Till Death, Say I do

Maren picked up her phone and dialed Knox again. No answer! She started to dial again when her best friend Reney took her phone away. “Girl, he is with Toby; they will be here. I have already talked to Toby and Cash. They are in the car and already on the way here. Now get ready.” Her tone left no room for argument, and Maren did as she was told. She had been planning this day meticulously for the last 5 months. Every single little detail had a meaning, and she made sure each one was perfect. She wanted Knox to walk in and know that she cherished every moment of their life together so far and was ready for each moment their future held. No matter the circumstances. Though it was hard to let go, she allowed her best friend, and her older sisters, Lacey and Paige, to help distract her so she could get ready.

25 minutes later, they had her dressed and ready for her party. Guests had mostly all arrived by 5:15 pm, and she was about to start calling Knox again when Toby and Cash walked in. “Thank God!” She sighed, walking up to them with her arms open for a hug. “Is Knox parking the car? Cash, you could have done that for him!” she scolded them. The two men looked at Maren with confusion. “I would have if he were with me, but I haven’t seen Knox in about an hour. He went to leave with us, but we had all forgotten our phones in Toby’s car. Knox told us to just take Toby’s car, and he would meet us here and get his phone. He didn’t want to be late…Is he not here?” Maren swallowed hard. “He left before you. Where is he?” Exchanging looks, Toby and Cash jumped into action. “Do Not Cry!” they said together as they looked at the tears starting to brim in her eyes. “We will go find him,” As they went to leave again, Knox came running through the door.

He rushed up to the 3 of them as Reney joined them. She was just opening her mouth to lay into him as he cut her off, “I need you all to help me.” He ushered the group to the back dressing room, where the women had gotten ready and revealed a bloody hand and scratched arm. “Oh my god!! What happened to you?” Maren gushed as she rushed to grab the first aid kit. She pulled him to the couch and started to clean his wounds. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I got to my car, and my tire was flat. Something struck my car as I had it jacked, and it almost landed on me. I pulled myself away just in time for the jack to slam my hand and wrist and to scratch it as I pulled it out.”

“It will be okay!” Maren exclaimed. She kissed his cheek and cleaned up his hand. “Good as new,” she closed the kit, and they all stood to walk out.

Back at the party, people were sitting down to eat, and Maren and Knox’s parents took the stage. They gave beautiful speeches about their love and commitment to one another and their excitement about accepting one another as family. Maren’s father, Matthew, was last to speak and at the end announced, “Without further hesitation, we welcome the happy couple, Knox and Maren, to the stage.” They took hands and climbed the stage together. Maren looked around the room and saw only one seat empty. The seat reserved for her newer friend Row. They hadn’t been friends for long, but they were so similar that they found themselves becoming close friends rather quickly. She found it strange that she was not there, but she shook it off. Maren took the mic first.

“Thank you, friends and family, for coming to celebrate the engagement of Knox and me. As many of you know, I had a very strong and loving man at home who taught me what I deserve to be treated like. So, I had very high expectations that we were not sure anyone would ever meet. I was destined to be alone because my dad had spoiled his wife and daughters. Then I met Knox, and Knox was everything my father ever taught me a man should be. He opened doors for me, walked on the outside of the road, made me feel seen and heard, he showed me I mattered, and more than that, he showed me I was loved.” She wiped a stray tear from her face. “He quickly became my best friend and my go-to person. I knew I could trust and depend on him to show up for me at every moment. So, when he asked me to be his forever, I never had any hesitation that yes was the only answer I could give him. I truly love you, Knox! Here is to forever!” She raised her glass, and everyone clapped and took a drink. Knox bent down to kiss her forehead, and she handed him the mic.

He chuckled, “Well, I guess it is my turn!” He briefly smiled down at Maren. “I would say she is a hard act to follow, but from the moment I met Maren, I knew she was the main act, and I would spend the rest of my life following wherever she guided me if I could have her close to me. Her smile stopped me in my tracks, and I knew I just had to know her. It was like my heart leapt out of my chest and said I am yours. Maren has changed my life in every good, joyful way because she is the most kindhearted and happy person I have ever met. Watching her with her family, I know why she is that way. She is the kind of woman who makes a man want to be a better man. I wanted to ask her to be my wife after a week, but while I knew she was the woman for me, I knew I was not yet deserving of the title of her husband. So, for 2 years, I got my life together, and when I knew I was ready, there was no hesitation. Maren, as your husband, I will always be the man you can count on. I love you!”

