Sighing, I took off my sunglasses the moment we stepped inside, looking around again at the beautiful and grand cathedral that mirrored many of the ones I loved in Europe.
“You really do look beautiful, Mel.” Coraline smiled at me, but I could tell she was more excited about her future than she was about me.
“Thank you, Cora,” I said, smiling back. Olivia gave me a glare before taking Neal’s hand and walking deeper into the church.
I bit my tongue to keep from saying something rude in God’s house. However, when my eyes met that of a blonde in a pink, too-short-for-church dress, I felt the floodgates open and a smile spread over my lips. She walked into the bathroom, and no one else seemed to notice her. Not even Liam as he spoke with Neal, again.
Looking up, I smiled. Thank you, Jesus, for this gift. “You all go in. I will meet you in a moment.”
Liam eyed me carefully. “We should go in together. My mother wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Then your mother will just have to deal with it. I’m heading to the ladies room. I’ll be right back.”
I sighed loudly. He had to fight me on everything. Coraline stepped forward, but I glared at her before she could dare volunteer to join me. I handed Liam my purse and turned away from him. He rolled his eyes before walking in after Neal and Olivia.
My pulse quickened when I stepped into the bathroom, pushing the wooden door open. There, of course, stood Natasha, adding more lipstick to her Botox-filled lips. The way she looked at me when in the door closed behind me told me all I needed to know. She had no idea what type of person I was.
I smiled at her, washing my hands. “Hi.”
She smirked. “Well, if isn’t the infamous Mrs. Callahan.”
“Do I know you?” I asked innocently.
She whipped her golden hair over her shoulder twice, and I wanted nothing more than to rip it from her head.
“You should,” she said, giving me a fake frown. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt you and you seem sweet . . . a little too sweet, actually. But you need to know. Liam and I were something before you got married. I know this is just some arranged marriage. He told me so. It won’t last, sweetheart. Like I said, you’re sweet, but Liam doesn’t need sweet. He needs a real woman.”
“And you’re that real woman?”
She smiled. “He doesn’t know it yet, but yes, I am. I know how to give him pleasure like no one else. He came every time my mouth was on him. He begged at night for me. He made me come over and over again. We went at it like animals. But then he would make sweet, slow, and passionate lov—”
Before she could finish, I grabbed her by her stupid blond hair and slammed her face against the mirror. She screamed, letting out a cry of pain as the glass shattered around her head. It almost looked like a spider web . . . a bloody spider web. Pushing her face harder against the broken glass made her cry out again.
“Please . . .”
“I think you have said enough,” I whispered, moving slower to her. Blood poured from the side of her face as I met her eyes. She whimpered, struggling against me, but I held her still, pulling on her hair. Tears spilled from her eyes as she opened her mouth to scream.
“You scream, I will bash your skull in, you hear me?” I glared at her, and her eyes widened in fear.
“I’m—”
“Shut the fuck up, you five cent bitch,” I said before she dared to lie and tell me how sorry she was. “My husband is off the market. You should be ashamed of yourself. We’re in God’s house . . . the very church we were married in, and you are thinking of trying to have an affair. You are a disgusting little whore. How many daddy issues could you possibly have?”
“I’m s-sorry. I j-j-just . . . I just love him,” she sobbed. She was an idiot, for sure. I wanted to take her head and bash it in further, but I didn’t kill on Sundays.
Peeling her face from the mirror and grabbing another fistful of hair, I pulled her into the bathroom stall. She fought against me, but it made me pull harder, throwing her against the stall before punching her in the nose. She gasped out, sliding down onto the floor and gripping her bloody nose as she sobbed. Kneeling in front of her, I made sure she could see me clearly.
“What were you doing with my husband this morning?”
“Fuck you, you scary bitch.”
“Natasha.” I sighed. “I’m going to ask again nicely. What were you doing with my husband this morning?”
“Sucking his sweet dick.”
“Wrong answer.”
Grabbing her head, I shoved it into the toilet. Her arms swung around like a mad woman, but I pinned them down quickly with my other hand. She screamed into the bowl before I let her out.
Giving her a moment to cough up water, I smiled.
“Now, Natasha, were you really sucking my husband off this morning or are you trying to piss me off?” I asked her, sweetly.
“Please . . .”
I dumped her head back into the water again, and this time, she struggled hard but sadly for her, I had pinned down men twice her size. When she stopped struggling, I let her go and she ripped her head from the toilet falling back onto her ass as she coughed and cried.
“Natasha . . .”
“I knew Liam liked to eat at Remy’s on Sundays, so I waited for him. When I came up to him, he told me to leave or he would drag me out himself. I-I lied about having information about Vance and Amory. I told him I could only tell him if he followed me out back. I made up some story and somehow he knew. He tried to leave, but I tried to kiss him and he grabbed me by my neck. He called me a whore and yelled at me to stay away or next time he would kill me. He said the only reason he wasn’t doing it now was because it was Sunday.”
Liam’s words from the night before came to mind. You are like me.
“Why did you come here then Natasha?” I asked, stepping up slightly. She slid across the small space on the floor to get away from me.
Tears streamed from her eyes as she shook, covered in toilet bowl water and blood.
“I love him,” she sobbed. “Please don’t kill me.”
“Find a new man to love, Natasha. If you come around him again, I will snap your neck and bury you under this church,” I warned, kicking her in ribs once before stepping over her and walking out of the stall.
I looked myself over in the cracked mirror—her blood still dripping from it—and fixed my hair before washing my hands once more.
“It was nice meeting you Natasha. Let’s not do this again,” I said and left.
Walking through the grand entrance, I dipped my finger into the blessed water before making the sign of the cross over myself. Moving quickly into the front aisle where the rest of the Callahans were standing and singing, I stood by Liam who stopped, glancing over at me. I smiled and took the book from him.
“I, the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in dark and sin . . .” He wouldn’t sing so I nudged him. He just shook his head picking up where I left off.
Well, I feel so much better.
LIAM
“Peace be with you,” we all said.
“Go in peace, the Mass has ended,” the priest replied before leaving. Soon after, everyone started to take their exit as well, however, I grabbed Mel before she could move.