The Rejected Brides Holiday Romance

Chapter Three – Why?

Chapter Three – Why?

The sun broke through the edges of the dusky pink blinds around the window, waking Sienna up after a sleepless night tossing and turning. She blinked repeatedly, wondering where the hell she was. As she looked around her childhood bedroom, the realities of the previous day flooded her mind like a freight train, and the tears she thought were gone forever, came back like a tidal wave streaming down her cheeks unchecked. Her heart constricting her chest, she blanched from the intensity of it.

“I will not cry over that bastard again.” Sienna said like a mantra, as she wiped her face with the back of her hands, attempting to force the tears to subside.

A knock at the bedroom door disturbed her melancholy, as she sat up in her childhood bed.

“Hey sweetheart, how are we doing?” Her mother's voice asked as she poked her head around the door.

Sienna could not answer, fearful she would break out in tears again. She was stronger than this, or at least she thought she was, but no sooner than her mother perched on the side of her bed, another wave of sobs shook her whole body.

Martha reached out and gathered her daughter into her arms, cradling her to her bosom just like she had when she was a little girl, when she fell and scraped her knees. Her heart hurt beyond description for her only daughter. Sienna was the light of her life, and she could not bare to see the pain she was going through.

“Why Mam?” Sienna asked between her sobs.

“I don’t know pet, but I do know one thing, you don’t need him, and you certainly don’t need her.” Martha soothed.

“She was my best friend. Hell we danced together in this very room pretending we were backing dancers in one direction. I was with Harry, she was with Louis.” Sienna sobbed again.

“Guess I have always gone for the cheating arseholes.” She added, with a humourless laugh.

Martha stroked her daughter's long blonde hair, remembering a time when she would brush it, and place it into braids before school. When her biggest worry was if she would ace her spelling test at the end of the week or get a new book to read from school.

Yesterday had been brutal. Not only had Sienna found out her good-for-nothing fiancé was cheating on her, but her best friend, since she was four years old, had done the unthinkable. Martha let out a long sigh. Cara, she had treated that girl like another daughter. Sienna and her had been inseparable since the age of four. Martha felt the betrayal deep in her own heart, and she could not even imagine the magnitude of Sienna’s pain right now.

“She was my best friend, Mam! We were supposed to be like sisters. She hated him, or so she said, but now I know exactly why she did not want the wedding to go ahead, she wanted him for herself. Well, she can have him, with f*****g bells on. She can pay for his lazy arse and listen to his never-ending excuses and lies as to why he cannot hold down a job.” Sienna began to shout, her sadness turning once more to anger.

If truth be told, Sienna was more hurt and devastated by her friend’s betrayal than she was about Kev’s. Another clear indication that she had made the wrong decision when she had agreed to marry him. Over the past few months, she had felt obliged to go ahead with the wedding, when the small voice inside her brain had repeatedly told her to pull out of it. She wished she had listened, at least then she would not have the gossips pitying her, the ‘poor Sienna’ gossip that would undoubtedly do the rounds of Wylam. She would not look like the i***t she did now, not knowing that her best friend was taking it up the ‘jacksy’ from her fiancé behind her back, whilst she went to work to pay for him.

“Your Dad is on the phone to the florists and the wedding car company.” Martha sighed; she did not want her daughter to deal with any more of the cancellations. Hearing her tell them that the wedding was cancelled, repeating the story over and over again, tore her heart to shreds.

“Thank you.” Sienna meekly said, shaking her head slightly as she thought about the calls that were yet to be made.

“Sienna, sorry pet, but the travel agent is on the phone, they need to speak with you.” Eric said, looking at his wife comforting his precious daughter. He would happily do a long stretch at his majesty’s pleasure if he ever got his hands on the low life who had broken her heart.

Sienna took in a deep breath and sitting up she straightened her shoulders and nodded at her father, holding her hand out for the mobile phone.

“Miss Lloyd, this is Tanya from Romantic Holidays. I got your message from yesterday to call you. How can I help you today?” The cheerful voice said down the phone.

Sienna blew out a breath from her lips before inhaling again, closing her eyes, as she prepared to inform the cheerful travel agent of her plans.

“Hi, Tanya. I have a couple of questions, if I may, regarding my honeymoon to Hawaii departing London Heathrow, on 5th of July, arriving 7th of July in Honolulu.” Sienna said, hoping the tremor in her voice was not apparent over the phone.

“Yes, of course. Not long now.” Tanya said happily, oblivious to what was going on in Sienna’s life.

“Well, no, but the thing is, the wedding is cancelled,” Sienna began.

“Oh, no. I am so sorry to hear that. Do you have insurance to cover the cost of the honeymoon?” Tanya asked, her voice laced with concern.

“Yes, but I want to go by myself. Could I possibly just cancel one ticket please?” Sienna asked.

“Technically, yes, we can do that. However, we would still need to charge you for the cancelled ticket, and I am not sure if the insurance would cover the cost of that.” Tanya hesitantly informed her.

“That is fine, I just want his name off the booking. Do you need his permission or anything?” Sienna asked, crossing her fingers, hoping that she could just do this and not need Kev's approval.

