Pleasantly Strange - Chapter 9
"How do I look?"
Dina had spent the past three hours in front of the mirror, perfecting every detail of her outfit: The makeup was flawless, the jewellery perfectly matched the embroidery of her dress, not a single strand of hair was out of place.
Nina had been asked the same question every ten minutes for all of those three hours, and she had patiently answered it the same way every time. "You look beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous."
"Are you sure? I want it to be perfect."
"It IS perfect. You look like a princess about to ascend the throne. You couldn't possibly be any more perfect than this, even if you tried." Nina sighed. "And if you spend any more time trying now, you're going to be late for your actual wedding."
"Yes... I suppose it will do." Dina took one last, long look in the mirror. "No one at that party should doubt for a second that I am completely and utterly in love with Mortimer Goth and am ready to be his wife."
Nina smiled. "It's all like a fairy tale... except the happily ever after part, I guess."
"Don't say that." Dina grinned, her smile as white and brilliant as her dress, but still somehow cold. "I'll be sure to live happily ever after, and I'm sure I can keep up long enough to ensure that old Morty will, too."
"Not terribly romantic, though, is it?"
"Love is an illusion, dear sister." Dina started heading for the door to get downstairs to the waiting taxi, but stopped with her hand on the handle, and looked back. "Once you realise that, though, it's the most useful tool you can imagine. Come on, now, help me with my dress so I don't trip."
Nina nodded and said nothing else, but didn't let her sister see the dismayed expression on her face as she dutifully held Dina's dress up while they made their way down the stairs.
---
"Cassie? Are you ready?"
Don walked into the bedroom and found Cassandra sitting on the edge of their bed, apparently fully dressed and done. She didn't acknowledge his presence in any way. He hesistated for a second before he spoke again. "Sweetie? Um... Is everything okay?"
"Don... I want a baby."
Cassandra heard the well-practiced sigh behind her. She knew what the response would be. She just couldn't help it; from day one, she had planned to start a family the instant she and Don were married. Never had she expected that he would have any objections to this. In fact, she hadn't even asked him; not until a few days after their wedding and they were in bed together. It had been more a request than a question, really. And he had denied it.
Today, on the day of her father's joining to Dina Caliente, Cassandra was suddenly faced with the possibility that that horrible golddigger she would soon have to refer to as 'stepmother' would have a baby before she did. The thought was unbearable.
"We've been through this, Cassie," she heard Don say. She could almost mouth the words along with him. "I want children too, but not right now. I have to focus on my career, my job is very demanding." Don sighed again, right on cue, which made Cassandra grit her teeth in irritation. "You know I'd give it all up in an instant if it made you happy, sweetheart, but I just cannot be that selfish. People need me, and God knows it's hard work to take care of the sick, but someone has to do it." He paused for a moment, clearly expecting her to say something. But she wasn't taking his bait this time. "What about your career ambitions?" he said, once he realised she wasn't going to respond. "Surely a child would be an inhibition to you, as well?"
Cassandra turned to look at him.
"My career can wait. My motherhood can not. Don, I've always wanted many children. I can't wait forever like you can, my time is limited." Tears glittered in the corners of her eyes, and Don swallowed.
"Oh, sweetie, no... Come here," he said, reaching out with his arms. She stood up and accepted his embrace. "Okay, look... Once I have my next promotion landed, my workload won't be as heavy anymore. Then we can start... trying. How's that?"
"Really?"
"If it makes you happy, sweetest." Don smiled his most charming smile, the one Cassandra couldn't resist. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
"Okay. ...Thank you."
Don kissed her gently on the lips. "Come on, now. We don't want to be late for the ceremony."
---
The second Goth wedding of the year held all the promise of being as successful as the first.
The guests were mostly the same, with a few exceptions.
They all sat perfectly still and watched as Mortimer Goth got remarried, apparently having finally put Bella and her unfortunate fate behind him.
"With this ring I thee wed. Wear it as a symbol of our love and commitment." Mortimer recited the words on autopilot, and he was glad he was able to do so. His mind and heart seemed to be all over the place, but with beautiful Dina in front of him, looking at him so expectantly, it was impossible not to feel - above all - happy, and impossible not to smile.
"...symbol of our love and commitment." Mortimer realised that Dina had just finished saying her part, that the ring was on his finger now.
They were married.
...They were married.
All seemed quiet and still, as if time had stopped.
Then Dina's lips were upon his and the sound of applause filled Mortimer's ears.
He and Dina were married.