He raised his glass and as everyone started to clap and cheer, the front door slammed open, and a woman yelled, “Somebody, somebody please help! Maren, do not believe him! He is not what he says he is. Please!” As she came into view, you could see that she had been dressed up for an event, but her clothes were now torn and dirty, her hair a muddy, tangled mess. She had blood on her face and arms, and you could see bruising starting to show all over her body. Maren stammered, “Wha, what do you mean?” Her mouth was slightly open in shock and fear. What was this woman trying to say? Knox put his arm protectively around Maren. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” he asked. She fell to her knees dramatically and started to drag herself closer to the stage they stood on.

Through gritted teeth, she seethed, “Oh, Knoxy, you don’t remember me? What a pleasant little act. Is that for her? Or is it for your esteemed guests?”

“Knoxy?” Maren looked at him. His face flushed a little; only one person had ever called him that. Then, as the woman was only a few feet away, they could see her face, though the swelling was intense and made her hard to recognize. At the same time, they both acknowledged her, Knox “Rowen?” and Maren “Row?”

When a similar name came out of both of their mouths at the same time, the crowd gasped. Maren and Knox both looked at each other. “How do you know her?” they said in unison. Maren looked at him, tears in her eyes, “Knox, what is going on?” He shook his head at her, the look on his face a mixture of confusion and fear. What didn’t he want her to know? “I don’t know Maren, I haven’t seen her in 2 ½ years. I swear.” Maren stepped back. “But you know her?”

Rowen cackled, “Oh, he knows me. Don’t you, Knox?” Maren’s gaze moved between them. Chairs started moving as their family and friends started to recover from the shock and move into action. Knox reached for Maren’s hand, and she pulled it away. “How do you know her, Knox?” Her expression angry, she turned back to Rowen, “I thought you were my friend?” Kimberly, Maren’s mother, was now at her side. While Toby and Cash were next to Rowen. Cash was on the phone with the police while he and Toby tried to drag Rowen to her feet. She fought back like she was fighting for her life. Knox was looking at Maren. “Please believe me, I have not seen her in years. She is nothing to me.” At his words, Rowen stopped fighting and broke into hysterical tears. Her words were incomprehensible, and she hung limp, crying like an abandoned child between Cash and Toby’s arms. They looked at each other for a moment, then at Peter, Knox, and Cash’s father, also a detective for 25 years. Peter walked over to them and helped them escort her to privacy.

Kim and Matt looked at Maren. “Girls, take Maren to the back,” Matt said to his daughters and Reney. They quickly grabbed her and led her back to the dressing room. “Knox!” she said in a sob as she was pulled away. Knox, still holding the mic, “I apologize, everyone, if you could please make your way to the exit. There are gift bags for all of you. Please take one, and we will be in touch. Thank you all for celebrating….” He choked back tears, cleared his throat, and continued, “Celebrating with us tonight.” He shut off the mic and set it down. Every fiber of his being wanted to reassure Maren, but he had to know what Rowen was doing there. This was not supposed to happen. She should have been nowhere near Maren.

Maren watched him walk towards Rowen with a look she had never seen on him before, and a piece of her broke inside. What was going on? Why was he so mad, and how did they know each other? The door to the dressing area closed, and her sisters led her to the couch. She sat, and the moment she hit the couch, sobs wracked her body. They did their best to comfort her with words of encouragement, “Knox loves you,” and “this is a misunderstanding, Maren,” but something in her gut told her something was wrong. She didn’t know what, but she knew it was.

Back outside, now on the opposite side of the venue Rowen was still between Cash and Toby and Peter was standing in front of the 3 of them “One of you two better start telling me who the hell this girl is and why she just crashed Knox’s engagement party in a bloody, beaten mess right damn now” he stomped his foot for emphasis on the now and the stern look on his face had the two boys thinking of their childhood and Peters no nonsense attitude. “This is Rowen.” Cash said, “She used to, I don’t know. I guess date Knox, before he met Maren.” Toby shook his head, “I don’t think he has seen her, Pete. He broke it off with her when he met Mare.” Rowen swung her arms free of them. “You two idiots don’t know anything!” She screeched. “Knox loves me. HE LOVES ME!!!” She screamed. “But I refused to be the other woman, and when I did, he beat me. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. Then I found out about the wedding, and I said no. I would not be the 2nd place prize, and he got mad.” She started to cry, and all 3 of the men took a small step back. “He wanted to keep me as his secret while he loved her in front of all of you. In my place.”

