The only sounds I heard was the rain beating heavily on the arched roof and the windows. In my head, I pictured the people around me; whispering, laughing, and if I focused long enough, some seemed to be trying to pull me up.

However, I shifted my weight on the marble floor and planted my feet firmly. I wasn't going anywhere, not until Emeka came to explain what he did.

It was when someone touched my face that I realized I had been crying. No! I won't cry over a man. Not again. I shoved the unfamiliar hands away, and used the edge of my veil to clean my face. When I brought it back, the white had turned to a musty brown and I glanced at my reflection on the shiny floors.

My eyelashes had come undone, and the ombre lips I spent an hour perfecting was nearly cleaned. The left side of my face was more me than the right, which was still caked in makeup. As for my ever prim hair, it ran wild like bird nests in late February.

If you weren't present, you would believe I was beaten up. My face was a total mess, just like my wedding day.

My fiancé of one year had come late to the wedding, after several attempts by his groomsmen to reach him. Looking back, that should have been the first sign. What kind of groom allows his men to go without him?

However, I already promised myself not to be paranoid, so I plastered a smile on my face when he finally arrived. As always, he looked dashing. His dark hair was trimmed to perfection, and his cheekbones rose as high as ever.

Instantly, I remembered our conversation two nights before.

"You know blue looks good on you, babe."

"Yeah, sure. I'd rather wear black, like everyone else. Or white, at most." Emeka wasn't a fan of colours, or anything else for that matter. The only things I could use to get his attention was money and sex, which meant working extra to provide both routinely.

"I know. Don't worry, everything will be done soon and we can go back to normal."

"Sure." He had been quiet and distant for the past few days, and all my efforts to reavh out eere futile. Emeka wasn't one to open up easily, and forcing him to do so always made us fight. The last thing I wanted was to quarrel during this special time.

So, I sighed and smiled into the phone. "Goodnight, babe. I love you."

There was a moment of silence before he responded. "Yes, sure. Goodnight."

In the coming days before our white wedding, he grew more distant. Sometimes, we could go two days without speaking, and it wasn't for lack of trying. He always seemed so busy, and considering the fact that he didn't have a steady job, I was worried. Emeka wasn't assisting with the wedding plans, so I at least expected him to be more present. Until, he told me he had to travel to his village for some traditional rites.

This made me frown. We had already agreed to postpone the traditional wedding till after the white, so why the sudden rush? More so, he didn't tell me. For the two weeks he was there, we spoke only twice and now, I knew the reason why. Only thing was.. it was too late.

It was my family's tradition to not speak to the groom a day before the wedding, and I hated them for it. If they had allowed Emeka to see me earlier, he would have told me of his decision to cancel the marriage and leave with Ifeoma, his two-time baby mama.

Instead, they disapproved and he decided to inform my three hundred wedding guests that I wasn't the one for him. Kaii!

Emeka, you'll pay!