Chapter 5- Dead end

Stan smirked as he observed how emotional the guests had turned as a result of the sweet words Ethan had just uttered.

He clenched his fists in fury and took a step closer, trying so hard to get the attention of Carissa, whose eyes were lowered to the floor.

Carissa pondered over what Ethan had said to her. Her heart sank when she noted that she wasn’t moved by his utterance.

“You would grow to love him”, she assured herself, even though the reality of that happening remained blurry.

“Are you ready to say your vows?” The priest asked Carissa, causing her to jolt off her thoughts.

She smiled calmly and nodded her head in affirmation.

Taking a closer look at Ethan, she could see how much he anticipated the words that would come off her mouth.

This was a beautiful moment. She could tell it was, with the look of admiration on the faces of the guests, along with the way everywhere remained dead silent.

She shifted her gaze to the crowd once again, with a fabricated smile on her lips.

“This is it”, she said to herself as she braced up to say her vows.

“Dear Ethan”, she started in a voice that sounded like a whisper.

At the far end of the crowd, Stan remained still and cold. He was sweating profusely as he thought of what next to do.

He could easily walk directly to them in a bid to stop the wedding. However, he was aware that his reputation would be thrown to the mud.

“Please, don’t do it”, he muttered under his breath, as though Carissa could hear him.

“You are everything I ever asked for in a man. With your presence, I …”, she trailed off as she lost track of what next to utter.

She had been so occupied with the thoughts of getting married to someone she isn’t in love with that she failed to rehearse her vows.

The crowd murmured slightly but kept mute the moment she made to proceed.

“With your presence, I feel complete and…”, she trailed off yet again as she silently scolded herself for failing to rehearse.

She gulped down hard and slowly shifted her gaze to the guests who were murmuring.

Next, she looked over to her mum, who was making use of face gestures to tell her that she needed to be calm.

She nodded her head and took in a deep breath, ready to proceed again.

Just then, she caught a glimpse of someone standing at the far end; opposite where she stood.

At first, she thought she was dreaming or hallucinating. At such, she waved it off as mere imagination.

However, she blinked her eyes severally and fixed her gaze back to the spot. Yet, he was still there.

“Oh my God!” She yelped inwardly as her heart began to race.

She had hoped that he shows up before everything is settled, but now that he was here, she could swear that she was out of ideas of what to do.

Her body suddenly felt weak as she felt her temperature on the rise. Her feet felt wobbly while she tried to maintain stability.

The guests were waiting for her, Ethan was gazing at her confused and the priest was waiting patiently to pronounce her as the wife of Ethan.

Stan heaved a massive sigh of relief the moment he observed that she had seen him. He wiped off the sweats on his forehead as he silently hoped that she wouldn’t go further.

Carissa was at a cross road. Her mother gave her a reassuring smile from where she stood.

She shrugged and finally decided to move further with her decision. An appearance of her ex was not going to change her mind and ruin her marriage with Ethan.

Perhaps, Stan left her when she needed him most…

“Dear Ethan, I lack words to express how much you own my heart. With every breath I take, I feel alive because you are there with me”, she said and took a pause.

Ethan smiled widely as his heart fluttered in excitement. He couldn’t wait to have her as his wife because that was all what mattered to him.

“Today, I decide to take you as my husband”, Carissa continued as her throat suddenly became constricted.

It seemed as if she was choking on her words because she was slowly approaching the point of no return.

Tears clouded her eyes but got shoved aside as mere emotions that come from wedding ceremonies.

Stan clenched his fist the moment Carissa uttered the word “husband”. He was certain that she was ready to be with Ethan.

His heart sank and all he felt was regret.

Carissa turned towards his direction for another time and for the next seconds, their eyes got locked in each other’s.

She could see how pitiful he looked. It was clear that he had not come for the wedding, because of how disheveled he looked.

He had come for her because he still loved her.

She returned her gaze back to the priest and Ethan, who waited patiently for the completion of her vows.

“No, I would rather not do this!” She said in finality as she suddenly closed her eyes and fell to the ground.

Everywhere erupted into chaos as people tried to ascertain what could have happened to their bride.

“Call the ambulance!” Someone cried out from the crowd.

“Give her air! Some space please!” Ethan yelled when it seemed as though everyone was trying to get a hold of her.

Mrs. Williams held Carissa as she checked her pulse.

“Carissa”, she called out while shaking her fervently.

Carissa didn’t flinch a bit where she laid. She remained still, creating the illusion that she passed out.

A smile curved on Stan’s lips and inwardly, he was delighted that there was an end to the wedding.

He couldn’t say how long that would last. But he was certain that now is the time to get back his lover.

As the chaos continued in the venue, he walked away; silently devising means to earn back the trust of his lover.