I kept questioning my insane decision to take Rafael's hand for help.
If I could go back to his room yesterday, to that moment of hesitation, what choice would I make?
Standing in this church's control room now, my rational thought screamed to be captured by my cousin instead. It was the simpler way.
No hassle. No challenge. Like the obedient daughter I was.
But my heart kept whispering: I have no choice. I want freedom.
Even if I went back now, I would choose to take Rafael's hand again.
The only path to defeating a devil is signing a contract with a more powerful one.
He was the only option.
This control room was located on the second floor, on the right side of the altar. No one but church staff should be here, yet Rafael had a serious talk with the head pastor—whatever they discussed, it brought us this access.
From here, I could see the elite guests filing in, taking their seats on the sturdy oak pews.
But the dark film on the glass ensured no one could notice a soul was in this room.
Behind the benches, several reporters' cameras were neatly set up. I frowned.
Why were there reporter cameras? Wasn't this planned as a private wedding with no public attention? Yeah, at least when I was the bride, that was the plan.
"Relax… why do you look so tense?" Rafael entered, and the slight brush of his palm on my back sent a jolt that snapped me alert. I flinched.
"Rafael, those cameras. Are those reporters'?"
"Yes. Since Caroline made such a spectacular show of the Chief Prosecutor's daughter being depressed, Evelyn Adam can't sit still. She forced her to make this wedding public to gain popularity." He explained.
I blinked. My brain processed the scenario he laid out.
Sure, for an elite broadcasting company like Evelyn's, hosting a corrected wedding ceremony—filled with scandalous misery from another Elite family—was a goldmine.
"But, in the invitation… they said to keep the news quiet and not gossip, right? Why?" I still couldn't comprehend.
"I don't know the details of how Evelyn persuaded Caroline or even your father. No time to dig deeper. But I guess that it's related to your father entering parliament and becoming a senator. You know… a sad story always works to win people's hearts. It could raise his public persona points."
Ah, that senatorial candidacy. So it wasn't just a rumor?
I'd heard my cousin mention it, but my father had never stated it explicitly.
I looked at Rafael, suspicious and curious.
How could he hear that rumor and guess this confidently?
Wasn't he busy volunteering up until two months ago when the news of his award broke?
He knew so many things, but I knew so little about him right now. Was he even okay?
He'd forced himself out of the hospital yesterday. It turned out he'd just had a laparoscopy for an appendix ten days ago.
Did being a genius make his body heal faster too?
"I already portrayed my dramatic comeback to society. It would be fun." His grin widened, his eyes sparkling with pure excitement.
I rolled my eyes. What did I expect? No point worrying about him.
I bit my lower lip. If this was turning into a public wedding, then…
"Rafael, we need to ditch that bridesmaid speech. If this goes public, there's no reason for us to—"
"No. We keep going with that speech."
"But—"
"Nana! Think about it. With or without those cameras on, it won't matter much. Your family and the Housleys have you bound to that motherfucker, and they know you're the naive girl who can't rebel against them." He crossed his arms. Scolding me.
"If you go with the safe speech, that we're simply dating, they won't believe it. They'll know you're just using me for a shallow appearance. But if you can make Roman think you're two-timing him, you'd be satisfied just seeing his reaction. So, that speech is the best approach." He coaxed me again.
He'd said this last night. The biggest reason I accepted the speech was that I genuinely wanted to see Roman's expression. I was curious. I needed to know.
"If you use my speech, you'll kill three birds at once. Family perception, the Elite guests, and public sentiment. All of them have different initial knowledge about Viona Island. But at the end of your speech, there will be just one conclusion—" Rafael leaned closer, smirking near my ear.
"She's unbeatable." He closed the statement.
Hearing the word unbeatable stirred something new inside me.
Something that made the hair on my nape stand up, sending a thrill through my adrenaline.
'The beatable Viona is becoming unbeatable.' Was that even possible?
Was I significant enough for him to invest this much energy?
Wait… No. He was using me too.
What was I thinking, believing he did this because of me?
I shook my head, looking at his excited face.
"What if it doesn't affect them personally? What if Roman is actually happy I'm gone from his life?" I asked.
"You wanna bet? What do you really want after this wedding? Freedom, right? Then trust me. This will help you better. If you just rant to the public about how unfairly you were treated, what will you get? You'll only embarrass everyone due to a lack of evidence. You never went on a public date with him, did you?"
"You don't need to emphasize that. I know that much." I retorted with annoyance.
How could he know everything better than me? That pricked my pride as a law student.
Was emotional rage truly clouding my judgment? Apparently so.
Right. He was damn right.
The only powerful thing I could use right now was the Kingston name he lent me.
And this wedding was the perfect venue for my first strike.
If I missed this, I'd lose the momentum that could give me freedom from their chains.
My father could drag me back to the cage if I simply claimed to be dating Rafael, because the family and the Housleys knew it wasn't true.
They all knew how madly in love I was with Roman.
How well-behaved daughter I was.
So, Rafael's scripted speech was the only way.
But, that would make me his pawn. I was tired of being anyone's pawn.
I took a deep, steady breath to relax my strained nerves.
Fine. If this were a game. I would try to play my share and take my own steps.
The sound of the MC testing the microphone made me flinch. I was tense.
The guests were calmly settled in their positions.
And the groom started walking down the aisle toward the altar.
His wide, solemn, genuine smile wiped away my last doubt.
How could he smile like that without a single regret?
I clenched my fists tight and pounded a small, silent blow on the table in front of me.
"Rafael, promise me one thing!"
He turned. And for the first time, we had a deep, serious talk.