“No, you are the lead on the booking, and I can see from the system that it was paid from your account. So that is not a problem. Only you can change any details,” Tanya answered.

Sienna let out a long breath of relief, knowing that Kev could not change the holiday for him and Cara.

A few moments later, the holiday was sorted, only in Sienna’s name, Kev’s ticket was cancelled, and Sienna passed her phone back to her father, slumping back into the soft pillows.

“Thanks for letting me stay here last night.” Sienna softly sighed at her mother and father.

“Hey, this is your home. Of course, you can stay here as long as you like.” Martha smiled at her daughter.

“Thanks Mam, I need to get rid of that bed, maybe decorate the house, before moving back in there.” Sienna said, contemplating her future, not wanting anything to be the same as it had been just yesterday morning.

“I have rung your boss, Sienna. She seems like a lovely woman. I explained what was going on and she said to take the rest of the week, and they would still pay you for the time off.” Eric told her.

“Yes, Lucy is great. However, I am going back to work tomorrow. I will allow myself today to wallow in self-pity, but tomorrow I begin the rest of my life.” Sienna replied, her voice filled with a steely determination that made her father's chest puff with pride.

“That-a-girl.” Eric smiled softly at his daughter.

“Okay, so do you feel like eating some breakfast?” Martha asked.

“No, not really. My tummy is in knots. I think I just want a nice cup of tea. I will be down in a little bit.” Sienna forced a smile.

“Okay pet, I will go make that for you.” Martha smiled, glad to be able to go do something to help her daughter, even if it was just making a good old cup of tea.

Standing under the hot streams of water from the shower, Sienna took another breath, determined not to allow the tears that were threatening to fall again, free. She would beat this; she was stronger than her fraught emotions. She had loved Kev, they had some amazing times together, before it all went sideways when he refused to work, putting a financial strain on their relationship. He had been her first love, her first kiss, her first everything, the only man she had ever been with, the reason she had held on tight to the failing relationship. However, the pain was mixed with relief, and she could not deny that to cancel the wedding had felt like a weight had lifted off her shoulders. She mourned the good times they had, as stary-eyed kids, loved up, and the envy of all the kids at school, but try as she might she found she was unable to mourn the man he became. The one she enabled, keeping his lazy ass in designer clothes, putting a roof over his head, food in his belly, and the condoms in his wallet, that had not been used on her for months, but obviously used on her former best friend.

Another wave of sadness hit her. How could any self-respecting woman bed the fiancé of their best friend? Especially when they had been so close, her mother had often teased them that they couldn’t put a piece of paper between them.

Rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, Sienna could not be bothered to condition her long blonde locks today, she barely had the energy to wash her body. Stepping out of the shower, she wrapped herself up in a large towel, before running barefoot across the landing, back into her childhood bedroom, before drying off, and putting on some fresh cotton underwear, a pair of black leggings and a long sloppy white t-shirt she had grabbed last night before hightailing it from her house, back to the safety and comfort of her childhood home. Although she knew she would pay for it tomorrow, when trying to brush her hair, Sienna did not bother to run the comb through her long blond locks, and simply picked up the wet strands, twisted them into a knot and placed them at the top of her head in a bun of sorts, the wet strands breaking free, and the uncombed roots bunched up in various places. Looking in the mirror, she could not deny that she was a mess, but she also could not find a single ounce of herself that cared.

Walking down the stairs, she headed into the kitchen, sitting at the big pine kitchen table, as her mother placed a cup of steaming tea in front of her. Taking a sip of the hot liquid, she allowed it to calm her fractured nerves, then began making a list in her head of everything she had left to sort out.

“Mam, we need to ring the bridal shop, I am due for the final fitting in two days. I am not going.” Sienna declared, as she sipped her tea, her eyes staring straight ahead.

“Already done. Your dad sorted it out first thing this morning. However, we do need to pick up your dress and Car….the bridesmaid dress. But we will do that for you and keep them here. What do you want to do with it?” Martha asked.

“Sell it, I paid £3000 for it. If I get half of that I will be happy.” Sienna shrugged. At this point, the money was gone, it was pointless worrying about how much she would get back from selling items.

“The florist had not started any work, so they are crediting the whole amount back to your credit card.” Martha continued.

“That was nice of Edith, I need to contact Ria about the cake as well.” Sienna sighed, not looking forward to the conversation with her old school friend who had set up her cake-making business from home.

“I can do that if you like?” Eric said, taking a seat beside his daughter, his heart breaking slightly at the state she was in.

“No, I will do it. I do not want any money back from her, she is a fledging business, so to lose the money will be a lot for her to take.” Sienna sighed.

“Okay, well, we can do all of that this afternoon.” Martha said, gently placing a hand on Sienna’s arm.

The family sat together in silence, all lost in their own thoughts, when suddenly a loud bang on the door echoed through the house.

“I know she is in there, how dare she do this.” The voice of Kev’s mother rang out.

Sienna let out a breath shaking her head, knowing that she was about to get into it with the woman, and not sure if she could do it without breaking down into tears.

“I will send her away.” Eric growled out, scraping back his chair on the tiled kitchen floor.

“No Dad. I will deal with it.” Sienna said, then stood up, walking to the front door, and taking a deep breath she opened it.