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— Here. You look like a mermaid now. I’m so proud of you, have you even ever disappointed me ?
Yor was fixing her daughter’s veil in her personal room while the twins were admiring the beauty of their older sister, they were in awe.
At the sweet age of 27, Anya Forger was getting married. It was her lucky number, because it was the age of her mother when she had entered her life. She had time to study and to work just like she wanted too. After her hard time in high school, love was not a priority in her life anymore.
She had dedicated her youth to her career, with the sole goal of protecting the smile of thousands of children, all around the world.
Her comeback was the result of an accident, almost losing her life after being so reckless had turned her into a different person.
She had to live with her family again but never failed to work on her life goals, as she officially took every single orphanage in Berlint under her protection.
That’s how she met him again. He hadn’t changed, he was still a tsundere. He helped her financially with ridiculous amount of donations to the hundreds of children she had decided to protect.
Then she was open to the idea of love again, this bittersweet feeling would not leave her body because it was hard to move on.
When that man fell on his knees and proposed to her, she simply said yes, she was not excited nor disgusted. It was a bittersweet of closure, finally.
— Sister, you look amazing. I never thought you could be so classy, guess you are truly becoming a Desmond !
— Well, it didn’t go as planned but looks like she can finally go to the Desmond mansion.
Becky was explaining to the twins how determined Anya was in her early years, how stubborn she was because she had this obsession with the Desmond mansion. The younger sister couldn’t stop laughing at her while the younger brother was clinging to his favourite sister, having a hard time to accept her marriage.
— Don’t get married, you will make your own family with him and forget about us !
— How could I forget about my baby brother ?
Anya was kindly patting his back as the teenager was crying and sweating all over her bare shoulders. Yor was trying to separate them, in vain.
— Lionel you are gross ! She’s our sister, you can’t marry her !
— I can take care of her ! Shut up Yulia !
— You are in high school ! With what money are you going to take care of her, you can’t compete with a Desmond !
— Shut up ! Shut up !
The twins started arguing with each other again with unnecessary screaming and insulting. Yor rolled her eyes and kissed her daughter on the cheek.
— I’m proud of you Anya. Marriage is a journey, it will end the way you want depending on the directions you take. If you ever feel pressured or just happy, you can always talk to me or your father. You are not alone, and we are still a family. We will support you no matter what, as long as you are happy !
— I love you so much Mama. Thank you.
— I’m so glad you are my daughter, visit us often please. I still need to see my baby.
Yor caressed her round face before hugging her one last time. She slowly rocked their bodies together and Anya closed her eyes, feeling the closure of her childhood chapter.
Anya felt tears falling all over her as she was enjoying her mother’s embrace, it felt like a farewell. She was suddenly feeling lonely. Yor laughed and pulled her son away from his sister, embarrassed because he was acting like her own baby brother. She wiped her daughter’s tears before wiping her own.
— We need to cry during the ceremony, Anya.
— Sure, Mama… I just feel emotional…
— Let’s go Lionel, Yulia, your sister needs to be alone.
Yor effortlessly pulled the twins away from their sister as she was leaving the room.
— I was rooting for you Anya. Are you sure ?
— I am. Now go Becky.
Becky gave Anya a final hug before following the rest of the family.
Anya looked at her reflection in the mirror again. She looked like one of those elegant ladies she used to see on the TV. Or a mermaid on her wedding day. Her long bridal dress was as white as snow, decorated with white feathers who looked like they had just fallen from the sky all over her. Her favorite part was the lines of diamonds, falling on her exposed shoulders like rain drops. She looked like a dripping mermaid, every move would make a small melody caused by the diamonds crashing against each other.
Her pink hair was locked into a braided bun and covered by a veil made of finest fabric she could have found, because her soon-to-be husband wanted to give her the best. She softly touched the top of her head, contemplating the missing horns.
She looked away and walked towards the coffee table where was sitting her bouquet, of course it was a composition of the best flowers made by the best artist of Ostania.
She sat down and moved the bouquet away, only to reveal the newspapers. She picked a pen and tried to solve the crossword game, waiting for her father to pick her up to walk her down the aisle. In vain, the crossword was not hard, she was just too lazy with games like this.
The door finally opened, revealing Loid, wearing a pastel blue tuxedo, matching with the rest of the family. With his not-so-blonde anymore hair pushed down and his glasses, he was the coolest and the hottest 50-something year old man of the city, the country and definitely the world.
Anya felt a bit of regret for causing him so much stress during her Eden era, as she noticed how gray his hair was. Just a bit, because she knew she had been a handful but oh dear, her siblings were two handfuls if the expression was appropriate.
