Page 95 of Ruthless God

I head to the bathroom and lock the door. Then I cry.

Lyrical

We went scuba diving, went on a safari (it was a disaster), and hung out with an older couple who has been married for some time. It feels… normal between us, and the life back home at North Haven seems miles away.

I wrap the towel around my head as I plop on the bed after coming out of the shower, going through my IG. Every other post is about us eloping, so I tap out of the app and place my phone on the dresser.

Snow’s phone vibrates, and I pick it up from the nightstand. I swipe and it asks for a passcode. Is it still my birthday? When I type my birthday, the wallpaper is a picture of me sleeping. I smile.

A message from Jameson pops up, and I debate whether I should click on the icon. I don’t want him to think I’m snooping through his phone, but I’m curious about who’s after me now. My gaze scans Jameson’s message.

Jameson: The plan didn’t work.

What plan? I scan above and see messages of him and Keanu and Irvin congratulating him on our wedding. Keanu makes jokes about cutting someone’s tongue off and forcing them to eat it. Doesn’t surprise me, he seems like the type to make jokes about his victims. Their chat group is boring. Irvin asks about parties, Keanu makes jokes about killing people, and Jameson sends memes. I click out of it and type in Savannah’s name and their messages pop up. It’s mainly her talking to herself because Snow never responds back.

A message from his father displays on the screen, demanding him to answer his phone calls, and I scroll further and see his father congratulating us using knife and death emojis, then Snow sent him back a devil emoji and a middle finger. The rest is mainly messages of his father demanding him to do something and Snow responding with “Okay.” The phone vibrates with his father’s name across the screen, and I hit the green button. Revi screams in my ear.

“You married Lyrical out of spite to get revenge on me! I told you to kill the bitch. You were supposed to marry Savannah! You completely went against my wishes and did the oppo—”

I tap the End button before tossing the phone on the bed. The walls around me are caving in, and my heart beats a thousand times a minute. Snow was supposed to kill me? Is that why he married me, to spite Revi? I thought his father was going to hurt him for marrying me, but it turns out he was supposed to kill me. Why does he want me dead? That is why Savannah wanted me dead—she was supposed to replace me in the arranged marriage. Her words come crashing down on me…Dig up a grave because you will need one. She was referring to Revi’s plan to kill me.

The blood in my face drains, and I feel lightheaded and dizzy. Bile tickles the back of my throat, and I grab the trash can by the bed, emptying out my stomach.

Snow walks into the bedroom, wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts.

“Lyrical? Are you okay?” He gently holds my hair as I continue to vomit.

When I sit up, Snow disappears into the bathroom, then he comes back with a white washcloth to wipe my mouth.

The pain I feel in my chest burns like lava and I don’t know what to say and do. For the first time in my life, I feel completely broken that I truly married my enemy. He kisses me on the forehead, but I flinch and slap him hard across the chest as tears stream down my cheeks.

I trusted him.

I trusted him with my heart.

I trusted him with my body.

I’ve never felt so betrayed in all my life.

How long was he going to keep this secret from me?

He grabs my arms and holds them to my sides, but I can’t stop the gigantic hole in my chest from getting bigger and I feel like I can’t breathe.

“What’s wrong, Blue?” I hear the panic in his voice.

“How long?” I say, trying to gather my thoughts. “How long, you motherfucker?!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

“How long, what? Blue? What the fuck are you talking about?”

I swallow hard, and my head hurts. “How long were you going to wait to tell me that your father wanted to kill me? When were you going to tell me that Savannah was supposed to marry you and be my replacement?”

Snow lets me go, guilt flashing in his eyes. He hangs his head.

Fuck Snow!

I fell for the lies, thinking that he loved me. That he actually gave a fuck about me. I slap him again.

“I thought your father was mad at you because you moved the date up for our wedding, but it turned out that he was pissed off because you married me.”

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