The tax mishap took about a week for Christopher to resolve. Throughout that week he couldn't wait to see Emilia and tell her how amazing she was. She likely already knew. He was so proud of her and that she was his wife.
Patrick send him the event information for a horse race which he thought was mundane, but he could finally see Emilia again.
For the first time in a long while he managed to finish work earlier to make it to the event on time. He so hoped to have Emilia to himself during the car drive.
As you can imagine, he was beyond disappointed when Emilia wasn't there as per Patrick's doing.
"Are we going to wait for Emilia?" Christopher asked when Patrick opened the door to a fancy car.
"Dr Hayden has departed already. She is attending a different event tonight."
"Why?" Christopher asked sharply.
"She was not interested in the horse race, sir. There was a lower priority engagement tonight as well so we agreed that she was going to go there instead."
"What is it?"
"Hans Zimmer's concert."
"You know I would've rather attended that one too."
"A few of the key shareholders will be attending the race horse today, sir."
Patrick gulped. It was true that important people attended both events, but the priority level wasn't as distinct.
Christopher sat in the car looking down at his phone. He tried to come up with an excuse to go to the concert rather than the race, but he couldn't.
After hours of misery, he came out to see Patrick waiting for him. Patrick was bugging him in recent days and he couldn't put a finger on to 'why'.
He got in the car and looked at Patrick in the reflection of a mirror.
"It's still quite early. Take me to the opera house." Christopher ordered.
"Are you sure, sir? The show will be nearly over."
"I'm sure."
Patrick hesitated but followed the order.
Soon Christopher walked through the enormous opera house with gold chandeliers hanging from the ceilings which were painted with pictures of angels and nymphs. He entered the balcony on the side which gave him the overview of the entire hall. It didn't take long for him to spot Emilia sitting in one of the balcony stalls perpendicular to him.
She watched the show mesmerised, softly smiling. Truly smiling.
She looked happy in the most pure sense.
A tear escaped her eyes but it was clear that it was a happy tear. She looked as if she was seeing the marvels of the universe.
Christopher stopped and watched her, with music playing behind him. The organs were playing so powerfully that he could feel the vibrato under his feet.
Between the power of music and Emilia, he was the one seeing the true marvel of the universe. It was as if time has froze. He couldn't explain what was happening when his heart firstly skipped a beat and then rushed in inexplicable excitement. His hands started sweating and he felt nervous.
Once music stopped everyone stood up and clapped, moving out of their seats and around within moments. Christopher started walking again trying to reach Emilia, losing a track of her in the crowd.
He pushed through, spotting a glimpse of her golden blonde hair. She was stood on the side, speaking with someone. He soon recognised the young woman from another two events, Grace. Emilia seemed to wave goodbye to the woman and then to someone else, slowly finding her way out of the venue.
"Mr Hayden, I'm so sorry to hear about your father." Someone approached him suddenly. He didn't expect them nor the comment that left their lips. "It is such a tragedy to have lost both of your parents. He would've been pleased to know of your marriage."
"He would've." Christopher agreed. He glanced again towards Emilia. His world was spinning. His father showed him what happened when you married. He showed him what marriage looked like. And it was not something he ever aspired towards.
She deserves better... better than what I can give her.
Christopher's heart ached with the weight of his thoughts and realisation. He knew that approaching Emilia would only disrupt the peace she had in her life and eventually lead to heartache.
Emilia, unaware of Christopher's presence, nodded at someone at a distance, her smile radiant. The warmth in her eyes, even from a distance, made Christopher's resolve stronger.
With a heavy sigh, Christopher turned away from Emilia.
"I suppose congratulations are in place, Mr Hayden. We are looking forward to meeting your wife soon."
"I'll keep that in my mind. Have a good night." Christopher walked out of the building, his heart heavy but convinced that he made the right decision.
Christopher's parents had once been deeply in love. But as time went on, their relationship grew cold and distant. Arguments filled the air, leaving scars on their hearts and an unsettling impact on their son. Witnessing the emotional turmoil between his parents had made Christopher wary of committing to a lifetime partnership. He had seen the way their once-bright love had withered into resentment, and he didn't want to follow in their footsteps. Christopher vowed never to let himself be trapped in a loveless marriage, shrouded in bitterness and pain. Not only that, his father's sadness grew into anger, and once his mother was gone, he was the only one left and the only scapegoat his father had.
He never wanted that for Emilia. He never wanted to be the reason for her smile to fade.