Chapter 3 - The Groom was Late

"You've got it all wrong, Ms. Lewis. It isn't me but my client who's going to marry you," he said while chuckling. 

"Who is he?" Kirsten asked with a frown adorning her beautiful face. 

"I can't tell you," he said, he looked at her tenderly, his nonchalant face before, now filled with concern. 

"Can you please speak to whoever your boss is. Tell him that I can't marry him until my brother comes out of the hospital." The decisiveness in her tone gave the impression that it was not a request but an imposition. 

"Okay, let me call him." Mr. Tornwell was about to dial his client’s number but his phone went off. 

"She's already here," he said without waiting for the man to speak. 

He nodded his head while listening to the man at the other end of the line. 

"Ms. Lewis wants the wedding after her brother got discharged from the hospital," he said, holding his breath.

Kirsten looked at Mr. Tornwell expectantly, wishing that her unknown groom would agree. 

Kirsten's heart fell at the bottom of her stomach when a frown appeared on Mr. Tornwell's face. "Okay, I understand." 

The call eventually concluded, after a few minutes of speaking to the man. 

Mr. Tornwell seriously looked at Kirsten, heightening her edginess. 

"My client agreed," Mr. Tornwell saw the relief in Kirsten's face. "But!" The word he added was like a needle pricking a balloon. Kirsten's shoulders drooped down, feeling defeated. 

"Someone will pick you up tomorrow,” Mr Tornwell added. 

Listless, Kirsten walked out of the lawyers office. As a law student, she knew that the contract was binding once she signed the contract. There was no escaping this. 

If her dad did not die when she was just a child, then this thing would have not happened to them. She looked up at the sky and asked God, “Why?”

Kirsten looked down and walked absent - mindedly on the pavement and had not noticed the black Maybach driving slowly following her. 

If she could only make the day longer, Kirsten would do it so that this dreaded day would not come but unfortunately, she had no power to prolong the day. If she has no power to prolong a day then she absolutely has no power to stop time from moving. 

***

The day she feared eventually came, no matter how hard she wished that it would not come. 

The acoustic band played a romantic song in the background as Kirsten waited beyond the curtain, concealing her from the guests and her mysterious groom. 

The pounding of her heart nearly broke her chest and she could hear the loud thudding of her heart was louder than the music. 

What if her groom is older than her mother? Or perhaps a psycho? Or even if he's young but looks like a frog? 

There's no need to lie to herself, of course she wanted to marry a good looking man. Desiring to be married to a good looking man was just a normal thing for a woman. 

When the performer started to sing the first line of the song, the curtain separating her and the very few guests was lifted. 

Sea wind blew gently as Kirsten walked shakily on the sandy aisle with red rose petals scattered along the aisle. 

Only three people were present at the wedding, one of them was Mr. Tornwell. They admiringly watched the bride walk down the aisle. 

It took all of Kirsten's strength not to run away as she spotted from afar a scrawny man in black suit, waiting down the aisle. 

Kirsten had to convince herself that it's worth the sacrifice as her brother could now live a healthy and happy life. He could do all the things young children at his age do. She could see him smiling and out of pain. 

Eventually, whatever she did to prolong her march, she was now standing face to face with her groom. Kirsten swayed, feeling dizzy. 

'Oh no, I would be waking up everyday for one year with this man,' her mind screamed.  

Despite herself she gave her groom a bright smile. He was her benefactor, her brother would be dead by now if he hadn't helped her.

'He might be a frog prince but he's with a golden heart,' she consoled herself. 

Her eyes and Steven's eyes met making her clench her wedding gown. 

Kirsten wanted to run away but she reminded herself and said, ‘You are doing it for your brother.’

A lengthy discourse was given by the minister regarding marriage which the groom groggily listened to. 

He yawned several times while the minister spoke, Kirsten had to hold herself back on pinching her groom. 

‘This is humiliating,’ she complained to herself. She embarrassingly looked at the minister who was delivering his talk. 

When the minister was about to officiate the marriage, a voice came to Kirsten's ears. "I'm sorry for being late." 

The mimister smiled awkwardly at the man standing behind Kirsten. 

"Mr. Roosevelt," Kirsten's groom beamed upon seeing Matthew as if he was being rescued from being sent to a death row. 

"Thank you, Steven," Matthew said and Steven gave way to Matthew. Leaving the dumbfounded bride. She looked back from Matthew to Steven in confusion.

‘What is going on here?’ 

Her eyes grew wide seeing the handsome man towering over her. Kirsten's neck hurt a little looking at the man, he was really tall. She was already wearing three inch heels adding to her five feet and three inches height.  

Kirsten didn't know if she would be relieved or worried that the scrawny man wasn't her groom. Her whole body tensed up as she remembered that he was the man she had offended two weeks ago. 

Is he going to get revenge for spilling the soup over him? Will he really get revenge over a trivial matter? Why did he help me if he wanted revenge? A multitude of questions flooded Kirsten’s mind. 

Kirsten followed everything the minister said in a haze, not understanding any of it. Even the vow she uttered didn’t register in her mind. Everything seemed to happen in a blur. 

"You may kiss the bride," the pastor said.