I ignored the woman who opposed my marriage, my heart racing as I fought against the storm of emotions churning inside me. After three long years, she would just show up unexpectedly and declare, "I love you"? What was wrong with her? And to what end? To shatter my heart again? No. Never again. I'd been foolish once; I wouldn't let myself be fooled again and accept you in my life.
But why did the echoes of her cries linger in my ears, relentless and haunting? 'Damn it!' I willed myself not to look back at her. She deserved my rejection. She had made her choice three years ago, hadn't she? Why should I, after all this time, reconsider?
Yet, the longer I stood there, the more morose and unsettled I felt. I heard a faint thud—a sign that she'd finally decided to leave, likely to spare us both further pain. Without thinking, my gaze drifted to where she'd been sitting moments before. I nearly ran to her side—like a foolish puppy running to its master.
'Stop.'
I gathered all my strength to root myself in place, reminding myself that she was just an eyesore. Did she ever looked at me when I was kneeling, begging her not to leave? Where had that compassion been in her heart?
But at that moment, as I surveyed the crowd, I realized something alarming: nobody was helping her. Why are they just staring at us? Are there no guards coming to help her? And why is she still sitting there?
"Argos? Argos!" Alice's voice pierced my spiraling thoughts, a tether back to my current reality. "The priest is asking you," she continued, her tone tinged with confusion.
I turned back toward the altar, the priest's gaze unwavering and expectant. "Do you, Argos Felgherra, accept Alice Wilson as your beloved wife?"