Betrayed

Feeling Bad

" Please, don't kill me," Jennifer said when she realized that Wilson was not going to defend her.

" I won't if you keep that mouth of yours shut," Fiona said with a smile while pointing a gun at Jennifer.

" Please, let me go. I promise, I won't breathe a word about this," Jennifer said shakily.

" Well, that wasn't hard, was it? " Fiona asked calmly. Jennifer could not utter a word. She was frightened by the gun which was still pointing at her head.

' What if Fiona's finger mistakenly presses the trigger? I will be dead in no time,' Jennifer thought silently.

" Please, ma'am, can you put the gun away?" Jennifer asked in a frightened voice. Fiona chuckled when she saw how frightened Jennifer looked.

" I love this toy in my hand. It humbles even the proudest person in the universe," Fiona said with a smile and brought down her gun. Jennifer sighed in relief as soon as Fiona brought down the gun.

" I'm letting you go, now. But if you ever think of breathing a word about the relationship between Wilson and Stephanie, you will be six feet below the death. I have my eyes on you. One word and you are gone," Fiona said calmly. From the look on her face, Jennifer could tell that she was not bluffing.

" Why are you doing this? What has Gwendolyn done to deserve this kind of treatment?" Jennifer asked, on the verge of tears.

" That's none of your business. If you ever think of breaking this news to her, I will make sure that you die a slow and painful death," Fiona said calmly. But Jennifer could tell that beyond her calmness laid a raging storm.

" Wilson will continue his relationship with her. But he will jilt her at the altar on the day of the wedding. If Gwendolyn ever gets a glimpse of this plan, you will be dead. Not just you but your entire family," Fiona told Jennifer with a smile.

Jennifer turned in the direction of Wilson to see if he would protest or say something. But he didn't.

However, from the look on his face, Jennifer could tell that he was not happy with that arrangement even though he didn't go against the plan.

" I promise, I won't tell a soul about this," Jennifer said sincerely. She was not ready to lose her life and those of her family members simply because she wanted to save her best friend from heartbreak.

" Very well, then. You can go," Fiona said with a smile. Jennifer took one last look at Wilson and Stephanie before taking her leave.

True to her words, Jennifer didn't say a word to Gwendolyn until she was jilted at the altar.

Present........

" I'm sorry, Gwen. Please, come back to me," Jennifer cried bitterly.

" I hope Gwen is fine. God, please keep my friend safe," Jennifer prayed silently.

" Should I go to the police and report so that they can search for her?" Jennifer asked herself.

" No! Gwen is not missing. She just went somewhere to cool off," Jennifer told herself repeatedly.

" But where is she? I hope she won't do anything stupid," Jennifer asked herself. She could not help but wonder where her best friend could be at the moment. She couldn't even give Gwendolyn a call because she was with her purse and phone.

Jennifer continued her search for Gwendolyn until it was dark. Yet there was no trace of her.

After a fruitless search for Gwendolyn, Jennifer tiredly went home with the hope of seeing Gwendolyn the next day.

Wilson and Stephanie's wedding reception went on well. The hall, decorations, organisation, and everything were all Gwendolyn's ideas. Nothing was changed. Fiona felt on top of the world because the decorations were second to none. She could not help but mentally give Gwendolyn an accolade for unknowingly planning a perfect wedding reception for Stephanie.

" Please, take care of my daughter. Treat her well. Otherwise, you will have me to contend with," Fiona told Wilson after the wedding reception.

" I truly love Stephanie. I promise to treat her well," Wilson said sincerely.

" That's good. I wish you a blissful marriage," Fiona said happily. Seeing her daughter get married to one of the illegible bachelors in the city was a dream come true for her.

Zack Malcolm sat quietly. One could tell that his mind was far away from the event he was attending.

' Am I a bad father?' Zack Malcolm asked himself silently. He had not been himself since the incident that took place in the church. He couldn't shake off the feeling of being unfair to Gwendolyn no matter how hard he tried..

" Won't you bid your daughter farewell?;" Fiona asked Zack Malcolm. But he gave no response. Fiona tapped him several times on the shoulder before he snapped out of his thoughts.

" What's going on? You are lost in thought. What are you thinking about?" Fiona asked worriedly.

" Am I a bad father?" Zack Malcolm suddenly asked. Fiona was taken aback by his question. She didn't understand why he was asking her that question.

" Of course, not. You are the best father anyone could ever wish for," Fiona said with a smile.

" Hmmm! But I think I'm too harsh on Gwendolyn. It's like I'm treating her unjustly," Zack Malcolm said sadly.

" Like I said earlier, you are the best father anyone could ever wish for. Gwendolyn is just so stubborn. She needs to be handled with iron hands. Otherwise, she will become notorious and bring shame to the whole family. You are doing the right thing," Fiona said with a smile.

" No matter how stubborn Gwendolyn is, she doesn't deserve the treatment she got today," Zack Malcolm said sadly. Since the incident at the church, his conscience has been pricking him. He couldn't shake off the feeling that what he did was wrong. He shouldn't have supported Stephanie to marry Gwendolyn's husband and, worse still, kept her in the dark until the wedding.

' Damn you, Gwendolyn,' Fiona thought and gritted her teeth.

" Don't be too hard on yourself. Gwendolyn will be fine," Fiona said with a smile.

" Are you sure about that? " Zack Malcolm asked worriedly. Even though he behaved nonchalantly to his daughter, he cared about her well-being.

" Of course, I'm sure. Gwendolyn is not as fragile as she looks. She will pull through this," Fiona said with a smile even though in her heart she wished that Gwendolyn would just disappear from their lives and never return.

" Let's forget about Gwendolyn for now and enjoy the party. I know you won't want to ruin Stephanie's wedding reception because of Gwendolyn,": Fiona said pointedly.

Zack Malcolm saw some sense in what Fiona said. The deed was already done. There was no need to ruin Stephanie's wedding reception because of Gwendolyn. He told himself repeatedly. Some moments later, Zack Malcolm's mood was lightened. He was genuinely happy about Stephanie's wedding to Wilson.

" I will miss you, dad," Stephanie said tearfully when it was time to go home with her husband, Wilson.

" I will miss you too, my daughter. But it is the joy of every father to give out his daughter's hand in marriage. You have always been a good girl. Please, don't change now," Zack Malcolm told his daughter with a smile.

" I won't change, dad,": Stephanie assured her father.

Zack Malcolm smiled happily while he watched his wife, Fiona, hug Stephanie as if her life depended on it.

Some moments later, Stephanie left with her Wilson, her husband.

" She is such a lovely lady. Wilson is indeed lucky to get married to her," Fiona told Zack Malcolm while they watched Wilson's car drive off.