Cash looked at Toby and Peter, then back at her, “No fucking way, you are a liar.” He spat at Rowen. “No way Knox kept you around. He loves Maren. You were just a fling. He wouldn’t throw his life away.” Toby shook his head and agreed, “I don’t want to disrespect you, but to say this was Knox? Never. He is not that kind of person.”

Her next words were like venom, meant to sting, “Oh, you think you all know Knox? Knox has secrets you could never know. He killed our baby because if your precious Maren found out, then she would leave him.” She laughed, a cold, bitter, distant laugh. “I have pictures, I have medical records, location history, and recordings. Keep pushing me, telling me I am not worth it, and I will take Knox down, and what will that do to Maren?”

Pete held his hand up. “This is enough. The ambulance will be here any minute, and you need to be seen, and we need to stop talking to her.” He waved his hands through the air, “Release her, sit her down. Go check on Maren.” The boys did what he said. They walked away from her, shaking their heads. Cash muttering under his breath, “Lying bitch I swear!” as they walked toward Maren’s dressing room. Knox came slamming his way through the front door of the venue. “Where is she?” He asked. Cash gave him a confused look, “Why are you looking for her? Where is Maren?” Toby looked between the two of them, and Knox put his head down. “I need to see her.” He let out a long breath, “Where is she?”

Cash shook his head, “No, this isn’t right. Is she telling us the truth, Knox? Have you still been with her the whole time?” Knox shook his head, “I haven’t been, but I need to see her. I need to know why she is here right now.” While the two brothers looked at each other for a long moment, speechless, Toby broke the silence, “Have you seen Maren first? Did you reassure her? Please tell me you consoled her before you came out here looking for your beaten and bloody ex that is accusing you of not only being the one who made her bloody and broken but of doing so because she asked you not to leave her!”

Knox looked up at them, his expression first shocked but quickly solemn, and then he hung his head again. “I did this.” Matt was standing behind him as he said it, and he, Toby, and Cash were shocked. Cash opened his arms. “What the hell are you saying, man? You, you did this?” Matt turned and walked away without a single word, punching a wall on his way out.

The first responders showed up. The police took Rowen’s statement first as the paramedics examined her. They moved on to the other party guests as they loaded Rowen into the ambulance. When she pulled away, they read Knox his rights and put him in the back of the car. His mother broke down. Knox sat in the back with his head hung low, never looking out the window. They recorded each statement from every guest, towed Knox’s car back to the lab for forensics look over it. Right before they went to pull away and take Knox down to book him, Maren walked out the door. “Detective Cole?” she spoke softly. “What happens now? What can you tell me?” He sighed and put his hand on her shoulder. He led her over to the bench and sat next to her. “Miss, her story is convincing; she’s beaten black and blue, and your man isn’t saying anything other than ‘this is all my fault.’ Now we have no real physical evidence right now, but we keep investigating from here. He can talk to us at the station if he wants, but this likely goes to court, and we find out what happened when we hear testimony.”

Maren’s eyes filled with tears again, “What do you think right now?”

He shook his head, “I think there is more than we know happening right now, but that doesn't mean he is innocent. That means we don’t have all the answers right now.” She shook her head in understanding and thanked him. He patted her hand and gave her his card. “If you have any questions, reach out. We will be in touch to schedule an interview.” He waved his hand, and the cruiser pulled off with Knox as Detective Cole climbed into his partner’s car.

They drove away, leaving 2 families standing together, gazing after them, waiting for the next steps. All in shock, unsure of who they are supposed to believe.

At the hospital, Rowen is giving her statement to the police. Telling her side of the story while down at the police station, Knox is sitting in a room with his attorney, telling them everything he can possibly remember. Knox looked at his attorney, “I want to take this to court. I want to testify.”

His attorney nodded in agreement, “I think this is a story everyone needs to hear.”