Page 13 of The Housemaid's Wedding
“What did she say?” I ask, even though I’m not sure I want to know.
“You are better off without her,” is all he says.
He won’t even tell me. That’s fine though. I got the gist of it.
Wow. I can’t believe this is happening. My parents aren’t coming to my wedding. They have left their only child all alone on her wedding day.
“We don’t have a witness anymore,” I say, my voice cracking embarrassingly on the words.
“We’ll find one,” he promises. “It is a whole city hall. Lots of people.”
“And… and I don’t have my something old anymore…”
My head is spinning. This was supposed to be the best day of my life, but it’s been one tragedy after another. Is this a sign that Enzo and I are not meant to be? Or maybe it’s just that this morning, I dared to think of myself as lucky. How could I have been so stupid? I’m not lucky—I’mneverlucky! I am the unluckiest person in the entire world.
And just to top it all off, that bald man is still staring at me.
I stare back in his direction. This time, he doesn’t look away. He glares right back at me with venom in his eyes. This is clearly him—the man who has been threatening to cut my throat. This is the man who has been telling me that he will kill me on my wedding day.
Well, I have had enough.
Before I can stop myself, I stride across the snow-coated sidewalk in the direction of the bald man, not caring about my wholly inappropriate footwear. My hands clench into fists, and my heart slams in my chest.
This is going to end right now.
10
It takesme about two seconds to walk across the sidewalk to where the bald man is standing. Enzo is hurrying after me, calling my name. On the plus side, I have entirely forgotten about the evolving frostbite in my ears.
“Millie!” he cries. “Please! I love you. Your parents do not matter!”
But I don’t stop until I am right in front of the man in the dark suit. Close enough that I can stick my finger in his face. I want him to know that I’m not afraid of him. I don’t care how many times he calls me or what threats he hisses into the phone. He will not intimidate me.
I’m Millie freaking Calloway, and I’m not afraid ofanyone.
“Listen to me, you piece of shit!” I spit out at him. “I know who you are!”
His eyes widen, and I’m surprised by the bright-blue color. “You are Millie Calloway, aren’t you?”
“Damn straight!” I grit my teeth. “And I just want you to know that whatever I did, I did for the right reason. And if you think you can threaten me, you better think again! I am a lot tougher than you think I am, buddy.”
The bald man blinks rapidly. “Yes, I know you’re tough. You saved my sister’s life.”
I freeze, mid-diatribe. That is not what I expected him to say at all. “I… what?”
The man’s lips twitch into a shy smile as he squeezes his hands together. “I’m so glad I finally got to meet you.” His eyelashes flutter again—a nervous tic. “My name is Paul. My sister… Her name is Diana Widmayer… Dee… and she was in a terrible marriage. Her husband would have killed her for sure, and he had buddies on the police force. Dee was trapped. You helped her get away.” His eyes fill with moisture, and a single tear escapes from his left eye. “You saved my sister’s life. We owe you everything.”
Dee Widmayer. Of course. I remember her from about a year ago. I remember the bruises all over her arms and legs and back, where her husband thought nobody would see them. “Is Dee doing okay?”
“She is. Thanks to you.” He reaches out to clasp my hand in both of his. “When I saw you, I just had to tell you how much what you did meant to us. If there’s anything you ever need… anything I could do for you…”
Okay, I believe this guy isn’t the one who has been threatening me on the phone. Unless he is an Oscar-winning actor, his gratitude is genuine. Those tears are genuine and on the brink of spilling over.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I blurt out. “I’m just glad your sister is okay.”
“Actually…” Enzo clears his throat, inserting himself into our little moment. “There is one favor you can do for us.”
Paul’s eyes light up. “Of course! Like I said, anything you want.”
