"Aww... Aren't you cute? Just like your mama," Samantha cooed at the newborn baby as she made some gurgling noises, melting everyone's heart.
"Dani, not now, you will ruin our artwork!"
Andrea stopped her from taking the baby and Samantha retracted her hands with a pout. Naina and Xander's baby girl was a cutest little angel she’d ever seen. Naina went into labor shortly after their wedding and gave birth to a baby girl, to whom she chose Samantha and Axel as Godparents.
"Come on, Samantha. You'll have plenty of time after the wedding to spoil the little one," Naina added with a soft chuckle. Naina’s face lit up every time she saw the little bundle of joy.
"I wish I could just pop it out!" Gracie pouted.
"Yeah, me too. I can't even walk straight," Amelia added.
"Stop complaining, you two! Now, let's get the bride out there," Andrea cut them off.
Samantha chuckled, looking at the pregnant women. Their belly seemed to grow every day and she could only imagine what it would feel like to be in their shoes. If Axel had his way with her then, she'd be soon joining them. Her heart warmed at the thought of having a small family for herself.
Though they never spoke about babies, it was clear that he wanted to be a father. She'd caught him watching Gracie and Amelia's baby bump when they were not looking. There were times Amelia would let him feel the baby’s kicks and the expression in Axel's face was priceless.
Once baby Aurelia was born, he wouldn't let her down. He was always around her doing one thing or the other. Samantha didn't bother to bring it up considering his past with Alicia. He was still healing, though he never spoke about it. If he wanted a child, then she would happily give it to him.
"Sammy you look so beautiful!" Sasha and Ryan exclaimed in unison, pulling her out of the thought train. Eric hugged her and wished her all the best before going out to overlook the arrangements.
Everyone around her bounced with happiness and her spirits were flying high in the sky. Samantha stopped and took a deep breath, smoothing her dress to remove the non-existent creases. The lacy material was soft against her sweaty palm and she wondered how Axel would react on seeing her today.
"You look so beautiful," Narmadha gushed. "It feels like you were born yesterday and now you are going to get married."
Samantha relaxed in her mother's embrace and willed her tears to stay in her eyes. She was getting emotional as the time progressed.
Her mother and friends took turns in hugging her and wishing her all the very best before rushing outside as it was almost time for the ceremony.
"All right, do you need anything else Dani," Andrea asked.
"No."
Gregory poked his head in after a knock. "It's time."
Samantha's heart beat faster as she took nervous steps outside.
"You'll be fine, girl. Just breathe!" Andrea cheered, her grayish black floor-length gown swished she raced out with her bouquet of flowers.
Samantha took Gregory's hand as she took slow steps outside the room. A hushed silence fell over the crowd as the instrumental of a thousand years by Christina Perri started playing in the background.
Her eyes met Axel's and she forgot to breathe for while herself as she walked down the aisle. He looked breathtakingly handsome in his white suit and the moment felt completely magical. The crowd seemed to fade momentarily. This is it.
Axel couldn't take his eyes of his beautiful bride. She was everything he could ask for. If he thought she looked like a Goddess before, now she looked like a heavenly creature in a white gown woven with golden embroidery. Her face was partially hidden by the veil and the wedding dress trains trailed behind her, making it look like she glided over the floor.
This moment was so special to him. His smile widened as he tried to memorize every bit of it. He beamed at her when she came to stand beside him and together they turned to face the minister.
"The most important thing in life is to love someone. The second most important thing is to have someone love you. The third most important thing is to have the first two happen at the same time," the minister began.
"That is what has happened to Axel Joaquin Finlayson and Samantha Danica Sinclair. They have fallen in love and have come to make a public commitment of their love for and loyalty to one another. Who gives this woman to be married?" The minister asked.
"Her mother and I do," Gregory replied before taking a seat beside Narmadha.
Axel and Samantha sneaked glances at each other as the minister continued to speak.
"In as much as you have expressed a desire to be united in marriage, I am going to ask you to take a vow – a vow that is made not only in the presence of your family and friends, but also in the presence of God."
The minister turned towards Axel.
"Do you, Axel Joaquin Finlayson, take Samantha Danica Sinclair to be your lawfully wedded wife, and do you promise before God and these witnesses, to love her, to comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her so long as you both shall live? Do you so promise?"
"I do," Axel replied as his heart did a somersault.
The minister now turned to Samantha.
"And do you, Samantha Danica Sinclair, take Axel Joaquin Finlayson to be your lawfully wedded husband, and do you promise before God and these witnesses, to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him so long as you both shall live? Do you so promise?"
"I do," Samantha replied and this time her heart fluttered. She sneaked a glance at Axel, who was beaming beside her.
"You may say your vows and exchange the token of your love for each other," the minister announced.
Axel and Samantha turned to face each other as everyone around them watched them with anticipation.
