Consequences

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    She heard his voice and every nerve in her body electrified, realizing that she would really be his wife. “I have a special gift for Claire, it is her something new . Please be sure to tell her that the box is blue velvet on purpose.” Courtney looked quizzically at Tony. “She will understand, I promise.” Claire smiled, thinking, I really do love him!
    Somehow he knew that she would wear pearls. Perhaps he’d expected her grandmother’s necklace; nonetheless, she opened the blue velvet box to beautiful dangling pearl earrings hanging from platinum earclips covered in small sparkling diamonds. With her hair style and the veil, the earrings were perfect. The ladies in her suite went crazy. The consensus was that the earrings were perfect and so was Tony. At that moment, Claire believed so too. She wanted to believe it, with all her heart. And her heart did, but it was her mind that held too many memories, ones that had been compartmentalized away— away, not gone .
    It wasn’t for lack of trying.
    When Brad knocked on the door of her suite, Catherine and Courtney hugged her and sped off to their seats. Claire looked at herself one last time in the full-length mirror. She liked what she saw, and prayed that Tony would too. She and Emily proceeded down the hall to the main stairs. She could hear the music from the quartet.
    They heard a rumbling of whispers. Suddenly, she thought about the guests. Who were they? She really didn’t know any of them. She’d heard names and some she recognized. Some were political figures, some were business people she’d met at benefits, and some were names she’d heard in the media. Then she remembered their friends, the people that had made last night incredibly memorable. Their friends were the people that supported both of them, and were not solely present because of Anthony Rawlings. It was the others, the ones that she didn’t know, that scared her. She felt like they were all judging her. She wanted to be perfect for those people so Tony would be proud. The multiple acetaminophen were helping to keep the headache at bay.
    Brad listened to the piece in his ear, waiting for the deviation in the music. The hum of voices disappeared. She couldn’t see the guests or the men exiting Tony’s office, but Claire knew that was what was happening. Emily kissed John and Claire before she descended the stairs. John took Claire’s arm, kissed her cheek, and said, “I will not disrupt your day. You look amazing, and I want you to know how much I love you. You aren’t my sister-in-law, you are my little sister. Please remember you can always count on Emily and me.” He squeezed her hand. “Just always know you are loved.” Claire kissed his cheek and thanked him. Brad gave them the signal, and they started down the stairs. When John was asked who gives this woman to be wed, he replied, “With great love and admiration, her sister and I.”
    The next thirty-five minutes passed as if a dream. Claire saw faces. She saw the smiles of her new friends and of her sister, but what she noted above all was Anthony Rawlings. When she reached the aisle and beheld him, he was watching her and waiting. He had eyes only for her. He stood incredibly handsomely in front of the guests, hands resting casually at his sides, shoulders broad, impeccable Armani custom tuxedo, a gratified smile, and eyes that though encircled in chestnut brown still absorbed light.
    Standing next to him in front of everyone, she felt drawn into the darkness searching for light and warmth. His eyes sparkled, and she felt weak. Internally, she was saying, “I am marrying him. He is marrying me. I am now his wife.” She knew that there would be a contract that the world would now recognize. He owned her. There was nothing she could do about it. He gave her one chance to escape, and she didn’t take it. She made a decision, and that decision would have consequences. Now the world watched, and public failure wasn’t an option. The world was seeing the most amazing wedding that money could buy, with a stunning woman happily marrying a handsome man. In contrast, Claire suddenly saw a napkin with signatures. She knew too well appearances meant everything.
    She compartmentalized the flood of thoughts and emotions that beseeched her mind. She smiled lovingly, answered the minister obediently, and behaved appropriately. The kiss at the conclusion of the ceremony was romantic, and the minister’s announcement of