4

4

Annalise

I clenched my fists tightly as I watched him say his vows.

Lies, all lies, I mentally screamed.

“I love you so much and I promise to continue to do so for the rest of our lives, while also supporting you. Cheers, to being my viscountess,” he had recited.

“Lies,” I whispered.

The guest on my right turned to look at me with a raised questioning eyebrow and I flashed her a smile I hoped appeared reassuring. I redirected my attention to the couple about to be wed.

Spenver had just finished giving hid vows, and it was now Annalissa’s turn. Everyone was quiet and staring at her with expectant eyes.

I watched her as she looked around. In her eyes, there were a lot of emotions that usually weren’t present on one’s wedding day. Fear, most especially. Her eyes could not hide the cluelessness I’m sure she must be feeling.

Is everything okay? I wondered. She looked to hesitant for it to be a mere delay.

I crossed my fingers. Is this where fate would change?

She cleared her throat. “Well…” she began and then she took a pause. “I can’t go through with this wedding,” she blurted out.

Wait, what? 

My first thought was but little compared to the whispers I could hear floating among the crowd.

“Is she serious right now?”

“First she faints, now she calls off the wedding. If she knew she wasn’t ready, she never should have held a wedding.”

“I think she’s pulling our legs, I heard she signed off all her property to him.” 

I had to remind myself to close my mouth, as I hadn’t known the situation was this bad.

“I missed so much when I was in Adrica,” I whispered. I shook my head once again in confusion.

“Yes, it has to be a rumor,” I mumbled.

“Why is that?” Spencer finally spoke. He took a few steps towards her, and I noticed her take a few backwards. I squared my shoulder with clenched fists, ready to pounce at any moment.

She took a while before she blurted out the answer. “I’m pregnant.”

My eyes widened in shock. She’s pregnant?!

More whispers began to float through the crowd.

“She’s promiscuous? That’s impossible.”

“Pregnant? How? She doesn’t look pregnant.” 

“Not at all. Her face is not in the least bit puffy.” 

I turned and shot a glare at the trio giving their two cents on every situation. They quieted down with bright red faces.

“We have never shared a bed before,” Spencer stated. It was like watching a sitcom.

“Yes, it’s not yours,” Annalissa explained.

“Whose is it?” Spencer inquired.

I watched as her eyes fleeted through the ground in a rushed manner and it clicked in my head. She wasn’t pregant, she was lying on the spot. I leaned back into my seat, curious to know how this will end.

In that instant, we locked eye contact. I saw it coming before I heard it.

“Adrian,” she said. “Yes, I’m pregnant for Adrian.”

The crowd let out a collective gasp, and I could feel some eyes turning to stare at me.

Spencer immediately stormed out with clenched fists, and the entire hall fell silent.

The priest cleared his throat. “Well, is the Adrian in question present?”

I drew in a deep breath. This is the moment when fate changes. 

I rose to my feet. “That’s me.”

“Will you like to wed the mother of your child today?” The priest inquired.

I already knew my answer, but I had to let the suspense linger in the air, letting the expectant eyes stay on me for a bit longer.

I finally nodded. “Yes.”

I could hear a lot of people release their breaths in that moment.

“Turns out, there’ll still be a wedding today,” the priest announced.

| | | | |

I paced the walkway, stopping to admire the moon every few moments. It was a full moon, and it was beautiful.

Like her, a voice whispered. My cheeks began to burn. I still found it hard to believe that I was finally married to Annalissa.

“It took two lives,” I mouthed.

A throat cleared behind me, and I turned around to face her. I bowed slightly, while internally I admired her. She had her ginger hair in a messy bun and paired with a pink flowing dress that accentuated her figure perfectly.

She looks dazzling, I swallowed.

“Follow me, let’s have a seat,” she suggested and began to walk fast, leading the way.

I followed after at her, smiling to myself as she shook her head comically. What is she thinking about? I wondered.

She staggered a few steps back and I quickly hurried to her. I managed to hold her waist and pull her in to my chest. She opened her eyes after a while and looked up at me. I looked down, and it was the first time I ever noticed she had ocean blue eyes, eyes I would be happy swimming in.

She look distracted as she raised her finger and began to trace my lips, leaving a tingling feeling behind. I unconsciously clutched her waist tighter and that’s when we seemed to both snap back into reality.

We jumped away, detachimg ourselves from each other.

I cleared my throat and turned in the opposite direction as an awkward silence blanketed the tension that we had just felt.

“So,” I finally began, breaking the silence. “It will take a few days to get my home ready to accommodate a wife. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes,” she hoarsely whispered. She cleared her throat immediately and I knew she must have felt embarrassed.

I let a small laugh escape, while thinking of ways to phrase my question. “I didn’t know I’ll be getting married today. Did you know your husband will be different from your fiancée?” I finally asked.

We maintained eye contact and I knew she could see through my flimsy question.

“I’m sorry,” she stated.

Is that it? 

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Yes. For now, that’s all I can say,” she hung her head in shame.

I didn’t know when a sarcastic laugh escaped my mouth. “Don’t I deserve some sort of explanation for why you dragged my name through the mud? Now everyone thinks I was sleeping with a betrothed lady.”

She inhaled deeply. “I know this might sound crazy, but I’ve been here before.”

What? How is that possible? 

I took a few steps forward and placed the back of my hand on her forehead. “Are you okay? Should I call the doctor?”

She slapped my hand away and took a couple of steps backwards. “I’m serious,” she cried out. She further explains how she had been having deja vu for the whole day.

I raised an eyebrow at her antics. “Okay, let’s assume you’ve actually been here before. What does that have to do with marrying me? Why did you choose me?”

Upon further discussion, I found out she had no reason, I was just convenient, and I had gone along with it. We decided to set some ground rules but we only ended up having one- No sex.

“How do we seal it? We have no pen or paper or anything of the sort,” she pointed out.

You can go in and get a pen and piece of paper, I wanted to say, but I thought better of it.

Opportunity comes but once, I reasoned as I stepped forward until I was right in front of her. I placed my hand on the small of her back and pulled her in to be pressed against my chest.

“Let’s seal it with a kiss,” I whispered hoarsely as I looked into her hypnotic eyes.

She nodded and closed her eyes, then stood on her tiptoes while I bent my neck down and our lips met each other in a beautiful story.