Lured into Lies by Melanie Martins
Chapter 30
Emma Hasenfratz
Look at them… Jeez, they look so freaking happy and over the moon that it hurts. I’m still an emotional wreck from the whole ceremony. I watch as Petra and Alex leave the chairs so that Sebastian and I can do the signing as their witnesses. As I sit down, I look to the papers, and my heart squeezes a bit seeing their beautiful signatures: Petra Van Gatt and Alexander Van Dieren. Damn. I still remember the day when Petra told me she saw Van Dieren as husband material. Well, I never thought this would become reality so soon. As I come to think of it, I wonder how her dad is coping with the whole thing. At least he had the guts to attend the ceremony and support her, unlike her mom. God knows what she is doing right now. With a heavy heart, I reach for the feather pen and leave one more signature on the document that binds my baby girl forever to a man I barely like. Then I give the pen to Sebastian, who signs the document just as quickly.
As the newlyweds leave the castle, they are appropriately greeted at the entrance with some rice and more cheering. Then, at the photographer’s insistence, all the guests gather together on the stairs for the official wedding picture.
The photographer asks everyone to say cheese, but all I can think is that now my best friend is married. Like for real. I signed that shit a few minutes ago, and I’m gonna need some heavy alcohol to ease the nostalgia.
Afterward, the newlyweds take a few more pictures with their guests, and I obviously take one with them. I put on a smile, and the photographer captures the moment. I give her yet another hug, squeezing her as tight in my arms as I can. Ultimately this is her day, and Petra is glowing like I’ve rarely seen; I’m pretty sure a married life will suit her perfectly.
A few moments later, Petra and Alex start walking away with their photographer and leaving toward the gardens.
“Where are they going?” I find myself asking to Yara, who is standing beside me. In my defense, I didn’t even know she was standing right here.
“They’re gonna do a photoshoot around the property, while we drink and eat blinis with salmon and caviar.”
“We?” I ask, frowning. “I thought you don’t drink in front of your kids.”
“I didn’t say it would be alcohol,” she answers, giving me a wink.
And I can’t help but huff at her as I know perfectly well what she is talking about. “So funny,” I mock. Since she is here with me, I prompt myself to lower my voice and ask discreetly, “By the way, why did you leave without saying a word? Were you mad at me or what?”
“Excuse me, I have to go.” And to my greatest surprise, she passes through me, climbing the stairs.
I shake my head as I look at Yara waving and smiling as she goes to greet some guests and do some small talk. What a bitch… What a freaking bitch she is.
* * *
While I’m already on my third margarita, I never thought I’d end up talking to the quietest sister, the one who barely talks, the one who seems for the most part quite invisible—Maud. I kinda wondered why she was so reserved, but as we stand by the bar, the conversation has been flowing like water in a river. I never thought scientists could be so freaking interesting. Heck, it’s fascinating seeing how different Maud can act after only one drink. “And what did Margaret say when she caught you killing that frog to do experiments?” I ask, engrossed in one of her sordid childhood memories.
“Well, she told me I shouldn’t be testing chemicals on frogs, and I told her it’s better to try on that frog than on Yara.”
I burst out laughing and try to do it without spitting my margarita out of my mouth. “And what did she do next?”
“She punished me. I couldn’t leave my bedroom for a week. Mind you, at nine years old, staying locked in a bedroom was like a prison. If not worse.”
“Damn… That was harsh just for a frog,” I say.
“Yeah, well, now I can test and do experiments on humans since we have a lot of volunteers, so at the end of the day, I got my little revenge.” A massive smile splits across her face before she takes another sip from her drink. “No more frogs though.”
Despite my quick chuckle, I can’t help but ask, “What if the experiment goes wrong? Like if one of the participants die. Are you guys liable?”
“Of course not. If they die or get injured, it’s at their risk; our labs are not forcing anyone to participate in the testings, and they are aware of potential side-effects. There was this one guy whose left leg literally exploded. I swear, there was blood everywhere,” she says like it’s funny. “I think he’s still alive, with an amputated leg, but he was very angry at us. Anyway, we have a few cases here and there. But it’s all part of the job.”
Damn, I understand why she is so quiet; her gruesome stories would scare most people. “I love how passionate you are about your work,” I tell her. “If you ever need to switch labs or want to work on different projects, my parents know everyone in the industry. They invest heavily in biotech.”
“Oh, thanks. My brother too, and I actually do a lot of consulting for him.”
“Really?” Now that’s something I didn’t know. “Does being a consultant pay more than being a scientist?” I ask, quite intrigued with her job.
“I mean, if you are the leading scientist for a project, it pays really well, but being a consultant and a speaker pays just as much. Plus you become known as an expert in your field, so your name gains more value, and you can get a raise more easily.”
I can’t help but nod as she speaks. “Wow, your mom must be so proud of you.”
