4: 4
Night fell. I curled up on the couch and drifted off.
Half-asleep, I heard the lock rattle.
I figured it was Asher coming back for his things, so I just lay there without moving.
But the sounds at the door kept getting stranger.
The keypad beeps came fast and thick, one after another,
and then that string of wrong password tones tightened something cold in my chest.
I crept to the door.
I looked through the peephole.
No one there.
And right then, the power cut out. Total darkness.
The knocking started, sudden and hard.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I grabbed my phone and called my emergency contact.
Asher picked up fast. When he heard me crying,
the other end went quiet for a few seconds,
and then Paulette burst out laughing:
"See? I told you she can't do without you. My idea worked, didn't it!"
"Yeah. Real clever little thing."
The door opened.
Asher and Paulette were standing there.
Paulette pointed at me, laughing so hard she could barely stand.
Asher stepped forward and took my hand.
"Jo-Jo, look at the state of you. What would you do without me? Still going to talk to me about breaking up?"
For one moment, I felt like a clown in a circus.
I was shaking all over, tears pouring down my face.
"Get out! Both of you, get out!" I shoved at them with everything I had, forcing them toward the door.
I'd told Asher before.
A few years ago, a strange man forced his way into my home.
He knocked me out with a club and dragged me into the bathroom.
Thank God a neighbor called the police in time and saved me, or it would have been unthinkable.
But it left a shadow on me that never went away.
My migraines started then.
Thirty-six times now.
On purpose.
He did it on purpose.
They did it on purpose.
The two of them were still saying something in front of me.
I watched their mouths open and close,
then a spike of pain split my head, and I passed out.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital.
Asher was keeping watch by the bed. When he saw me wake, the deep line between his brows finally eased:
"Jo-Jo, you're awake."
I turned my face away, refusing to look at him.
He didn't get angry. He just stayed with me.
Two full days and nights, never leaving my side.
Every day Asher had people bring in all kinds of nourishing meals.
Before each meal he'd stroke my head:
"Jo-Jo, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."
I just kept my head down and ate. Getting my strength back was what mattered most.
Paulette came to the room every day to go over wedding details with Asher.
They deliberately kept their voices low and vague, then told me it was so I could relax and be the bride.
I nodded faintly and said nothing.
On the wedding day,
I took a cab straight to the airport.
Someone heard it was an influencer's wedding and went to the venue to livestream it.
Waiting at the gate, I happened to scroll into the stream,
and saw the whole place done in black, skulls and mummy props scattered across the floor, dim and oppressive.
A guest was muttering: "This doesn't look like a wedding. It looks more like a funeral..."
The person beside her quickly covered her mouth, signaling her not to say things like that.
On the screen,
Asher stood on the stage, eyes full of anticipation, watching the entrance.
Then all the lights went out.
Everyone waited quietly for the bride to enter.
The doors slowly drew open,
and the instant the spotlight lit up what stood beyond them,
the whole crowd screamed,
and the anticipation on Asher's face turned in a heartbeat into disbelieving shock...