---
The sun was shining brightly and the guests were hungry and thirsty. Once the ceremony was over the formality went with it, and they all made their way to the buffet table.
Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
But in the middle of it all, Don seemed to have gone missing. Cassandra looked all around the garden, asked the others, but no one had seen him for the past half hour.
Angry that he would just disappear in the middle of the reception like that, Cassandra went inside to look for him. Don was not in the living room, not in the dining room, not in the kitchen... nowhere to be found downstairs. He didn't answer when she called his name. As she walked upstairs, Cassandra wondered if he might've had an emergency call from work or something like that, but if he had, wouldn't he have taken three seconds to tell her before taking off?
Then she walked into their bedroom.
For several seconds, all she could do was stare. They didn't even notice her; they were so engrossed in what they were doing. Cassandra then let out a sound that was something between a whimper and a shriek, darted back into the hallway and slammed the door behind her so hard that the walls shook.
There she broke down crying.
She should have known... she should have understood. All those late night shifts, all the missed calls, the reluctance to start a family... It had all been lies, it had all been this. Cassandra felt like the world's greatest idiot, simultaneously furious at Don for what he had done, and at herself for not being able to stop crying. He wasn't worth crying over! He was a complete and utter asshole. A lying, cheating asshole, not worth a second more of her time.
Whom she loved with all of her now broken heart.
An eternity of a minute passed, then Don burst out into the hall as well. "Cassie! Sweetie, honey... Wait, please."
"Cassie, I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what came over me!" Don put a hand over his face for dramatic effect, looking absolutely devastated.
"Nina Caliente did, apparently. Or was it the other way around - forgive me for not catching the details," Cassandra spat, surprised at the harshness of her own voice.
"Sweetheart, you must believe me, it was an accident!" Don pleaded. Cassandra rolled her eyes and was about to comment, but he cut her off. "No, no, really, just hear me out. Nina was just having such a hard time, with her sister moving out and all. She was feeling lonely. And, we're old friends, you know that, so I had no choice but to comfort her. It's what friends do, right? But she wanted more, and I don't know how it happened, but suddenly she kissed me and... well, one thing led to another..."
Don breathed in deeply and looked into Cassandra's eyes, with the all the sincerity he could muster. "...But I didn't mean to. If only I could go back and stop myself in time! Oh, Cassie, I'm so sorry. I was a complete idiot! It's you who I love, you know that. We're going to start a family, be together forever, everything will be just fine. Nothing like this will ever happen again, I promise! Please...
...Do you forgive me?"
Cassandra had to hand it to him, he was not half-bad at spinning things up on the spot when need be. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't good enough to fool her. Not this time.
"You really do expect me to believe that, do you?"
"W-what?" Don stuttered. "It's the truth!"
"Not a word of what you've told me has ever been true, has it, Don? It's just been one lie after another! Your career, your invaluable presence on the medical team, out saving people's lives - all lies! All an excuse to sneak out and-and-"
"Sweetie, that's not true-!"
"I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" Cassandra yelled, her voice echoing through the hallway and probably all the way downstairs. The noise from the guests in the garden seemed to die down somewhat. "I want you out of my home, right now!"
"Cassie, no!"
"Out."
"But-"
"Out. And you don't get a single simoleon, the fortune is all my father's."
It seemed to dawn on Don that he really had blown it all. Cassandra was unyielding, no matter what he said or how much he pleaded.
Eventually, he gave up and began to pack his things. Nina had quietly slipped past and left the party, and the crowd in the backyard was inevitably well aware that something had happened by now.
All the time, Cassandra stood in the doorway and watched as Don stuffed his clothes and various belongings (they were not too many) into a bag seated on the bed. She refused to show any emotion other than anger, she couldn't afford to have him feel sorry for her, try to comfort her. Anything would be enough to break her resolution.
As he stood at the top of the stairs, ready to leave with his bag slung over his shoulder, Don turned to look at her one last time. "I want you to know that I didn't lie about everything, Cassandra... It was true that I love you."
Then he walked down the stairs and was gone.
Cassandra locked herself in what was once again her room, hers alone, and she didn't come out all night, not even when Alexander came to offer her cookes and milk around midnight.
---
Mortimer felt sorry for his daughter, but he had warned her about Don, and she hadn't listened.
It was only for the best that she found out this soon, that Don didn't go on tricking her for years. This way she could move on quickly, find someone worthy of her.
And at any rate, he wasn't going to let it ruin his wedding night.