"I promise to love and care for you, and I will try in every way to be worthy of your love. I will always be honest with you, kind, and patient and forgiving. I promise to try to be on time. But most of all, I promise to be a true and loyal friend to you. I love you," Axel vowed, slipping the ring on her finger.
Samantha bit the insides of her cheeks to control the sob that bubbled in her throat. She didn't know why she felt so emotional all of a sudden.
"I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my husband, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive and to always make our family's love and happiness my priority. I will be yours in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person-my love and my life, today and always," Samantha finished with happy tears rolling down her cheeks as she slipped the ring on his finger.
"Now, by the power vested in me by the state of New York and as the minister of the gospel, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your wife."
The crowd cheered as the newly wedded couple shared their first kiss as the husband and wife.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Finlayson," Axel whispered against her lips.
"Congratulations to you too, Mr. Finlayson," Samantha grinned before pulling him down again.
Axel chuckled and kissed her again. "It feels so good to be married."
"Say that after a year," someone shouted from the crowd and everyone around them burst with laughter.
Axel and Samantha walked hand in hand as they exited the small Chapel they got married in. The wishes of their friends and family added more reasons to their joy and the indoor post-wedding celebrations in Sinclair mansion exceeded their expectations.
Neither Samantha nor Axel got involved in the wedding planning except for choosing their clothes and jewelry.
Everything from the venue decorations to the five feet cake fairytale wedding themed cake blew their mind. They happily posed for th
e photos with their dear ones.
The songs playlist was what surprised them the most. It held a mixture of Axel and Samantha's most favorite songs and they couldn't be happier as they stepped on the dance floor to share their first dance. Samantha grinned the entire time as they danced together. Axel enjoyed the party to the fullest and to be honest, he didn't think this day would get any better.
Eric and Antonio had a hard time controlling their hyper wives, who waddled across the dance floor trying to dance.
Gabriela caught the bouquet during the bouquet toss and Keith happened to catch the Garter. Gabriela's face reddened when everyone made Keith put the Garter on Gabriela. It was no secret between the families that they were attracted to each other since the beginning and this only seemed to bring them closer.
Narmadha sniffled when she bid farewell to her daughter, who was now leaving with her husband. Though she knew that she would meet her daughter soon, she wasn't ready when the moment finally came.
Samantha bid a teary farewell to everyone. She didn't know why she felt that way. It wasn't like she wasn't going to meet them at all. She wondered if the circumstances got the best of her.
Axel couldn't be happier as he finally had Samantha all to himself as they drove back to the hotel. Samantha leaned her head on the window, reliving the wedding moments in her mind. He took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips gently gaining her attention. Samantha averted her gaze from the road and turned to look at him.
"You look so beautiful today."
A small smile graced her lips. "It feels like a dream," she whispered as he moved closer. "A very good dream."
"It sure does," he agreed.
"So, what's next?"
"Well, I have this wonderful project of creating junior Axels or Samanthas," Axel crooned in her ears.
"Mhmm... So when are you going to start this wonderful project of your's?" Samantha teased.
"As soon as we reach our room. What do you say?"
Samantha giggled as she pulled him down for a kiss. "I’d say yes. I love you, Axel," she whispered against his lips.
"I love you too," Axel mumbled as he deepened the kiss, pouring all the love and passion he felt for her into the kiss.
Their car whisked past the traffic as the lights turned green as if giving its approval for their new beginning.
Epilogue
~Alicia
"What the fuck are you staring at?" Alicia almost jumped out of her skin hearing the voice that haunted her dreams.
"I-I," she stuttered.
"You ain't got all day. You have ten minutes to complete the task and get your ass out of there," Erika, a fellow inmate warned in her high-pitched yet threatening voice.
Alicia nodded furiously as she quickly picked up the brush and started scrubbing the toilet floor. It was really hard to keep the breakfast down. She gagged several times and held her nose with her free hand.
She was charged not only for her association with Valtini and her active role in Kaufman’s case. They also filed other charges on her, accusing her of trying to change her appearance by shaving her head and ruining her flawless skin.
She still hasn't found out what went wrong in her usual spa routine. The court held her responsible for the death of Francis Kaufman. The men who were once used and discarded by her all appeared before the court giving their confessions, which only cemented her fate.
Alicia had screamed on top of her lungs when the judge sentenced her to prison. Seemus had divorced her mother and never once looked back. Alana lost everything when Seemus proved her adultery in front of the court. The daughter she birthed was not even his, to begin with. There was nothing she could argue or reason with.
Alana had never once visited her in the prison that became her living hell for the past couple of months. She'd written several letters asking for her mother to visit her once in the prison. Most of them went unanswered and the last few returned to her as Alana had moved out of her temporary housing.
Alicia sobbed as she looked at her once manicured hands. Her nails had broken and she wasn't allowed to grow new nails. The inmates, who happened to know of her past bullied her at every chance they got.
The prison guards turned blind eyes as the senior inmates treated her like a servant. When one of the guards did ask them to stop their bullying they'd enlightened her about her past and the guard never spoke up for her.
