Chapter 16: Suspicion over sweetness
Clarisse followed Sharon as she went into another section, she watched Sharon who was immersed in a joy-suffused atmosphere as they embarked on a journey to find the perfect wedding dress for her. She felt strange and her heart ached, it made her imagine what the moment would be like if her mother was alive, she was feeling motherly love and it hurt, eyes were glued on Sharon but she was seeing her mother's face.
Sharon browsed through the collection of dresses, trying to find the perfect dress for Clarisse, the one she was wearing was making her angry, she wanted her to look their best, and make this day a memorable one for her, and she was controlling herself so hard not to hug the fragile and lean looking Clarisse. Now that she's married to her son, she's likewise excited that she has one more daughter so she wants her daughter's wedding to be such a memorable one and after she found out that her real parents are there, she already assumed the role of a mother belongs to her now.
"Why do you want to buy me a new dress, ma'am?".
Sharon turned at her with a frown, " ma'am?".
The frown was so deep that it made Clarisse feel uncomfortable.
"M..mum?".
At just that Sharon's frown immediately turned to a grin,
" what's your question again my daughter?", She asked with a grin,
" I..I..was asking... why are we buying...a new dress?", She asked with her heart beating so fast, she didn't know if it was out of fear, or nervousness.
" How can my daughter be wearing something that big, the person that picked that dress must be so blind when picking it", she said and turned to check the gowns, " I need to pick a very beautiful dress that would add to that beautiful not hide it".
Clarisse eyes were looking down, confused and unsure.
Finally, Sharon stumbled upon a very beautiful dress, she shoved it in Clarisse's direction and asked her to try it on, by the time she came up, Sharon and the attendants gasped, the dress was so beautiful and perfectly captured the essence of the Clarisse's personality, the embrace-prompting moment brought tears of joy and affection-stirring warmth to both their hearts.
" one final touch", Sharon said feeling proud and two women came forward, and took Clarisse away to apply makeup for her.
Christian was waiting patiently in the waiting room, he checked the wristwatch for the fifth time. When two women went inside to dress up, you should better go to sleep cause you might wake up and they'll still not be done. He shook his head, he had spent two hours waiting for them and they were still not out. During the moments when the atmosphere was electric with anticipation, with each passing second stretching into eternity,
His phone rang and it was his brother, he had just finished dealing with his best friend who won't stop whining and complaining because he missed the wedding, he didn't know that situation would occur so by the time he got to the venue, he was welcomed by the reporters who were just leaving.
" Hello, husband".
He heard Gael's voice said over the phone teasingly,
" what's it?",
" c'mon, it's your wedding day so sounds more joyful, why? Is the bride not beautiful",
" far more than your girlfriend",
" oh, are you admitting my girlfriend is beautiful?",
" What did you want Gael?" he, He asked getting irritated but Gael was busy laughing,
" I can't believe you're going to get married before me, I was....".
He didn't hear any more things that he was saying, what he was seeing blocked his hearing senses.
The moment has finally arrived, the door has gently opened to reveal his radiant bride, her beauty enough to take his breath away. Time seemed to slow down as he took in the sight before him. The intricately designed dress enveloped her in a dreamlike haze, the sparkling details catching the light, creating an ethereal glow.
Her eyes met his, not sure of what he was thinking but his eyes were fixed on her with her mother-in-law standing beside her and grinning.
Christian on the other hand had his heart swelled with a whirlwind of emotions: pride at the beautiful woman standing before him, the feeling of protecting and loving the lady standing before him, and anticipation for the life they were about to embark on together.
Every intricate detail on the dress, from the delicate lace to the elegant veil, seemed to radiate a harmony that mirrored the love they were going to share. The mesmerizing vision before him was a serene, whimsical reflection of the journey he wanted to embark on with her.
" Go and meet your husband", Sharon whispered into her ears and she nodded.
Christian was mesmerized, she was looking more beautiful and as she slowly walked towards him, the air grew thick with emotions, her heart was beating so fast, she had been feeling so blank recently but this moment suddenly turned to one that made her feel so emotional but the tears weren't even coming, they had stopped coming for some time, while Christian hear was pounding in admiring. His throat tightened as he thought of what the investigator told him and it made him angry once again, but the scent of her when she came close enough eased every anger in him and replaced it with a new feeling, the ones he had never felt before, he stood up slowly, his eyes glued on her and he whispered for only her to hear,
"You look absolutely stunning."
Her eyes glistened, the words felt so strange to her, everything felt so strange to her and she needed a break, a moment alone, she wanted the time to stop cause she was so afraid this might be all.
" Time for wedding pictures now guys", Sharon said grinning.
' What is the purpose for all these, I'm sure there's a reason why they're being so sweet and friendly, me? Stunning? When I'm looking so lean', she said and sighed in her mind, ' it's going to be over soon, that, I'm certain of'.