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.Stan got back to his apartment, where he threw his coat to the floor. He couldn’t ascertain the exact way he felt currently, but he was certain he felt a considerable chunk of relief.He gulped down hard as he walked to his wardrobe where a small box laid.He picked it up and stared at the ring intently, recalling how he had gotten her the ring with all his savings, about a year ago.“Is everything okay?” He had asked Carissa, who appeared to be gloomy and lost in thoughts.“I’m not certain that I’m okay!” Carissa had replied, causing him to take his hands off the box that laid in his pocket.“What’s wrong, my love?” He had asked a worried looking Carissa.“My mother, she cried all through yesterday”, Carissa had said to Stan, who gulped down hard and lowered his eyes to the floor.“Her debts are due soon, and she has no idea of how to pay them off”, Carissa had said to Stan, who was blank on what to utter.Back to the present, Stan held the ring and let out loud laughter which transi
Carissa finally decided to put an end to her drama. After what ensued during the wedding, she was rushed to the hospital.All those while, she left her eyes closed, totally aware of everything that was taking place around her.She heard Ethan’s worried voice and then that of her mother, who was sobbing quietly.At several points, she made to jerk up and tell her mother that everything was fake and made up.However, she was certain that would only trigger trouble, which she wasn’t ready for.Finally, she heard a doctor entering the room and running some tests on her.After about two hours, she finally opened her eyes, giving them the intuition that she had just gained consciousness.“Mum, what happened?” She asked pretentiously, peering into the worried eyes of her mother.“You passed out earlier”, Mrs. Williams explained as Carissa lowered her head to see that she was still clad in her wedding dress.“Oh my God! During the wedding?” Carissa asked aloud as she looked at her mother, who
Ethan knew that something was wrong with her. She appeared extremely disturbed and avoided his gaze at intervals. “Look at me”, Ethan said, as he cupped her cheeks into his hands, trying to ascertain what was going through her mind.“I’m fine”, Carissa said immediately, moving backwards until his hands dropped from her face.“I would take you home”, Ethan announced as he stood up and strolled to the door, gesturing for Carissa to come over.Carissa was about to jerk off the bed, but remembered that she should still show a glimpse of weakness.At this, she let out a groan as though she struggled to get off the bed.Mrs. Williams rushed towards her and led her to meet Ethan, who stood by the door.“I will handle her from here”, Ethan said to Mrs. Williams, smiling widely at her.He led Carissa out of the hospital room, with his hands wrapped around her waist and her head bent down to his shoulder.They got to the car and settled in, smiling at each other calmly and running out of words
It was almost an accident…Carissa heaved a massive sigh of relief, not only because they’ve just escaped an accident that would have claimed their lives, but because she didn’t get to reply to him with those words.“Are you okay?” Ethan asked Carissa the moment he recovered from the shock.Carissa nodded her head, not having any words to utter.Ethan heaved a considerable sigh of relief as he continued driving, darting his eyes to Carissa, who was clearly lost in thoughts.“We are here!” Ethan announced as he brought the car to a stop. He quickly got off and rushed to open the door for Carissa.“I can carry you if you don’t mind”, Ethan said in a voice that caused Carissa to blush in embarrassment.“No, thank you”, Carissa said as she smiled and placed her hands into his that was stretched out to her.Holding hands together, they made their way into the house.They got to the living room, where they sat down and glared at each other.Ethan had countless things to say, but currently,
“Oh my God!” Stan groaned as he landed with a thud.He remained still, hoping that the sound he had created didn’t distort the sleep of anyone in the house.After some minutes, he stood up and dusted his trousers, looking around and ensuring that he wasn’t being watched.A massive sigh of relief escaped his lips as he silently trudged towards the window.He glanced around at intervals, trying so hard to remain discreet in other to avoid getting discovered.It was 2:am, some hours after the failed wedding of Carissa and some hours after her return from the hospital.Stan had asked Jay to keep an eye on Carissa and from the information he received from him, there was no space for him to come in at that point.He needed no one to notify him that sneaking in at midnight might be the perfect way to meet with Carissa.At this, he had waited in his car for over three hours, watching the house from a distance and trying to ascertain when they would have retired to bed.At about 12:am, he obse
Carissa’s face was red and her eyes blurry as a result of the tears that had welled up in them.She kept writing, pouring out her heart and narrating her desires.For a while, her journal became her place of rest and peace. She had no one to talk to about her pains and wants because none of them would understand from her perspective.However, her journal was one thing that wouldn’t judge her or debunk her thoughts and opinions.As such, she derived great joy in writing whenever she felt so overwhelmed and deserted.Carissa couldn’t get enough sleep all through the night. She kept tossing on her bed, thinking of Stan and wondering what her life would be like.This caused her to become restless and when she was unable to take it anymore, she picked up her journal and decided to write.“Hey journal, all I want is peace and despite how much I crave it, I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Maybe, I would find peace if I set my eyes on Stan again”, she wrote down on the journal as more tears
Carissa stirred on her bed, rubbing her eyes as the rays of sunshine peeked into her room.She groaned grumpily as she picked up a pillow and placed over her head.Sounds were coming from the living room, and it caused her to finally sit up, with a massive frown on her face.“What’s the noise for?” She asked herself as she glanced at the clock.It was 9:am and the first time in a while she woke up so late.“Oh God!” She yelped as she jerked up and rushed into the bathroom.She had stayed up to the early hours of the morning because of how much she got engrossed with writing in her journal.Staring at the mirror in the bathroom, she couldn’t help but observe how miserable she looked. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her hair was disheveled.Now, she really looked sick.A deep sigh escaped her lips as she strolled back to her room, where she wore a robe and made to head down the stairs.Just then, something struck her and abruptly, she swirled around and stared at the window.Carissa gu
Stan yelled for the hundredth time since he entered the bathroom. He couldn’t keep mute because his heart was on fire.The only thing that rang in his head was how Carissa had ignored him last night.It pierced his heart deeply that all he wanted to do was disappear and never return.“Hey baby!” He heard Kiara’s loud voice.“What the hell!” He muttered as he turned back in shock.He was clad in only a towel and didn’t realize that she was waiting for him in the living room.“What are you doing here?” He asked with a massive frown on his face as he walked back to his room.After some minutes, he came out again, clad in a gray pants and black sweatshirts.He heard some sounds in the kitchen and quickly made his way there, with his fists clenched in anger.“Kiara!” Stan bellowed angrily as he saw her preparing scrambled eggs that had gotten burnt.“Can you turn off the cooker?” Stan asked, but trudged further when he didn’t see her making any effort to do as he had said.“I’m only trying