They made her do most of the hard chores and when she didn't, they punished her by starving her. She gagged every time she took a bite of the food they served in the prison. They were nothing close to the gourmet food she'd gotten used to.
Alicia remembered all the amount of food she'd thrown in the garbage just because she was full or simply because it didn't meet her standards. She'd remembered the incidents where she threw the dishes on the waiter's face just because it arrived late.
"Are you done yet?"
"Y-yes," Alicia called back in an urgent tone as she hurried to the next toilet cubicle. She'd never once cleaned a toilet before.
After cleaning the toilets she went to clean the bathing stalls. The huge room held a mirror and wash basin on one side of the wall and several bathing stalls on the other side.
She looked at the clean mirror, remembering all the beauty routine she used to carry out. Her skin has healed well and tiny strands hairs had sprouted all over her head. Black circles and the small bags in her eyes served as a proof of her restless nights in the prison.
It would be months before it grew back to her usual length. Tears welled her eyes as she remembered how she used to style her hair every month. The dead skin had accumulated on her skin and they forced her into a freaking orange jumpsuit like everyone else.
She hated orange.
With a defeated sigh, she went to each stall scrubbing and cleaning them spotless. Her hands and back ached. At first, when she started she didn't know which brush was used to clean which place.
She'd learned to do the chores in a hard way and cursed her mother for her upbringing. One of the inmates warmed up to her in the past month and the only thing she looked forward to was talking with her during their free time.
Soon it was lunch time and Alicia sat at the corner of the table. She breathed a sigh of relief when her new friend Rebecca took a seat next to her. Alicia spooned the boiled vegetables and internally grimaced as she thought how it would taste in her mouth with no sauce of cheese dressings to go with.
Rebecca nudged her in the ribs and she soon swallowed the food without bothering to chew it. That was how she ate most of her food these days. She couldn't stomach it if she chewed it.
After lunch, she spent some time with Rebecca in her cell. The hard mattress and the small room she was confined with brought out several other memories. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the thoughts aside and stared at the ceiling.
This had become her life now. She would wake up early in the morning, do the chores, eat her food, talk to Rebecca as they discussed what they wanted to do after going out and then, she would simply stare at the ceiling as she fought with her memories. Sometimes she went to the prison library to read the newspapers.
It was one such time she read about the high-profile wedding of Axel and Samantha. They both looked so happy and full of love for each other. She'd left the library immediately, unable to stand it.
Did Samantha carry out her threat?
In fact, she didn't care. She wouldn't be caught if she hadn't associated herself with Valtini. She loved the danger and the thrill it brought with it.
A lone tear leaked from her eyes as she thought about her life. She didn't know whom to blame. The cops were after Valtini and if she had just kept to herself she wouldn't be in trouble. The pure look of disgust on Valtini's eyes when they once met on the court made her realize that she was nothing without her beauty or money.
Alicia didn't know how she would survive once she got out of the prison. She didn't even bother to graduate from the University. She wondered if it was h
er upbringing or her wrong choices, and she already knew the answer.
Every time she dumped a guy, she felt powerful. The control it gave her over their hearts brought a pleasure like no other. But, when she saw the same men giving their words against her in the court the pain she'd caused them was clear. She'd left a scar.
She didn't know if she should feel sorry for them or angry that they went against her. She was thankful to Rebecca for making her see things in a different way.
"You should apologize to them," Rebecca had said during one of their heartfelt talks.
Alicia contemplated her words for weeks before she wrote her first apology to Mr. and Mrs. Kaufman. Rebecca had said that her regret should come from her heart else there was no point of her seeking redemption. She'd been writing the letter for about five days before she could post. While she got no reply from them, she started writing letters to the others as well.
One letter at a time.
She still had much to go and as Rebecca insisted she decided that she'd try to become a better person. She lay on the hard mattress and let the sleep, embrace her for the rest of the night.
∞ ∞ ∞
~Alana
"One more mistake and you're fired!" Alana stood admiring her shoe clad feet as the restaurant manager continued to yell at her for being late. She'd gone clubbing once again last night and was late to work.
"I won't repeat the mistake, Mr. Henderson," she pleaded in a soft voice.
"As I said, this is your last warning." Mr. Henderson walked away without another word and Alana sighed in relief.
She had to get hold of her life. This was her seventh job in the past couple of months and she couldn't afford to lose it. The divorce had hit her hard and left her bankrupt.
There was nothing she didn't face in the past months. She got thrown out if her apartment twice and she needed this job to pay her bills. Getting a well-paid job was not easy, considering that most of the companies blacklisted her name after the scandal.
And then, she didn't know any other works. Waiting for the tables seemed easy, but she'd only learned how hard it was to walk around all day and clean the tables. She'd met with all sorts of customers during her time here. A few were kind enough to leave her some tips, some would yell at her for being clumsy and some would complain about her incapability of being a waitress.
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