Chapter 1752 Nothing Had Really Changed (Part One)
"No wonder she looks so sad," Annie gazed around the garden, where Tiana and the kids were playing, brow furrowed with worry. She wondered whether Tiana would be able to survive the pain. "Don't worry! Everything that happened is in the past, and she will be fine," Rain lowered his head to give Annie a slight kiss on her forehead.
"I hope so!" Annie wasn't so optimistic about that as Rain.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
Due to circumstances, Tiana had come to stay at Rain's home as a temporary arrangement. In consideration of her low spirits, the company granted her leave for several days to deal with her mental crisis.
On the day of the wedding ceremony, Annie wore a wonderful wedding dress tailored specially by Leena, and she was surrounded by a halo of happiness.
Compared with Belinda's stunning wedding dress earlier, Leena had outdone herself with Annie's. It was decorated exceptionally well, and Leena had carefully sketched the contours and seen to the creation of every stitch. It was a gorgeous realization of every little girl's fairy tale dream.
"Leena, wow, what a good job! Your wedding dress designs are becoming increasingly beautiful," Belinda said trying to hide her envy. The wedding dress Annie was wearing was certainly much more beautiful and exquisite than her own wedding dress had been. "Belinda, if you ever get married again, I will design a new one for you," Leena blurted out without even thinking. She was, in that moment, unaware of the repercussions that her ill-considered words would have.
"Leena, come say that again, to my face!" Duke's cold voice cut through their chat suddenly, and he glared at Leena with a frosted light in his eyes. He hadn't imagined she would go so far as to instigate her elder brother's wife to marry once again. Did she consider what kind of a situation her elder brother would be in then?
"Yikes! Dear brother, I was just teasing. Please don't let my silly words upset you. I'm just talking trash!" Leena quickly covered up, sticking her tongue out in jest. She thought, 'Gosh! I really sent myself to the gun now.'
"All right. Duke, Leena doesn't mean anything by it. Please, don't be angry with her," Kevin explained when he noticed Duke's anger, and the tension of the situation. But he need not have worried, as Duke loved his sister very much, and could not remain angry with her. "Kevin, set your heart at rest! His dear sister is the last person he would remain angry with. So, let's just relax and enjoy the ceremony!" Belinda had nothing more to say about the matter. She knew that no further words were required, as their flustering was due to them caring so much for each other.
"You know me quite well. Better than I know myself, it seems," Duke said crossly, while staring at his wife pensively.
"No, how could Mr. Cold's thoughts be known by someone as ordinary as me?" Belinda said, pouting. If this had happened earlier in their life together, she would probably have been frightened by his coldness. But now she didn't treat it seriously at all, because she knew that he was only a paper tiger, as far as she was concerned.
It was a perfect day, and of course Huey and Joyce served as page and flower girl. Everyone commented on how fabulously the family of four were dressed.
Annie's family had also all come from Britain to attend the wedding ceremony. After all, she was the apple of their eye, her parents' beloved daughter, so, how could they possibly have missed out on her big day?
Rain had never been so excited before. Seeing Annie walk towards him on her father's arm, he could not stop the bombardment of feelings in his fragile heart. He had waited for such a long time, and this was finally the moment when he could celebrate his marriage to the woman he loved the most in the whole world, in public and with friends and family present.
He smiled unconsciously, his eyes locked to the beautiful face of his bride, everything happening around them was unreal to him. He wondered if his mother were still alive, if she would be happy today. He decided that she would be thrilled for her son.
When her father gave her hand to Rain, Annie's heart began beating violently. She had pursued the man in front of her from her girlhood, and had only dreamed that one day she would marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. Now, they were here, and it was so much better than her dreams had ever been.
The most holy objects in a wedding ceremony were the wedding rings. As soon as they slipped the ring onto each other's ring fingers, they changed from two individuals into one integrity. They would live together with each other from now until they died, regardless of what life threw at them.
While vows were only temporary, it was the road that brought them to this moment that sealed their confessions. They had faced hardships, found each other despite all the odds. Everyone present at the ceremony gave the couple their very best wishes that they would always live together happily.
Since CY Technology was still in the initialization period, there was no time for a honeymoon trip, instead they booked the honeymoon suite at the Kate Hotel for their wedding night.
"Annie, finally, you belong entirely to me, and I to you," Rain said very emotionally while holding Annie into his arms. He considered that their relationship had been a marathon, and he had often wondered if they would reach the finish line and victory. But finally, after years of waiting, he triumphantly held his wife in his arms.
"I'm still a bit confused, everything feels so unreal, like I'm going to wake up and this is just a dream," Annie held on to him tightly. At that moment, there was nobody in their hearts except each other.
Rain lowered his head to kiss her on the lips, enjoying her wonderful, delicate taste. He didn't release her until quite a while later. "How does it feel now? Does it still feel unreal?" Rain asked with great tenderness.
"Not any more. Rain, have I told you yet, that I can't live without you?" Annie took the initiative this time. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a shy kiss, filled with promise. If Rain had not persisted in his pursuit of her, she might not have been the one in his arms tonight. He had fought for their life together.
"Likewise, have I told you, that you are the only woman I have ever loved?" Rain said. Then with her in his arms, they tumbled onto the king-sized bed, formalizing the start of their wedding night.
That night, while Annie slumbered in the deep silken bedsheets, Rain was not tired at all. He felt no fatigue from the night's exertions, instead he felt wonderfully alive, but also aware of an emptiness which still ached in his heart.
Getting out of bed silently, he stretched his long arm out to grasp the bathrobe. He tied the garment's belt while walking out onto the terrace.
Though he was happy with the night spent with his beloved, he didn't know why he just couldn't fall asleep. Then his mother came to mind again: She had never enjoyed a wedding ceremony, neither had she ever worn a wedding dress.
When he had seen Annie walking towards him step by step at the wedding ceremony, he had felt like he was seeing his mother, staring at him lovingly through his bride. He had felt warmed by the vision of her, but also cold at the same time, having known so little about
her.
It was said that his mother had always lived a rough life. So, when she had met Sanford, she had finally been pushed to the brink of abysmal destruction. She had died before she had enjoyed even one day of a happy life. From then on, he had been alone, separated from his mother forever.
"What are you thinking about?" A pair of soft hands encircled his waist from behind, and her face snuggled up to his broad back.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?" he asked while turning around to hold her in his arms. Then he carried her back into the room. It was cold outside, so he was afraid that she would catch a cold in her light bedclothes.
"I couldn't sleep without you by my side," Annie felt his genuine warmth and commitment in his concern for her well being.
"I'm sorry for waking you up!" Rain transferred her directly back to bed, and slipped under the covers with her.
"It's all right. Were you thinking about your mother just now?" Annie knew that the early loss of his mother had always been a deep wound in his heart; so, it was natural for him to recall her on such an important day as his wedding.
"Hmm! How about visiting her grave with me someday?" Rain suggested. He considered that he had been undutiful for not introducing Annie and their children to his mother yet.
"Okay. She is my mother too, now. I heard that she was very pretty when she was young, right?" Annie asked in a soft voice while resting her head in the crook of his arm. "Yeah, but who told you that?" Rain was surprised, because he had never mentioned that to her before.
"Leena told me. She said that she had seen mommy's photos," she knew he was still mourning her, but from now on he would not be alone. He now had his wife by his side.00