Chapter 2 - Family Tradition

Moriah looked at him with incredulity, she couldn’t believe her ears. Her enemy called her his sunshine.

“I promise to love you as I love myself. I love you forever, my wife,” Ethan continued and kept himself from chuckling at his bride's reaction to his vow.

It was apparent that she couldn’t believe her ears

Moriah was stupefied, his tender voice and gaze were telling her that what he said is true.

But, this is Ethan Miller. This couldn’t be true, it’s just a ploy she thought.

Cyndy’s jaw dropped hearing Ethan’s vow, she tried to find a hint of disdain and mockery in his voice, but all she could hear was the tenderness of his voice.

After they exchanged vows, they exchanged wedding rings.

Moriah’s hands were cold as ice when the officiant said to the groom to kiss the bride.

Ethan lifted her veil, snaked his arm around her waist and tilted his head. His lips descended on hers. He kissed her ever so gently.

Moriah was mortified and her body could be likened to that of a wooden block.

After he kissed her, he brushed his thumb on her chin and then he faced the crowd.

On the other hand, Moriah was still in a daze staring at her husband. In his peripheral vision, he could see that she hadn't recovered from her shock yet.

He leaned sideways and whispered, "Your relatives are looking at us."

His words brought her back from her trance and she faced the people right away.

He took her hand and tucked it in his arm, and together they walked back down the aisle, toward the future and a fate that seemed anything but magnanimous.

As they neared the limousine, Moriah removed her hands that were wrapped on Ethan’s arm. She entered the car while Ethan helped her with the train of her gown.

“Is there a way you can remove this?” Ethan asked, pertaining to the train of her gown.

Moriah snorted and answered curtly, “None.”

Ethan sat beside her, but Moriah moved further to avoid him.

A surge of frustration swept over his chest. She avoids him as if he was ill with a contagious disease.

From time to time, the chauffeur glances at the newly wedded couple who utterly ignored each other's presence.

He couldn’t understand what’s going on with wealthy people's marriages. Do they really marry even without love? How could they endure a loveless marriage?

“We're here, sir,” the chauffeur said, announcing their arrival at the wedding reception and quickly alighted from the car and opened the door for his master.

Ethan came out first and held out his hand, Moriah held his hand. Her blood is boiling, while holding his hand.

She hates to hold his hand, however, she has no choice but to put up with the show so as not to embarrass herself and her parents. Her relatives' sharp eyes are on them and are carefully observing them.

Ethan leaned sideways and whispered to her, “Your relatives from China are watching us.” Ethan smiled at her, she smiled back at him sweetly.

Only she knows that deep within, she was giving him a scowl and scolding him.

During the banquet Ethan and Moriah did many sweet things which made Moriah seethe quietly.

The supposedly blissful and enjoyable wedding banquet became a torment for her.

Cindy watched her best friend helplessly, the program was arranged by Cindy and couldn’t pull it back.

She knew that when she changed it, her relatives from China would begin to doubt Moriah's marriage.

“This will be the last game for the newly wed couple,” the emcee said with a mischievous grin.

“You answer the question I ask,” he gave each one a small board and a pen and went on, “And there will be a corresponding penalty with answers that did not match.”

“First question is, when did you first see each other?” the emcee asked.

Ethan and Moriah scribbled their answers on their respective boards.

“Alright, the couple wrote without hardship on recalling their first meeting, a sign that they are really in love,” the emcee chuckled.

Moriah flinched at what the emcee said. In love? What a joke. They hated each other’s guts.

Moriah noticed the twitch on Ethan’s lips. He must be sneering at the ridiculous remark made by the emcee.

“Let’s see the answer,” the emcee said and both Ethan and Moriah lifted their board.

“Year 10 is Mrs Miller’s answer while Year 12 is the answer of Mr Miller,”

Moriah balled her fist when she heard the emcee said Mrs Miller. She felt a pang in her heart, she had imagined many times that she would be called Mrs Stanton.

