My Broken Human Luna

Ariel’s P.O.V. “You are looking so beautiful in this gown, Ariel. I am sure that Vincent will not be able to control himself anymore after seeing you in this gown,” Martha, my friend, and my colleague teased me, making me blush harder. “Yeah.. she is right, girl. You are looking stunning. I wish I were a man,” Stella, my other friend, voiced out the same thing, and I glared hard at her but turned crimson red. I looked in the full-length mirror while admiring myself in the bridal gown that Vincent had chosen for me. It was a pure white off-shoulder gown with net-work all over down the waist. I was looking so beautiful without any makeup. I wondered how I would look when I get ready for the day of my marriage. A small, shy smile crept on my lips when I remembered what Vincent said when he chose this gown for me. He said that he is ready to marry me every day if I promise to wear this gown for him every morning. I knew it was cheesy, but I liked it very much. “Speaking of the man…. Where is he? He must be here by now,” Martha asked in a confused tone while looking at her wristwatch. I then looked at her, and pursed my lips into a thin line while looking at my wristwatch. I talked with Vincent an hour ago and he told me that he was on his way to here. He also had to try his suit that he had to wear on our wedding. “Let me call him,” Martha said, and I nodded in response. I looked at myself in the mirror again. “What the hell,” Martha yelled, making me look at her again. “He…. He is not reachable,” she yelled again while looking at her phone screen. She looked at me in confusion. “He may be caught in the traffic. It’s rush hour,” Stella comforted me, and I also thought about the same reason. It was sometimes difficult to get signals in the traffic. I looked at the salesgirl, who was standing while looking at all of us curiously. I gave her a small smile. “Let’s wait for him a few more minutes,” I said to her in a nervous tone. She smiled and gave me a curt nod. “It’s okay, Ms. Rivers. The dress is already yours. I advise you to sit down. You have been standing for almost half an hour,” she answered me in a polite tone. “Yeah, honey… you should sit down…. Let me try him again,” Martha said absentmindedly, and dialled Vincent’s number once again. “Come here,” Stella took my hand gently, giving me the strength that I really needed right now. I was afraid of people abandoning me. I knew that Vincent would never leave me like this. He was a loyal boyfriend to me. We had been dating for the past two years, and it was him who proposed me a month ago for marriage. Our wedding ceremony was right after seven days. I must have started watching dramas more, and that was why, I was having all bad feelings right now. Martha groaned in frustration and looked at me helplessly. Martha and Stella were my friends from college. They were always with me through all the ups and downs of life. Martha worked with me as a security officer at a security firm. We were both exclusive bodyguards, while Stella is the marketing manager in a small firm. Vincent is also with me in the same firm. “I am going to kill him,” Martha grunted, and she dialed his number again. “Relax, Martha….. he must be stuck somewhere, or else he would have informed us. His phone is not reachable, right?” Stella scolded her and looked at me in the end to confirm. “Yeah… right,” Martha answered her in a flat tone. “It explains why he is not calling to Ariel. He will call as soon as he will be in the network area,” Stella comforted me, and I felt her explanation was understandable. “Would you all like to have something to drink?” the salesgirl asked us in a polite tone. “Yeah… I think… I need a strong coffee,” Martha answered her in a pissed tone. Among us, she was the most hot-headed. I smiled at her and signalled her to come to me. She stomped her foot but walked to me. “It’s okay… you know him… he will never do anything to make me feel embarrassed for something like that,” I assured her, and she nodded while pursing her lips. "Yeah ...yeah....still it's annoying," she replied to me while shrinking her nose, making me smile widely. The next half an hour was like an eternity to me. I didn’t know how many times I had checked my wristwatch to see the time. Every passing second was increasing my anxiety. Both Martha and Stella tried his number so many times, but his phone was not in the network area all the time. I refused to call him because I was scared that he would pick up the call, and tell me that he didn’t want me anymore. My anxiety was now taking a toll on my heart. “Ms. Rivers,” the salesgirl called me in a low tone. I looked at her blankly. She had an apologetic look on her face now. It was already 9 p.m., and she also had to close the shop. “Yeah… I.. I… think … I .. I should change now… I.. I can come tomorrow, right?” I answered her, and she nodded in agreement. “Let me help you,” Stella said in a low tone while taking my hand in hers. I didn’t say anything or respond to her. I had tears in my eyes now, and the feeling of being abandoned by someone whom I loved the most had filled my whole existence. Stella took me to the changing room with the salesgirls, and they helped me change my clothes. I was trying hard not to cry, but tears were continuously threatening to roll down at any time. Deep down in my heart, I still had a ray of hope that Vincent would never abandon me. He must have some reason for not being reachable tonight. “You don’t worry, love. He loves you with all his heart. We can come back tomorrow,” Stella consoled me again, making me smile faintly, but I failed miserably. We both came out of the trial room after giving the gown back to the salesgirl. I wanted some changes around my waist that I told the salesgirl. She noted everything and assured me that I would get it done by tomorrow. With a heavy heart, I came out of the trial room. “What happened?” Stella asked Martha in a worried tone as soon as we reached her. My heart sank when I saw her crying while covering her mouth. She had my phone in her hand. “Martha,” I said, immediately approaching her and took my phone from her hand. There was still a call going on, and it was from an unknown number. I took the phone from her hand, and she burst out crying, making me tremble in fear. “Hello!” I said while putting the phone on my ear. “You have to come to the city hospital, Ms. I am sorry for your loss,” the person said in a gentle tone, but his words took me off guard. “Wh… what are you talking about? Wh… why I… I need to come to the hospital?” I asked him in a trembling voice, dreading the worst. “Vincent…. He died, Ariel… he is dead,” Martha suddenly screamed while crying like a mad woman. The phone slipped from my hand when her words sank into my mind. My heart stopped beating, and I felt difficulty breathing. “Are you fu*king out of your mind, Martha? What are you saying?” Stella yelled at Martha, but my mind was still processing what she said. Vincent is dead. How could he? He couldn’t die. He… he promised me th… that he would be with me forever. He couldn’t leave me. “Ms. Rivers… Ms. Rivers,” someone shouted in a panicked tone, but I was numb to every voice around me. “The police officer told me, Stella. We…. We… we have to go there… t… to identi… identify his body,” Martha screamed aloud, and that was when my knees went jelly, and everything blacked out in front of my eyes. Vincent’s smiling face was the last thing that appeared in front of my eyes before everything was engulfed by the darkness.