"W..what?" He stared at her straight in the eyes and asked her to repeat it again.
Without a hint of happiness on her face, a bitter smile appeared as she repeated, "I'm getting married with Tian Yuo."
"Why? Didn't you say that you were going to give up on him?" Chen Mu's mind felt like the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy; a mess.
"It was difficult making this decision, but..." She faced her mother's photo album and hugged it to her chest.
"But this was my mother's last wish. She and Auntie Shen Wen agreed to Tian Yuo and my engagement. It's been set before my mother's death. Look at these pictures, she loves me so much that every single picture was all smiles. And Auntie Shen Wen treats me like her own daughter. I want to treat her like my own mother and be a filial daughter to her."
"Even so, you could treat her like your mother without getting married to him! If your mother was here, she wouldn't want to see you suffer like this. If you don't want to marry him, then don't. If you have to marry someone, then you can marry me instead! I'll make you feel much happier!" He began spouting words without thinking.
"Chen Mu, I've never told anyone how I've lived through my childhood. Every time I saw families laughing happily, I would stare for extra seconds wondering what life would've been like if my mom was still alive. I wish I could cook, clean, and spend time with her like every other family. I felt empty all these years, and I felt useless because there was nothing I could do for her."
"When I saw Karen crying and her mother comforting her, I would always be envious because never will I ever get the chance to feel a mother's hug. This is something that I can never get. So right now, I found out that she had a last wish and that was for me to marry Tian Yuo. Even if I am marrying him not out of love, I am willing to because it would fill this emptiness inside of me."
"I don't care if Tian Yuo treats me like his wife or loves whoever the heck he wants to love. All I know is that I want to treat the elders with care and respect like how my mom would treat them."
Seeing her hug the photo album to herself made his chest feel tight. He felt heartache for her, her sufferings, and her loss. She always hid her feelings and never allowed anyone to find out how she really felt. The loneliness, self blame, and desires weighed heavily on her emotionally and psychologically.
Everything that she wanted to do with her mother, she couldn't. When she saw a happy family walking around, she would subconsciously stare for an extra few seconds. His temper slowly cooled down and in his gentle voice, he asked, "What if your marriage with him doesn't work out?"
"Then we can get a divorce. I'm not married yet, but I'm already prepared for that step. I only wanted to fulfill my mom's last wish and repay Auntie Shen Wen's kindness. I want to spend my time as her daughter-in-law and care for her, Uncle Guo Min and Tian Yuo's grandparents. I could care less about what Tian Yuo does. I will do what a wife and daughter-in-law should do."
Chen Mu sighed after hearing her explanation, "It seems like you've already decided to do this. Then I guess I can only hope the best for you. I can't say anything supportive because I am against the fact that you're forcing yourself to marry a guy whom you don't love. But if you ever need me, I will still be there for you. I'll listen to your rants, cries, smiles, or anything you need from me."
"Thank you.." She felt a lump in her throat and her face beginning to heat up, so she lowered her head and turned away. Chen Mu noticed her reddened eyes and tried to cheer her up, "Ah, let's taste the pastries that I brought over. These are new flavors, so dig in! You can put the rest in your fridge and eat them one at a time since you've had no appetite to eat lately."
"Mmmm." She quickly wiped the corner of her eyes and grabbed a fork to eat the vibrant looking pastries in front of her. The pastries tasted delicious, but no matter how sweet each piece melted in her mouth, a lingering bitterness followed. Perhaps the mood does have something to do with tastebuds.
Meanwhile, at Tian residence, Tian Yuo was told that Susu had agreed to the marriage and nearly exploded his anger. His room was flipped upside down and right side up until everything was touched at least twice and stomped to pieces.
Shen Wen watched as he destroyed the items in his room, "Quit acting like a brat. We've come down to an agreement. Here, read the conditions and then sign if you are okay with everything else. You should act mature about this." She handed him the contract that the lawyer had created earlier today.
His eyes were bloodshot red when he snatched the paper from his mother's hands without reading it. He scribbled his signature on the lines that had the X marks highlighted. "There. Happy? You just ruined your son's life! I wont acknowledge her as my wife and wont ever touch her. I'm divorcing her in a year!"
Seeing his signature, Shen Wen breathed a sigh of relief, "Suit yourself. You'll understand our efforts sooner or later. Until then, try to mature up. You're too old to throw a tantrum like this."
Shen Wen sent the document to the lawyer and had it processed overnight. A few days later, the marriage signing ceremony took place. Under the witness of close friends and family members, Susu and Tian Yuo signed and exchanged rings.
"Congratulations, I now pronounce you two husbands and wives." Tian Yuo was supposed to kiss Susu, but he stormed out after their marriage was officially announced. Susu had already expected this reaction, so she faintly smiled and thanked the guests for coming.
Shen Wen patted her back and apologized on his behalf. Susu smiled, "It's fine. I already knew he didn't want to marry me, so I won't force him to do anything nor would I do anything to please him."