Loid smiled at his daughter and sat next to her, he looked at the crossword game as she was holding the newspapers. Silence.
Anya was able to fill every single case of the game as she read her father mind, impressing him again. Just like she did 20 year ago.
— It feels strangely nostalgic. How did you grow up so fast ?
— I don’t know, maybe I had an awesome family.
Anya cackled as her father was patting her head, showing affection in his own tsundere ways. He noticed her missing horns but chose not to say anything.
— Papa, don’t worry. Will you cry too ?
— I won’t cry. Because I already cried last night with your mother.
Loid proudly said and Anya could hear her internal crying as he was already planning the murder of his future son-in-law. The father softly grabbed his daughter’s hands and held them tight.
— If it’s for the…operation… You don’t need to go that far Anya, it’s okay. I need you to be happy and to be with someone you genuinely love.
— It’s not for this, I love him.
— Really ? Then why do you look so sad ?
— I’m…
Anya checked her reflection one more time and froze : she was a bit paler than usual, causing her red eyes to stand out a bit after all the crying.
— I cried with Mama and Lionel, that’s it.
— You also look upset. I know my daughter better than anyone else.
Loid hugged his daughter and patted her back, she sighed deeply as she could see her frowning face and a popping vein in the mirror.
— You can always cancel the wedding if you are not sure, nobody will hurt you, your mother and I will protect you, I promise.
— Papa…please…
— I love you Anya and it just pains me to see you like this.
Loid broke the embrace, he watched Anya touching her face and trying to fix whatever was going on and he sighed before leaving the room.
— I’ll be waiting for you in the main entrance…
He said before closing the door, leaving her alone. She took a deep breath and tried to to chase her tears away. She was upset because everyone kept asking if she was sure, of course she was. She chose a dress, the music and a buffet, she knew what she was doing. It was a reasonable decision.
Anya Forger Desmond was about to happen and nobody could prevent it from happening.
— You know you’re late at your own wedding, unbelievable. I knew it.
She heard his deep voice and his mocking tone, realizing she took too much time to calm down. She stood up and look at the door.
Damian was blocking the only way out of this room, his back was against the door and his hands were deep in his pockets. He was only wearing a gray vest over a white shirt, his tie was sage green, he looked like he couldn’t deal with the warm weather because he had removed layers of his costume. His hair was pushed back and somehow, he reminded her of her dear father. The same elegance and coolness, okay, maybe not as cool as her father but she appreciated the effort.
— I’m not late.
Damian walked towards her and handed her the forgotten flower bouquet. He noticed her missing horns and frowned a little, vexed.
— You would forget your head if it wasn’t attached to your body.
— I’m sorry I’m a bit nervous…
— Stop apologizing Forger.
Anya laughed while taking the flowers, she looked at him and she could smell the drinks he had earlier. He got closer and grabbed her by the waist, and rested his face on her shoulders.
She simply closed her eyes and said nothing, perhaps enjoying his embrace.
Her hands shyly caressed his large back as her chest was pressing against his, leaving little space for her to breathe.
She could smell alcohol on him, mixed with cigars, probably from his favorite store, she could also smell the sandalwood and the pine coming from his favorite fragrance. The one she had gifted him on his 15th birthday, he enjoyed the bottle so much it became his signature scent with time.
She listened to the birds happily singing in the garden and the sound of the wind embracing the trees’ leaves, it was calm and relaxing. She felt safe and at peace in this very moment, she wished she could stop time but she knew it was impossible.
His raspy voice broke the atmosphere.
— Seeing the bride before the wedding is bad luck…
— Only for the groom. I am not your bride.
Damian broke the embrace and looked at the love of his life. He felt tears in his eyes and regret was heavy on his heart.
— Why did you choose him ?
— Stop it. We already had this discussion.
— If you wanted to hurt me for what I did back in high school, congratulations. Mission accomplished. Now you can stop it, we’re even.
His voice was loud and trembling and Anya just gasped in horror, having to deal with his accusations. She kept the same energy as him and crossed her arms.
— We are not even ! You married Jane !
— I divorced her !
He yelled at her and she yelled even louder.
— You chose your father and your status over me, all of this could have been avoided if you had not told me all the sweet things you told me. I didn’t love you back then, I spent an entire decade at Eden without having feelings for you and you decided to fuck me up on my last year, then you dated Jane !
— I broke up Jane and you rejected me ! How the fuck was I supposed to know about the lab and my father’s involvement in this ? You kept everything for yourself Anya, unlike you, I can’t read minds !
