm about to do, or the finality of betraying my family for Xavier once and for all. Or perhaps it's just the fact that I've fallen for the villain. After a whole life of believing in fairy tales I've gone back to the worst person in my life... because I can't resist him. Because he owns me.
The maid finishes with my makeup and hair, and brings forward the dress. It's something Xavier had custom made for me before I left here, and when I tried it on for the first time it gaped on me, because I was so thin from my trials. But now that I've gained some weight back, it fits perfectly. The maid helps me put it on, lacing the corset in the back and allowing the layers of tulle to fall to the ground, embracing me in their cool feel.
We stand back together to watch her work in the mirror. I truly look perfect. Not even Xavier could find a fault with my appearance, and I'm excited for him to see me in all my glory.
The ceremony will be intimate with only us and Saul there to act as a witness and best man to my husband. I can't believe after today I'll be married to the love of my life, who also seems to be my nemesis.
My body and my mind haven't fully processed this yet. But I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm an owned woman now. I have no doubt Xavier will put his own spin on our wedding to ensure I know I belong to him and him alone.
I never wanted a big wedding, and yet I still find myself wishing my parents were here. But then again, it's surely better that they're not.
After all, this is the ultimate betrayal to my mother and father who always hoped I would come back home after I finished my job here with Xavier.
They wanted me to kill him. But I knew even when I got here that it was never going to happen. I don't have it in me to kill Xavier, the man I love, the man I've devoted my whole life to whether I wanted to or not. To be fair, I think my parents started my obsession because they were so against him. From the first moment I met Xavier, I knew my dad didn't like him, and my mother was afraid of him. Even my little sister winced and whimpered every time he was around, hiding behind my mother's skirt, and pretending she was invisible to him if only to stay safe and keep herself out of his cruel presence.
But not me.
I was never afraid of the dark side.
In fact, I chose my spot next to Xavier and I'm going to stand by him through everything we experience together. From now on, our hands will be joined in holy matrimony, and there will be no breaking us apart any longer. The ring he forced on my finger is a constant heavy reminder of what I've agreed to. There is no place for regret in my heart, because my body is so excited to finally belong to him fully.
There's also a secret I've been keeping. Something growing inside me that I haven't told Xavier about yet. But I know deep down it's true.
He finally succeeded.
The maid walks me to the chapel on the grounds of Xavier's expansive land. There are guards waiting outside, heavily armed and welcoming me with compliments and kind regards as I slowly open the doors leading into the chapel. The light filters into the room through the stained windows of the church. It looks beautiful, with red roses everywhere, combined with gothic, intricately carved black trellises.
It looks like a fairytale and I'm so elated to finally join a union with the man who I've always wanted to be with, no longer denying my feelings for him.
I feel Xavier's gaze on me as I slowly start walking down the aisle, his hungry gaze penetrating me as I take step after steps forward to my future, which still seems unreal to me. I approach him slowly as the wedding march plays in the background, someone playing on the organ in the back of the chapel. There is a minister waiting for us, and Xavier takes my hands in his, pulling back the veil that covers my face.
"You look like a vision," he whispers to me. ""I'm going to ruin you later."
With a heavy smirk, he kisses me on the cheek, not waiting for the minister to tell him it's okay. The man nearly chokes on his own spit, and quickly coughs to cover it up as he begins reading our vows.
I never thought my wedding would be like this - just me, the groom and his best man standing next to us, watching me passively as if he doesn't have an opinion of what's happening yet. And here I am, finally fully submitting to Xavier, my cruel godfather, who lavished me with expensive gifts once, and who will now become my husband... forever.
