Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 196

Chapter 196: A Bad Feeling
“You look beautiful,” Cherry said, watching as the hairstylist added the last finishing touches to Amelia’s hair. It had been pinned up in an elegant and elaborate bun, curly frills running down to frame her face, while the bun itself was adorned in small milky pearls.

Amelia looked at herself in the mirror, admiring it as well. She was immensely pleased with how the hairdo turned out, especially when paired with the dress. Everything felt so surreal.

After all that planning, after all those sleepless nights fretting about what was to come, the day was finally here. What started out as a mere contractual agreement had become a fairytale romance.

And Amelia wouldn’t have it any other way.

There came a knock on the door before Ronan’s voice could be clearly heard.

“Are you dressed?” he asked from outside, his voice muffled slightly by the door.

“Yes,” Cherry answered. “Come in.”

“The guests are starting to arrive,” Ronan said once he was allowed the greenlight, poking his head in. When his eyes landed on Amelia, they visibly brightened. “Amelia, congratulations! Matteo is one lucky man.”

“I am one lucky woman too,” Amelia said with a bright smile.

She was glad that Jenna was able to save this dress after Emmeline tried to destroy it. It felt as though her mother was with her for this wedding, a feeling which warmed her heart greatly.

“Well,” Ronan said, “I shan’t keep you guys. Almost everyone is ready; they will also be closing the doors soon enough. That’s when the ceremony will start.”

Amelia nodded. She shared a look with Cherry, then said to Ronan, “Is Emmeline here already?”

“Unfortunately,” Ronan replied with a roll of his eyes. “She is with her parents and your grandfather. At the very least she didn’t show up in white.”

“That’s the least of my worries when it comes to her,” Amelia confessed with a roll of her eyes. “I guess we’ll just have to see what she might have in store for us later when the actual wedding ceremony begins.”

“Well, the security team is ready to boot her out whenever needed,” Ronan said. And hopefully, your grandfather will keep to his promise. If she tries anything funny, she will have hell to pay.”

***

When the wedding theme started playing and the doors opened to reveal Amelia in a stunning white dress, she thought she felt tears in her eyes. Her father stood right by her side, holding out a hand for her to take.

When she looked over, she saw that it wasn’t just her who was crying― her reflection could be seen in the tears that welled up in his eyes.

Father and daughter said nothing, and Amelia didn’t want to either. She merely pinched her lips together tightly into a fine line before offering a smile. Then, in synchrony, she and her father turned to look at the altar situated right at the end of the ballroom they had booked. There, Matteo stood, dressed to the nines, and the officiant was there as well.

Amelia took her father’s hand and began walking down the aisle as the music played. Each step felt lighter than the previous one― she wanted nothing more than to sprint down the aisle and into Matteo’s arms.

But throughout the journey, she could feel hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her.

Her grandfather and the Montgomerys have invited too many people, including journalists of established publishing houses and their business partners. She could even spot some celebrities she had only ever seen on the television. There were so many people invited that those she could recognize barely even filled a quarter of the ballroom.

While most of these gazes were filled with awe, she could feel prickling glares coming from multiple directions. One of which stood out the most was from none other than her beloved cousin, Emmeline Hawthorne. Her eyes followed her like a predator would a prey.

To top it off, she caught a ghost of a smile on Emmeline’s lips right as she walked past her table. Amelia tried her best to ignore her. She felt sick to the stomach and just the thought of it made her feel like gagging.

Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to press the nausea down.

As she got closer, she could see the smile that hung on Matteo’s face. When her father finally passed her hand over to Matteo, Amelia could spot several sparkling tears clinging to the latter’s eyes.

“Treat her well,” was all Michael Kentwood said before he turned and returned to his seat.

“You look beautiful,” Matteo whispered, which only caused the smile on Amelia’s face to brighten even further.

Whatever nervous butterflies she had previously were quickly blown away by the secure warmth of Matteo’s hands and the gentle smile that curved his lips. With him by her side, she instantly felt a wave of serenity.

“Dearly beloved,” the officiant started, “we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Matteo Montgomery and Amelia Kentwood in holy matrimony. Mr. Montgomery, do you promise to…”

As the officiant began to drone on and the music quietened down for this important moment, Amelia spotted something from the corner of her eyes. There was a movement at one of the guest tables― to be exact, the table which sat the bride’s side of the family.

Horace Hawthorne seemed to be unaware of everything, his eyes glued solely on Amelia. When he caught her gaze, he even gave her a small smile, which Amelia returned, albeit half-heartedly. Her eyes quickly left him to search for the voice.

Something wasn’t right. There was a nagging feeling chewing at the back of her mind and she needed to know what it was.

“Miss Kentwood? Miss Kentwood!”

“Oh!” Amelia jolted a little, turning her gaze back to the officiant.

“Is everything alright?” Matteo murmured, leaning in a little closer so he need not speak too loudly.

Amelia’s face had turned as pale as a sheet of paper that even her makeup couldn’t cover it perfectly.

She turned and met his concerned eyes. “I… Yes, everything is fine,” Amelia said. She then looked at the officiant. “Please continue.”

He cleared his throat and repeated himself. “Do you, Amelia Kentwood, take Matteo Montgomery as your lawfully wedded husband? To cherish him always, to honor and sustain, in sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth, and be true to your love in all things until death does you part?”

“I do―”

“Wait!” A cry rang out across the ballroom and instantly, Amelia’s blood froze.

This. This was what she was worried about.

She and Matteo turned on their heels to see that Emmeline had stood up. She gazed firmly at Amelia, her eyes filled with hatred, then at Matteo determinedly.

Emmeline was in a tight-fitting silk gown which kept very little of her figure to the imagination. While it was not white in color, it was still very bold and showed off plenty of her curves. However, there was something off about her figure.

Amelia hadn’t seen much of Emmeline ever since they last crossed paths at the charity function, but now that she looked at her cousin again, the latter had gotten visibly plumper. To be exact, there was a subtle bump on her stomach which Emmeline tried to protect from view with her hands.

“Emmeline, what are you doing?!” Horace Hawthorne hissed immediately. “Sit back down! Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Wait, Grandfather, please,” Emmeline said, her voice shaky as she finally tore her gaze away from Matteo to look at her grandfather. “I need to do this. If I don’t, I know I will regret this for the rest of my life!”

“Are you insane?” This time, it was Aiden who got to his feet from his table. “Sit back down before you make a fool of yourself!”

“Shut up!” Emmeline cried out. Tears spilled from her eyes as the crowd went silent. This was the first time they had ever seen the prim and proper Hawthorne princess burst into tears in such a public event. “You of all people have no right to stop me!”

“Emmeline―”

Horace Hawthorne was ruthlessly ignored as Emmeline scrambled away from her seat. She all but ran towards the stage where Matteo and Amelia stood, and at the bottom of the short staircase, she stood and stared at Matteo longingly.

“Matteo, please, you can’t marry her,” Emmeline pleaded.

“Emmeline, get back here!” Aiden yelled from the table, pushing himself away from his seat as well. However, no matter how quickly he tried to move, he was still one step too slow.

Emmeline took a step forward, completely ignoring the eyes and ears that were on her. She ignored Amelia’s presence as well― she solely had Matteo in her eyes.

“Matteo, please don’t abandon me,” she said.

Her words instantly caused both Matteo and Amelia to frown. They were never an item― how could Matteo abandon her?

Aiden gritted his teeth, pushing and shoving past the decoration and a few guests just to reach the front of the stage. “Emmeline, that’s enough―!”

Emmeline’s lips parted. “Matteo, I am pregnant with your child.”