Holding the microphone in her hands, Hannah knew she was choking up. She parted her bright red lips to say something but stopped. Then she took some time to gather her thoughts. When she was ready, she looked at the crowd and proclaimed affectionately, “I do. I, Hannah Young, am willing to marry Fabian Norton as I come of age, and live together in matrimony with him as my husband.”
She did not stop there. In fact, she had more to say, “Whatever happens, we’ll face it together, till death do us part.”
Phew!
Hannah let out a long sigh. She knew that many people present that day would think she had hit the jackpot by marrying into the Norton family, and that that meant she had successfully sought connections with the rich and affluent. What they did not know was how long she had waited and how much she had sacrificed for that day to become a reality.
Perhaps there would be many more obstacles waiting for her in the future, but she had little to fear, because she had Fabian by her side, and that was enough for her!
Helen felt her eyes water when she heard her sister’s serious and romantic speech. In fact, she knew deep down that Hannah was actually talking to the many naysayers out there who frowned upon their relationship.
“You may exchange the wedding rings.”
As soon as the pastor announced the next step, the ring bearer and the flower girl walked towards the aisle, holding the rings.
Fabian bent down to take the ring from the children. Then he held Hannah’s hand in his, before slowly slipping the wedding ring onto her ring finger.
Next, it was Hannah’s turn. She took the second ring and put it on Fabian’s ring finger as well. After that, they embraced each other, and a thunderous applause erupted among the audience.
However, there was one person in the crowd who did not conform to the majority. She did not put her hands together, but instead muttered sinisterly to herself, “What’s this? Lovers and their happily ever after? What a joke! Fabian! Hannah! Just you wait. I’ll make sure nothing ends well for you.”
She was none other than Lyna. Not only had she failed to marry into the Norton family as she wished, but witnessing the newlyweds showing their love for each other on stage left a bad taste in her mouth. She felt nothing but hatred towards them.
“Fabian, why didn’t you choose me? Why have you chosen this woman? She has neither charm nor a good background. Why? Tell me why! How am I not comparable to her? How am I inferior to her?”
As Lyna stormed away from the ceremony, she mumbled to herself, “Fabian, since you have sealed your fate, then don’t blame me for being cruel. I want your Phoenix Group to fall. Mark my words, you forced me to do this. It’s all on you!”
“And you, Hannah! I’ll never forgive you! Isn’t beauty what every woman wants? Do you think you’re so smug now? Wait till I ruin that pretty face of yours! We’ll see if Fabian still wants you!”
Fabian approached his bride and gently wiped the tears away from her face. He whispered to Hannah, “Silly girl, why are you crying. Does marrying me make you so unhappy?”
In a sweet, romantic gesture, Fabian gently stroked the tip of Hannah’s nose as he spoke.
Blushing, Hannah chided him, “Oh my gosh, why have you become so shameless?”
After that, the wedding proceeded in an orderly manner. No other accidents occurred.
Fabian and Hannah went from table to table to greet their guests and performed toast after toast. Soon, Hannah, who was a lightweight, to begin with, got a little drunk.
Fabian got someone to send Hannah to their marital home. Helen volunteered.
“Hannah, who do you think attacked you on the way here?”
Helen accompanied her sister back to her marital home. She popped the question after she got Hannah to sit down.
Hannah might be a little dazed but her mind was still clear. She gave it some thought, then shook her head and asked Helen in return, “What? Do you know who did it?”
Helen had something to say on the tip of her tongue, but she held back. Instead, she merely shook her head.
“Oh, that’s what I thought. How could you possibly know? If you do know, you would have told me sooner, wouldn’t you?” Hannah fell back on her seat and shut her eyes.
“I… Jason… he…”
Helen kept stammering, and for a long time, she could not produce a complete sentence. Finally, she gritted her teeth and belted out, “Argh! Jason says he suspects Lyna.”
“Lyna? Of the Blackwoods? How can it possibly be her? She’s so nice to me. She took such good care of me when I was in the hospital. It most certainly can’t be her,” Hannah replied with a smile.
