CHAPTER 1
Anytime I remember how deeply I used to love my ex and how blindly I followed everything he said, I still marvel at myself.
Damian used to be my first love, my childhood sweetheart and my everything. We had dated for eight long years. Eight years of love, pain, and heartbreak disguised as devotion.
But the truth is, Damian was never the man I thought he was. Behind that charming smile was a monster. He was a woman beater, cruel, controlling, and frighteningly possessive.
I couldn’t see it then because I was madly in love with him. I made excuses for him every single time. I couldn’t touch his phone, couldn’t make calls in his presence, and couldn’t even laugh too freely, because he would think I was flirting with someone else.
Damian misunderstood me at every turn. And still, I stayed. I thought love meant patience. I thought love could change him. I was wrong.
The day I finally walked away from him was one I would never forget. I had gone to his office unexpectedly and caught him passionately kissing Anita, my own childhood friend.
When I confronted him, he said Anita kissed him first. He even had the audacity to say I was overreacting.
That was the day I realized I had been in love with the wrong man all along.
Anyway, that part of my life no longer mattered now. Because as I stood in front of the church altar, holding Ernest’s hands, the man I was about to marry, all I could think about was how far I had come.
Ernest came into my life just few months after I left Damian. He found me broken, yet he handled me like glass, with care, patience, and love.
He was everything Damian was not, calm, kind, gentle, understanding, and endlessly loving. For the first time in my life, I felt safe.
It took me a while to open up to him completely, but when I did, he didn’t run. Instead, he stayed and helped me heal.
After three months of dating, he proposed, and I said yes. How could I probably say no to a man like Ernest? He was everything every woman would pray for to have in a husband.
But that peaceful morning that was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, the day I was to become Mrs. Ernest, something happened that no one in that church would ever forget.
We were both standing before the priest, ready to exchange our vows. My heart was racing, and my eyes were misty with joy. I could already imagine the life ahead of us. The laughter, our children, and love without pain.
Then suddenly, there was a loud commotion at the back of the church.
Everyone turned to see what was happening and there was Damian.
He was looking furious, wild-eyed, like someone who was possessed. He was breathing heavily as he pointed towards me.
“This wedding will not hold!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the church.
Before anyone could stop him, he marched down the aisle, straight to where I stood.
And then, without warning, a hot, thunderous slap landed across my face.
The entire congregation gasped.
I froze, my cheek burning, my breath caught between rage and shock. Slowly, I raised my hand to my face, staring at him in disbelief.
For a moment, time stood still.
Then I felt Ernest’s hand leave mine immediately.
He was already walking toward Damian, his eyes dark with fury, his jaw clenched tight. I had never seen him like that before.
And what happened next in the church that day shocked every single person that was present.
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To be continued…
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