— Traumas Damian, I have traumas from all the abuse I went through ! You barely tried to understand what was going on. You didn’t take your time nor wait for me to open, you were already back in Jane’s arms. Because this is you, when things don’t go your way, you chose the easiest path !
Anya broke down in tears and she pushed him away as soon as he tried to console her.
— You are rejecting me again.
— You promised me a ring that compliments the color of my eyes only to do the same exact thing with her. You’re a liar. With the same exact word. You broke my heart and you danced on it. I was not able to love anybody for a long time because of that.
— So you’re marrying my brother because I broke your heart or because you suddenly found the ability to love again with him ? You know my history with him and you are a coward for getting at me like this.
Damian, stressed and frustrated, just passed his hand through his hair for the hundredth time before grabbing Anya’s face and putting his forehead against hers as she was sobbing hard.
— What are you doing Damian ?
— I’m loving you, he will never love you like I do… Never.
— I’m begging you, stop making things complicated…I’ll marry him, I love him.
— I’m not angry Anya, let’s stop hurting each other, okay ? Just cancel everything and run away with me, we can start over. I’m in love with you, I’ve always been as far I can remember.
— Damian…
— Was last night meaningless for you ? What we did, how we cried each other’s name, how we even planned our children’s names… Was it meaningless for you ? It meant the world for me, this is how I want to fall asleep every night of my life until death do us part.
He replied in a whisper and she sobbed harder, crashing herself into his strong arms, finding a spot in the crook of his neck and letting his scent intoxicating her nostrils. She felt sick to her stomach but it was just the butterflies, each cell was screaming her to do something before things go out of control.
His wet lips suddenly crashed against hers and she closed her eyes, allowing his tongue in her mouth. Her fingers lost themselves in his silky hair and his fingers were diving into the skin of her waist despite the fabric of the dress.
He broke the kiss and let her have a bit of oxygen.
— Anya Forger Desmond. He can’t have you, I won’t let him. Especially when you are making one with me. We belong to each other. It’s not too late, I won’t let you be the villain. How can you marry a man when you are having an affair with his brother ?
— It was a one-time thing, we are not having an affair ! You just want to ruin everything because you hate him ! You are using me. You are a liar ! I don’t love you !
— Then why are you crying in my arms ? Why are you not rejecting me ?
— You will hurt me again, you will leave me behind.
— I won’t. Proof is you are actually the one who is leaving me, right now, I’m willing to stick around until the day I vanished with the stars.
She was grabbing his arms, more precisely the soft fabric of his shirt, not with hatred but with a fear of abandonment. She didn’t want to let him of go.
— Anya, the choir is about to start-
Before she could answer, the door opened and soon after, her father had no choice but to watch how his daughter was making out with another man while her fiancé was waiting for her in front of a hundred of guests.
Loid simply closed to the door and Anya freed herself from Damian’s embrace, she fixed her hair and make up quickly before grabbing the bouquet and walking faster than the light. She was about to grab the door handle but Damian’s hand reached it first, and their eyes met again.
She read his mind and somehow, it felt like he read hers in return. They said nothing, she shyly nodded and he smiled, nodding in response.
They were just thinking the same thing.
Loid, who exactly knew what was going on since day one, sighed in the hallway after witnessing the scene he was so afraid to see. Feeling guilty for pushing his own daughter with the friendship scheme, feeling guilty for welcoming Damian in his home so many times, feeling guilty for enabling this situation.
Somehow he was not surprised of finding them in this position. He would have done the same thing if Yor was about to marry someone else.
If Anya told him it was okay, he had no choice but to let her live her life. As a father, all he wanted was his children’s happiness.
After judging that they had enough time to fix themselves after he caught them, Loid knocked and opened the door again.
— Anya ?
He called but to his surprise, no response.
The room was empty, nobody was there. Loid noticed the opened doors of the balcony and how the curtains were dancing to the rhythm of the wind. He walked into the room and picked up one the expensive glass shoes that was laying on the floor. It was still warm and he chuckled softly. The clock started to announce the middle of the day as the bell was doing the twelve strokes of noon.
It felt like a fairy tale, he did bother to walk on the balcony and smiled sincerely when he saw a car driving towards the exit of the Desmond mansion.
— It’s okay Peanut. It’s okay, I got you.
Loid held the piece of paper he found in the shoe and left the room, knowing exactly what to say to the people who were waiting for the bride somewhere else. He looked at the letter one last time, before folding it to stuff it in his pocket.
I’m sorry Papa, you were right. I was upset and sad. I want to start over but I don’t have the courage to cancel the wedding myself so I simply ran away with Damian. I have no idea of where we are going but we will always come back home. I’m so sorry for disappointing you again.