Jen's Journal

Danny looks lovely in her olive green velvet dress. Her black hair falls in a curtain of waves. The blush on her cheeks gets darker when she sees Liam waiting at the bottom of the stairwell. He’s smiling from ear to ear. His blue eyes twinkle as they take her in.
“You look radiant, Danny.”
“Thank you. You look handsome yourself.” He takes her hand and gently presses his lips against her knuckles.
“Are you ready for this?”
“No, but let’s go,” she says, forcing a smile.
“What about your mother?”
“She’s at the church already. I told her I wanted to wait for you,” Danny says, taking his hand and walking out the door with him.
They arrived at the chapel moments before the ceremony started. Danny’s soon-to-be stepfather was waiting in the center of the aisle. He was in great shape for 56. He dyes his hair black to appear younger, and his blue eyes cast a spell on every person in the room. He has a smug smile on his face, the same as the day Danny first met him.
Danny sits in the middle to not draw too much attention to herself, even though her future father-in-law spotted her coming in. He smirked at her the way he did the first time they met. The same way he smirked down at her when he forced himself into her bed that night and many nights afterward. Her mother didn’t believe her when she told her. Liam is the only one who did. He wanted to hurt him when Danny told him. But she convinced him that his time would come.
As much as she loathed Alex, she still helped her mother with the wedding planning. Danny helped her mother pick out peonies flowers to decorate the isles in the chapel. She picked out the white lace carpet her mother would be walking on in a few moments. Danny was there through everything, even the late-night fights over the bride spending too much money and the groom being absent for most of the planning.
Soft violin music starts playing, and people’s side conversations quiet down slowly. Dannys youngest sister walks in first, wearing a white dress, and holding a basket of pink rose petals. The crowd smiles as she twirls, making her dress fan around her. The bridesmaids come in next wearing rose gold dresses, all with their arms wrapped around their groomsmen. The music stills for a second; this is their cue to stand up.
Dannys mother begins her elegant walk down the aisle. She looks beautiful, of course, with her hair up in an elaborate bun, picture-perfect makeup, and a custom-made dress with long sleeves that reveal her back. Although she’s smiling, no amount of makeup can hide her dark circles and the puffiness in her eyes and nose.
The ceremony goes as planned, with rehearsed words and cliche vows. It takes everything in Danny not to stand up and object to the wedding, but she knows he won’t make it to their wedding night.
“Hey Danny, are you alright?”
It takes a moment for Danny to realize she’s digging her nails into his forearm. “I’m fine. Sorry about that,” Liam doesn’t buy it, but he lets it go for the time being.
The reception is right behind the chapel, and Danny drags Liam straight to the open bar. She asks for double whiskey ginger and gets right back in line. She drowns the first drink when she gets to the bar and asks for another whiskey ginger.
“Woah, slow down Danny,” Liam comments, nursing his gin and juice drink.
“Maybe in a bit,” she says, slurring her words a little.
“Come on, let’s get you some food,” he says, finding their seats and walking her over to their table.
The ceremony is held in a huge party tent, with two bars at either end and tables methodically set up around the dance floor. Decorative lights hang all around the tent, creating a romantic mood lighting. The chairs are all covered in a white sheet and a pink ribbon. The same peony flower arrangements are set in the middle of every table. The table for the happy couple holds two elaborate royalty chairs.
Liam pushes the chair back for Danny to sit, and she stumbles into it. She’s been waiting for this moment since the day she met him. As the happy couple picks up their glasses and the DJ asks the crowd to raise a glass for them, she does everything she can to hide her excitement.
“Let’s raise our glasses for the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Walker!”
The poison takes a few minutes to kick in. It starts with coughing, then he stands up to try and get air into his lungs. And in no time at all, he’s convulsing on the floor and frothing at the mouth.