“Eh, not really…”
“What? Why not?” I ask her in surprise.
Staring in the void, Maud seems lost for words as she drinks a bit more of her cocktail. “Well, let’s say we have different visions of the world…”
My brows frown while my curiosity sparks. “So that’s why you are so quiet all the time?”
She laughs at my question, but it wasn’t a joke. Just genuine interest. “I’m quiet because I enjoy observing more than participating, but I guess after I tried to poison my English teacher, Mom dropped all hope for me.”
I nearly choke on my drink. “Wait—what? You tried to poison your English teacher? How? Also why?”
“Um, with some plants that are well-known to give you a heart attack. In my defense, she was a total bitch with me and a complete bully. So at fifteen, I thought it’d be a good thing to take the matter into my own hands.”
A smile curves my lips at her dark mind. “How did you get caught though?”
“I was dumb and told Yara. I wanted to brag about the poison I had prepared for my teacher, but alas, Yara went to Mom and reported me.”
“Holy shit, and what did your mom do?”
“She was so furious. I swear, she asked me if I thought it was okay to kill a human being, and I just shrugged saying one less wouldn’t make a difference as there are already far too many alive.” My jaw drops at her blunt answer, and I can only imagine the outrage of her mom.
“What did she do?”
“She slapped me so hard I cried,” Maud answers. “That’s when I understood I couldn’t be that open about my thoughts and beliefs with her. The great thing about being a scientist is that you can work on projects surrounded by people who think like you. They are way more tolerant than Mom when it comes to death.”
“You are the most fascinating person I have met in a long time,” I tell her, and I truly mean it. Okay, maybe the second, since Yara takes the cake. “Honestly, I could listen to you talk for days.” And I finish my fourth margarita, feeling quite inspired to give her a piece of advice. “You should publish a memoir about being a scientist with all these stories and how your childhood shaped your views.”
“Maybe one day, but I’d definitely use a pen name for the sake of keeping my privacy.”
I give her a slight nod in understanding when all of a sudden, we hear everyone cheering and clapping around us. As I follow their stares, my eyes find Alex and Petra, hand-in-hand, making their big entrance into the reception hall. They nod and wave at everyone, smiles on their faces while a new melody fills the room. They get into the center of the dance floor while the music blares through the speakers, and a mix of happiness and nostalgia takes over me as I watch them swaying together. Despite not being the biggest fan of marriages, the love they share for each other is quite moving, and I truly hope nothing bad will happen to tear them down.
Following their romantic dance, they go and sit at the head table, beside Margaret and Roy. To my surprise, my seat is positioned right beside her dad, and next to me, there’s Elliot and Yara. For a moment, I thought about asking Elliot to switch seats with Yara, but the asymmetry wouldn’t look good in the pictures, so I refrain myself from doing so.
After everyone gets to their seats, I notice a member of the staff handing Roy a microphone before he stands up and the music gets lower.
“Good evening everyone, I’m Roy Van Gatt, the father of the bride.” Everyone stops talking, and our attention focuses on him. “Thank you for coming here today as we celebrate the wedding of my beautiful daughter to Alexander Van Dieren, my best friend.” Wow he seems so nervous as he speaks, which is quite unusual for him. With the slightly shaking palms and sharp glances around the room, I almost don’t recognize the man who stands before me. “It’s a very tough day for me, so, um, excuse me if I’m still trying to process everything.” Roy lets out a quick chuckle before he turns to face the groom. And as they look at each other, he says, “Alex, now it’s the moment where I’m supposed to officially welcome you into the family, but the truth is, you have always been a part of it since the day I met you. We have known each other for twenty years, and despite all the ups and downs we have faced, our friendship managed to survive thanks to your uncompromising loyalty and commitment to it.” I lean forward so that I can see Alex’s expression as Roy delivers his speech. And as I stare at the glitter in his eyes, he seems to be just as moved as I am. “Yet, of all the amazing qualities that you possess, my favorite of all is that you’ve always made my daughter feel cherished and loved.” Roy pauses to take a deep breath, struggling to hold himself together. “And while I don’t think any amount of preparation can ever leave you feeling ready to give your daughter away, if I had to choose a person to hand her to, I’d choose you every time.” Despite Alex’s smile, there is a gleam in his eyes that I haven’t seen before. Thick tears brim my eyes, but I push them back. Then Roy looks to his daughter, and says, “Petra, of all the things I’ve done in my lifetime, being your father and caring for you is by far my biggest achievement.” Petra sniffles, and her gaze drops as she wipes some of her tears away. “To you both, it’s worth bearing in mind that neither of you will ever be perfect, but you can be perfect together. A successful marriage is not about finding a person you can live with, but finding a person that you can’t live without, and I know you’ve found that with each other.” Roy’s words echo through the room, leaving all the guests in an emotional wreck. “Before I take a seat, I have one last task to perform, and it’s a task that is both my honor and my privilege.” He then takes his flute of champagne and raises it. “Ladies and gentlemen, please raise your glasses and join me in wishing the bride and groom a long, healthy, and very happy future together. To Petra and Alex!”
