"I now pronounce you husband and wife."
The small audience of family and friends applauded as Manfred kissed his wife, Angelica. The wedding march blared from the small orchestra, as the newlyweds rushed down from the wedding alter, eyes glittering and smiles radiant. They felt like the happiest couple in the world in those moments. The crowd followed, throwing the celebratory rice and flowers. The two waved goodbye, as they entered the limo to go to their reception. Manfred and Angelica laughed and smiled as the limo drove off. The two finally calmed down from the excitement, and held each other's hands and store into each other's eyes in silence. They knew what the other was thinking, so no words had to be exchanged. They kissed once more. They had kissed and made love before, but in this moment, it felt even more special. They were finally husband and wife. They made an agreement that they would get married only after Manfred won his first case. As such, Manfred got his first guilty verdict no less then two weeks ago. In their years of dating, there were moments of joy, and moments of anguish, but it was all irrelevant now. They released each other's lips, and continued to gaze into their lover's eyes. Angelica whispered, "I love you." Those simple words made Manfred a flutter, even though they exchanged those words a thousand times over. He whispered back, "I love you too, Angelica."
Angelica smiled, blushed, and playfully pulled back a little. She was talking in her normal voice. "Do you know why I love you, Manfred?" He was a little confused, for that is something not normally asked on one's wedding day. But he leaned in, and replied, "Why do you love me, Angelica?" She giggled like a schoolgirl, and answered as she wrapped her arms around Manfred's strong shoulders. "Well, you are smart, handsome, strong, compassionate, and caring men I have ever met." Manfred chuckled, and pulled Angelica close to himself. "Well, do you know why I love you, Angelica?" She smiled and replied, "No, why do you love me, Manfred?" He was slightly embarrassed, and answered, "Well, in truth, you remind me of my sister." She planted her face into Manfred's shoulder, laughing at such an odd answer. Now extremely embarrassed, the newlywed man continued. "It's not what you think." He pulled Angelica's face near his, and looked into her eyes again. "She was my best friend when I was a kid. She was kind, patient, compassionate, and smart. You remind me of her sometimes, and that makes me happy." He was saying this in an almost desperate tone, as to not scare off his wife. But, Angelica leaned in, and kissed him. She pulled back, and replied, "Well, that is very sweet of you. Maybe I should meet this girl. If she's that special to you, that only means I will be that special to you, as your wife." They stared in silence once more. The limo stopped, and Manfred realized that they needed to get out to the reception, even though he could spend all of time in that one spot. He opened the door, and led Angelica in, arms locked around the others.
The reception was in full swing shortly after the newlywed's arrival. There was singing, dancing, toasts and speeches, even a humorous dance routine made by Manfred's best men. The party went on until the evening, and had no signs of stopping soon. Manfred and Angelica spend most of their time together. But, around sunset, Victoria found the couple. She had an expensive camera around her neck, and wanted to take their picture. After the single photo that was taken, the one that Manfred would cherish forever, he introduced Angelica to Victoria. Immediately, they were like sisters. They talked a lot, which pleased Manfred. It was good to know his sister could get along with his wife, and her sister-in-law.
After their conversation, Victoria approached Manfred. Angelica understood that she wanted to talk to her brother in private, so with a peck on Manfred's lips, she went and joined in the party. Victoria said to Manfred, "Wanna take a walk? The noise is giving me a headache." Manfred agreed. It had been while since they talked to each other, so it was a perfect time to catch up. They decided to walk in the sidewalk around the building the reception was held.
"So, you're a lawyer now?" Manfred responded with some pride. "Yup. A Prosecutor. Won my first case two weeks ago." Victoria responded in a congratulatory tone. "Wow! Very impressive. That's not an easy feat, or so I hear." Manfred answered, "Well, it helped that I did a lot of mock trial in school. I think I have a good technique down." Manfred decided to switch the subject. "How is photography treating you?" Victoria answered, "Well, it's not a great paying job, but I have fun with it. You're lucky I decided to take pictures for free today. I don't do that for everybody, you know." Manfred laughed and said, "Thanks again, Victoria." She smiled and playfully responded, "Oh, it was nothing. Anything for my brother." They kept walking and talking for some time.
But, Victoria noticed an odd reflection in her glasses.
"Manfred." Victoria said flatly, interrupting him. "I think someone is following us." He looked behind him, and saw a dark figure, keeping his distance. When he looked, the man's walk started to get faster. Even with the bright streetlamps, nothing could be made out from the figure. Manfred whispered, "Run." The two started picking up their pace, only to have the figure behind them get faster. The two entered a full sprint, as to get anywhere but where they were. Suddenly, two figures emerged from an alleyway, nabbing the two and covering their mouths. The two figures were incredibly strong, and the two couldn't make a sound. Knives were pointed at their neck as they were pulled into the dark alleyway. Manfred was tied to a water pipe, unable to move. As Victoria was pinned to the ground, the men wrapped tight cloths around their mouths. Then, the figure that was following the two steeped into full light, and Manfred's eyes widened as he realized who the man was.
"Hello, Mr. Prosecutor." The man said in a slimy tone. Manfred did not know the man's name, but the mark on his face was undeniable. He was part of a gang of thugs, whose boss Manfred found guilty of robbery and murder two weeks ago. He thought the gang would disband, but one of the underlings must have taken over. Manfred wanted to say something, but the gag was too much. He man held his own knife up. "Listen well, Mr. Prosecutor. This is what happens when you mess with us. Consider this a warning. I'm not going to kill you. But what will happen is much, much worse then death. That girl? I'm going to have some 'fun' with her." Victoria and Manfred's eyes widened much more, and Victoria shook in fear. The man walked over to the pinned down girl, and made one slash on the shirt.
Manfred looked away from Miles and Franziska, and shook in terror, like they had never seen him do. Miles could already guess what was to happen, but the question had to be asked. "What happened to you sister?" Manfred regained his composure, and looked into his children's eyes. "Those thugs… they forced me to watch. My sister was raped and killed right in front of my eyes." Franziska gasped and covered her mouth in horror. She had heard a multitude of stories from her clients about rape and murder, but hearing it from her father, about her own aunt no less, was terrifying. Manfred continued the story again.
"After he finished, he cut me from the ropes holding me back."
It began to rain. The thugs left, laughing. Victoria lay beaten and torn. Her breath became heavier by the second. Tears formed in Manfred's eyes, as he approached his sister weakly. With her last breath, she smiled, and said, "Don't worry about me. You… you just need to… take care of your wife…" she looked into his eyes. "Remember Manfred… stay strong… for me." With those words, she allowed the cold blanket of death cover her. Manfred released a torrent of tears, as he closed Victoria's eyes. He bent over, allowing the rain to beat him like stones. He straightened up, and screamed to the heavens, 'VICTORIA!!!" and bent back over her, crying harder then ever before.