CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

TAMARA

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at two different locations. The reception was held at the Grand Duke, one of Mr. Kingston Hotels, which the tabloids claim to be one of the biggest hotels in New York.
Since this wasn't a real wedding and we weren't a happy couple, he didn't really need to go all out but he was a proud man so it's to be expected. I still can't believe he invited his ex-girlfriend to the wedding; that was one thing that baffled me today. Won't that give people the wrong idea if they ever found out who she was? I tried to talk to her, but I couldn't get away from Damien's family in time, and when I did, she had already left.
I learned that Mr. Kingston and his family had just left for the Grand Duke as I was about to head for the church's dressing room from the pastor that had officiated our wedding.
When I got to the church's dressing room, the bridal assistants helped me remove my wedding dress before I changed by myself into a much simpler gown for the reception. I had three gowns to choose from: one blue, one red, and one nude. So I went with a nude bodycon gown with lace sleeves that I brought from home, black stilettos, and a single strand of pearls given to me by my mother. However, before the bridal assistants left, they helped me pack my wedding gown and other items into my box, which had already been delivered to Mr. Kingston's apartment along with my other belongings from home.
When I was certain that nothing was left of mine in the dressing room and that I was happy with how I looked, I walked to the church parking lot to meet Mr. Kingston's driver, who was scheduled to take me to the Grand Duke. At first Alex offered to wait and bring me, but my father refused and I didn't want to fight him on it.
It took thirty minutes to get to the Grand Duke, and as soon as I stepped out of the limo, camera flashes began to flash and questions began to pour in from all directions. Mr. Kingston came up to me while smiling and oblivious to the media. He gave me a brief peck on the cheek and said, "Smile, this is not a funeral," before putting his hand around my waist and giving it a light squeeze.
My eyes moved to the spot where Damien's family and my family were waiting; Alex and his companions were also there, waiting nearby. Huston and Joe were fighting as usual, Alex had a worried look on his face, and Shane was giving me the thumbs up with a big grin on his face. Shane was the oldest, but he still acted like a kid, which was cute.
As Mr. Kingston led me to where they were waiting, Alex and his friends' presence alone served to ease my anxiety.
As soon as we reached where they were waiting, Sarah's arms encircled me and pulled me into an embrace. "You look lovely, Tamara," she said before pulling away to give Damien a hug too then his grandfather stepped in.
"I'm happy for you Damien; if my Emily; you grandmother was here, she'd be overjoyed to see you all grown up." Mr Zane said, shaking Mr Kingston's hand and pulling me into a quick hug.
Then I heard someone clear their throat behind me, causing me to turn around, my gaze settling on my family members, my father being the first to speak out of the group.
Thomas gave me a short hug and said, "My daughter is all grown up." I simply awkwardly remained there until he released me.
My stepmother walked up to me, placed a quick peck on my cheeks and said, "Tamara, you look gorgeous," but it didn't sound the least bit genuine but I chose to ignore it. Katherine on the other hand was busy ignoring me as usual. Alex then took a step forward, hugged me, and kissed my forehead. "You look lovely, Little Bee," Alex said as his friends joined him in congratulating me, even going so far as to bring me flowers. It was a bouquet of white hybrid roses, and they were really stunning.
"Thank you, they're lovely," I said, bringing the bouquet to my nose and inhaling their scent.
"It's more than you deserve; we weren't sure what to get you, but Alex said you liked roses, so everyone chipped in and got you this," Shane said, his face beaming with excitement.
I gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Thank them once again, "How sweet, thanks guys," but they had to go since Mrs. Adams, the wedding coordinator, was signaling for the other guests to enter. After saying, "We will also be heading in from here, see you later Little Bee," Alex and his friends followed my family.
"We will also be heading in so we can start the celebration," Mr. Zane said as he took Sarah's hand and escorted her inside the building, so I was now left alone with Mr. Kingston and the crowd of paparazzi surrounding us once they vanished through the double doors.
"Let's head in'' Mr. Kingston said as pulled me gently towards the direction of the entrance as he ignored the questions that were being directed at us, his face devoid of emotions. Perfect by Ed Sheeran was playing in the background as we walked in, and everyone began clapping to welcome us.
"Smile and wave, you look too stiff," Mr. Kingston commanded, and I did as he said, hoping that this event would end soon because I was exhausted from pretending to be in love with him.
Damien led me to the table reserved for us, and the event began. Mr. Kingston seemed to know the best man, who gave his toast first, followed by the best woman, who I had no idea who she was; the best woman was supposed to be chosen by me, but who cares what I want?
Another thing that disappointed me today was that Tommy didn't bother showing up or texting me an explanation as to why he couldn't come; I knew the foundation people couldn't come for obvious reasons, but he had no excuse; he is my best friend, and unlike my foundation friends, my family already knew about him.
Following the toast, the first dance between the bride and gown was performed, followed by the dance between the bride and father, followed by the cutting of the cake, and then we would all converge at the dining hall for lunch.
But then loud shouts came from the entrance, drawing everyone's attention to the door; I assumed it was the paparazzi, but then the person responsible for the commotion appeared; it was Jack Mr Kingston's father, who appeared disoriented, his clothes were a complete mess, and his hair was scruffy.
"Where is my son, get that bastard here right now," Jack yelled, his words slurred.
"Oh my God," Sarah exclaimed as she stared at Jack's disoriented state, my gaze shifting to Mr Zane and Mr Kingston, Mr Zane looking extremely angry, and Mr Kingston looked as if he wanted to murder someone, which was understandable given Jack's behaviour.
"Are you going to treat your father this way? Your own blood" Jack complained, finally breaking free from the grip of the guard that was holding him at bay as he stumbled towards us.
"Jack, what are you doing here?" Mr Kingston demanded, his eyes red with rage.
"Can't a father come to his son's wedding?" Jack snickered as he snatched a glass of wine from the nearest table.
Everyone in the room murmured as they watched the scene unfold "Haven't you had your fill? Jack" Damien commented as he approached his extremely drunk father.
"Don't treat me like a child, I'll stop when I say so," Jack said, his voice slightly raised as he took another sip of wine swirling around.
"Just like you always have," Damien said, running his hands through his hair. Jack was causing a commotion, and Mr Kingston was already fed up with the look of things.
"Where is the lucky bride? Good luck because you are going to need it, this one is a heartless bastard just like his old man," Jack said as his gaze fell on me.
"I'm nothing like you, Jack," Damien exclaimed, making me jump back. In fear, I despised yelling and did everything I could to avoid conflict because violence never solved anything.
"Don't you dare raise your voice at me, boy, I'm still your father," Jack yelled back, throwing the glass cup in his hand at Damien, who dodged it effortlessly, but it hit me on the arm before breaking on the floor, and the sound of the glass breaking triggered my panic attack, which I hadn't had in years.
My ears pounded and my heart thudded in my chest as I fell to my knees, holding my legs rocking back and forth, my hands instinctively going to cover my ears as the shouts grew louder by the minute. My hands shook as I struggled to keep them steady on my ears, and my vision became blurry. I couldn't move no matter how badly I wanted to leave. Staying here any longer could aggravate the situation due to the loud voices, but I couldn't move, my nails dug into my palms. My breathing was laborious. It was extremely difficult. Then I began to cry, my chest tightening as bile rose in my throat, and I silently begged for voices to stop.
When I felt a hand wrap around me and my body lifted, I instinctively wrapped my hands around the person's neck. Then something was put over my face, blocking my vision, so I couldn't see what was going on around me, which helped me relax a little. "It's okay, no one is going to hurt you Tamara, I'm right here," a very familiar voice said over and over until the voices died down.