“To Petra and Alex!” The crowd repeats wholeheartedly as they raise their glasses in perfect unison. With tears resting on my eyelids, I also raise mine before giving it a taste. Then I watch Petra hugging her dad tightly, before Alex does the same under a wave of loud applauses.
Well, what an amazing speech. I’m seriously wondering how anyone else will manage to do better than that. Fortunately, mine is meant to happen while we wait for the main course, which means people will hopefully be too tipsy to remember shit.
* * *
“Are you enjoying the wedding?” As I turn to my left side, I find Yara sitting beside me, a hand resting on her face.
Since I’m still annoyed at her bitchy attitude from the morning, I ignore her question and ask, “Where is Elliot?”
“He went to check on the kids,” she brushes off, before leaning into me and whispering, “After the opening of the dance floor, Elliot is gonna go and play poker with his pals, maybe we can go upstairs and have a little party of our own…”
“Oh, now you want a little party of our own?” My amusement grows as I observe the lust in her gaze and her rising smirk. “Maybe you should’ve thought about it before leaving me in the middle of nowhere.”
She huffs immediately. “Oh, please, I knew Lou would be there if you needed anything.”
“If I needed anything?” I look around, making sure no one is listening. “You literally left me hanging like a dirty sock.” She chuckles at the metaphor, but I don’t. “That’s the truth, and it’s not funny.”
“I just didn’t want to wake you up.”
Fucking bullshit.“Of course,” I say, my tone filled with sarcasm. “What a well-intentioned lady you are…”
“Emma? It’s time for your speech,” a staff member announces as he gives me the microphone. In that instant, I feel blocked at the simple idea I’m gonna have to stand up from my seat and talk to a crowd I know nothing about.
“Good luck,” Yara whispers before giving me a quick peck on the cheek. Yeah, right… Bribing me with kisses won’t help your case for a second.
Oh gosh, here we go…
I stand up, smoothing my dress as I do so with my freshly dampened hands. Then, I take the mic in one hand and my wine glass in the other. “Good evening, everyone. I hope you’re all having a great time and that you are especially enjoying the reserve Chateau Petrus 2001, which is also the year that my bestie was born.” All eyes switch from their plates to me, and I grip the microphone a bit tighter as I focus on my words. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Emma, the Maid of Honor and Petra’s best friend.” Petra and I share a quick smile as we look at each other. “Loyal, caring, sincere, honest…alright, that’s enough about me, I’m actually here to give a speech about the bride.” A good laugh bursts across the room, and I’m glad I managed to light up the mood a bit. “There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends like Petra that become family. Best friends are hard to find and impossible to forget.” I might be looking at the guests spreading around the room, but I can see in the corner of my eye Petra smiling at me as I speak. “We have known each other since we were in middle school, and ever since then, well, we’ve always been the opposite in everything.” The crowd chuckles, and the reality of it makes me crack a smile too. “Petra was the best student in our class while I was the best at pranking professors. She was a loner, while I was always surrounded by a bunch of hanger-ons; she could spend hours debating philosophy without getting bored while I could spend hours drinking margaritas without getting drunk.” I hear her laughing, and my heart warms up at the sound of it. “Despite our differences, the bond we shared only grew stronger year by year, and she became like the sister I never had.” I pause for a beat, taking a breath. “When Petra told me Alex and her were together and I quote, ‘like a couple, like a monogamous relationship, like girlfriend and boyfriend,’ the love-skeptic in me never thought it would last. Yet, with great conviction, she also said that he was husband material and their relationship wasn’t just a fling. She told me all of that at her eighteenth birthday. Well, one year later, and here we are with Alex sitting by her side upgraded from husband material to actual husband. Girl, were you on the hurry to prove your point or what?” She laughs at my question, shaking her head. “But I guess when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” I glance at the crowd, all are moved and mute, before my gaze lands again on her. “If there’s one thing that I learned from them, is that love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, and breaks walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” Then I switch to the groom and say, “Alex, you are the luckiest man alive because today you married the woman I wanted to keep to myself for life. I’m sorry to admit it, but I didn’t want to share my best friend with anyone else. Now, I have to get used to the idea that you are also her best friend and that I will have to share the title with you.” He bows his head slightly as he mouths a quick thank you. “Petra and Alex, before I finish, I’d like you to turn to face each other.” I watch with a gentle smile as they look at each other like teenagers in love. “Great. You’re now looking into the eyes of the person who’s statistically most likely to murder you. Just saying…” Amid the laugher, I raise my glass up in the air. “To the bride and groom!”