She bowed her head, blinked back her tears and took a deep breath before lifting her head.

Her reaction towards the two words ‘Mrs Miller’ didn’t escape Ethan’s sharp eyes. Many women dreamed of having that title and being called ‘Mrs Miller’ - the wife of business tycoon Ethan Miller.

However, for Moriah, being called Mrs Miller wasn’t appealing and it disgusted her. Ethan felt suffocated and loosened his tie a bit.

“We’re both right, I was in year 10 and he was in year 12 back then,” Moriah defended their answer, afraid of the punishment. She knew that her best friend had mischievous punishment.

“Yes, that’s true,” Ethan said in agreement to what Moraih told.

“Alright, next question. When was your first kiss?”

Moriah blushed profusely at the question and opened her mouth to protest, “It’s a private matter and I don’t want to divulge any information like this.”

Ethan nodded his head, he agreed with Moriah, he didn’t like talking about private matters in a casual way. Most of all, in public.

“I agree with my wife, we aren’t comfortable about this question,” he said in a rather serious tone which made the emcee rub the back of his head.

“I’m sorry for asking such a silly question,” he said, smiling at them apologetically.

“When did you officially date?”

Moriah stared at her board for a few seconds before writing her answer. She sighed and wished that the banquet would end.

“Oh, you have a different answer,” the emcee said upon seeing what they wrote on their board.

“Very well, the bride will pick from this bowl their punishment,” the emcee said.

Moriah picked a piece of paper from the bowl and gave it to the emcee.

“The newly wed will kiss!” the emcee exclaimed while chuckling.

Moriah was stupefied but instantly recovered her composure. Ethan smirked and leaned forward to kiss her.

Quickly, Moriah took the board from Ethan and covered both sides with the board and scowled at him.

“Don’t ever dare kiss me!” she said while glaring at him.

Ethan didn’t dare to kiss her. The guests were chuckling as the emcee remarked, “Mrs Miller is too shy to kiss in public.”

Moriah couldn’t resist the urge to roll her eyes and muttered, “Mrs Miller.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes, hearing the way she muttered ‘Mrs Miller’ with a tinged of disgust. His face darkened.

Moriah didn’t see her husband’s reaction as she was wallowing in her pain and misfortune.

After the banquet, the newly wed couple went to the villa, followed by the bride’s family and relatives.

“What are you doing?” Ethan roared when he saw Moriah holding a small paring knife.

“The sheet must be stained with blood,” Moriah answered and was about to cut her palm; however, Ethan held her wrist and took the knife from her.

“Hey, give me that!” Moriah almost yelled at him as she jumped to get the knife from him.

She can't get the knife from him, for he was way taller than her and he lifted his hand so she can't take the knife from him.

“Are you deceiving your parents now?” Ethan's blue eyes darkened as he stared at Moriah.

Tonight is their wedding night and they are going to consummate their marriage.

Moriah’s mother is an English woman and her father is of Asian descent - a Chinese.

His family values a woman’s purity. A daughter must preserve her virginity and give it to her husband as a present on their wedding night.

They have a family tradition that at the wedding night they will spread a white silk sheet over the bed. After they consummated their marriage the white silk sheet will be presented to the elders.

She looked at the white sheet spread over the bed and it needed to be stained with blood to show that she was a virgin.

She is still a virgin nevertheless, she can give herself to her husband. She doesn’t love the man she married and will only yield herself to a man that she loves.

“You're doing this because you aren’t a virgin,” Ethan sneered at Moriah.

Moriah fisted her hands into a ball, she wanted to shove her fist in his face.

“I’m not a promiscuous woman!” she said between her gritted teeth.

She wanted to scream, however, afraid that her parents, grandpa, uncles and aunties were all waiting in the sitting room to hear her, she contained her anger.

“What’s the need of this if you’re still a virgin?” Ethan showed the knife.

She bowed her head. “I - I don’t want to do it with you,” she stammered, turning her back to him.