The night was supposed to be magical. I'd just been wedded a few hours ago to one of the biggest business tycoons in Labrigham City.
I sat at the edge of my bed,dressed in white satin and trembling fair hands, soon I would be sharing it with the love of my life, probably moaning softly beneath his able chest and molded into his hands, I smiled.
I waited.
The moonlight slid through the curtains, brushing over the silver thread of my wedding veil. Everything looked perfect, too perfect.
I smiled faintly, staring at the golden ring on my finger. Finally, I had someone who loves me for me.
Except… he didn't know who "me" really was. The thought of it made me sigh, a sigh that echoed with concern and insecurity.
I pressed my palm against my chest, feeling my heartbeat echo against the faint glow that sometimes shimmered beneath my skin. I'd hidden it well for years, the Nephilim blood that made me half-angel, half-something else. If Conner, my darling husband ever found out, he might look at me the same way my family did or the same way the world looked at outcasts. With disgust. With fear.
I laughed softly and took a deep breathe trying to calm myself.
"It doesn't matter. He loves me," I whispered to the empty room.
"I just have to tell him when it's right or..."
Then the one thing I'd always feared struck again, what if he wouldn't want me back? What if he suddenly rejected me?
Surely, nobody would want someone who's mother was human and father, a demon, for a wife.
It didn't matter how beautiful or voluptuous I was, it was scary. I sighed, slightly uncomfortably.
A clock chimed outside. Midnight.
Conner should've been here by now.
The hallway beyond her door was silent,I leaned in and listened close faint sounds drifted from somewhere below. Music? No… laughter. Low, intimate laughter. Then, a soft chuckle with a hint of pleasure.
I frowned, slipping my feet into my slippers,
I followed the sound.
The silk of my gown trailed behind me as I moved toward the door. "Conner?" I called softly, my voice breaking the silence.
No answer. But the laughter continued, feminine with a subtle low sound at the end.
I followed the sound, my steps slow but unsteady. The laughter grew clearer, one male, one female. And then I froze at the bedroom door just across the hall.
Light flickered through the crack. Shadows moved. The kind of movement, I knew signalled the traditional love making.
My hand reached for the handle as my stomach twisted.
When I pushed it open, the world stopped.
My husband, my brand new husband was tangled in the sheets with my own sister, Layra.
I flinched at the sight of Layra's right tit, hard grown,erect as perspiring masculine digits rubbed gently at the centre.
The last sound came loud, deep, she was enjoying it, edged desperately towards him and the look on my husband's face said ditto.
The candle on the dresser flickered as my breath caught. "Conner?" I felt my voice crack and eyes widening in disbelief.
Conner didn't flinch. Layra lifted her head, a wicked smile curling her lips. "Oh, sister," she whispered. "You weren't supposed to see this."
My vision blurred, dizzy with fury and heart wrench that clawed at her chest. "Why?"
There was a heavy feeling in my chest and a shudder in my spine as I tried hard to believe it was a bad dream.
My sister couldn't possibly be sleeping with my husband on our matrimonial bed and the first day of our honeymoon.
Even the thought of it made my heart ache and now the sight of it...
Conner finally turned to face her. His eyes were cold. "Because you lied," he said flatly. "You're not human."
Tears pricked at the edge of my eyes, I could've expected it from anyone but my sister? Whom I thought loved and supported me? Layra obviously had no remorse instead, she continued to moan shamelessly underneath Conner.
My blood ran cold. "W—what are y—you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb," Layra said, slipping off the bed and walking toward her. "I told him everything. You thought you could hide what you are forever?"
I backed away, shaking my head. "You told him?"
Layra's grin widened. "Of course. I'm human, Shaoline. Real. Pure. Not some cursed half-breed mistake.Not someone who's birth only brought mother shame and regret"
Conner stood behind her, expression unreadable. "I loved you once," he said quietly. "But after I learned the truth… I couldn't have even looked at you the same."
My chest tightened. "You would've never known if she hadn't"
"Don't blame me," Layra hissed. "Blame Father. Blame Mother. Blame yourself for being born! Neph! You're an evil abomination! Even to the supernatural"
She raised her hand and suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
A shimmer of dark light surrounded my wrists, pulling tight. Conner just sat there watching me struggle, he looked like he'd been placed under a spell, too strong to break away from, for his eyes were a bit more darkened and lowered than usual.
The ancient markings on Layra's palm burned crimson as she chanted words I didn't recognize.
"Layra, stop, please stoopp!" I gasped, struggling, but the invisible bonds dragged her to her knees.
Layra's smirk deepened. "Do you remember the book Mother kept locked in her drawer? The one written in harpy blood? I finally found the key." She whispered into my
ears.
My eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't"
"I already did," my sister whispered, stepping close enough so I could see the gleam of madness in her eyes. "And tonight, I'm taking everything you ever had."
Conner's voice came coldly from behind. "Finish it."
Tears blurred my sight. My chest had a deep pain, it made me want to cry but I held on still, she didn't have to see me crying, not now, it would further her wicked joy. "Conner, please. I love you."
That was all I could remember in that moment, wishing and hoping my husband would come to my rescue.
He didn't hesitate. "Then die loving me."
A blade slid across my throat before I could scream. And the last thing I could think of was the happily ever after I'd hoped for and how shattered it had become. Layra had ruined my happiness and taken my life.
I fell backward into the bathtub, the world spinning, my blood mixing with the water as it overflowed. The last thing I saw a blurred vision of my sister standing over me.
Her reflection stared back at me, pale, broken, fading.
But in those last moments, I remembered asking myself, could there ever be hope for me again? Was this where my story finally ended?