CHAPTER 23: THE WEDDING

"If you say so. Oh, I almost forgot to ask, but Sam will be coming to the wedding as well, right?" My mother asked, sounding quite excited.

It pained me to see the look of anticipation in her eyes when she spoke of Sam because the two of them got along quite well. Although now that I knew the truth, I couldn’t stop thinking that Sam might have been faking it all along because in the end, he ended up fooling me and my mother in the process.

"I’m not so sure. You see, he has a prior engagement that requires him to go out of town," I replied with a very fresh lie that entered my mind.

I cursed myself silently for not being able to tell my mother the truth before promising myself that I would definitely tell her after her wedding and honeymoon were over. I didn’t want to burden her with my sadness or worries when she was supposed to be having the time of her life.

"Oh, that’s so sad. I guess there’s nothing much that we can do. I mean, it is kind of my fault that this wedding is so short notice," my mother said with a shrug before turning back to arrange the gifts that she had prepared for the guests.

"By the way, what do you think of Raphael?" My mother asked suddenly out of the blue.

I felt my blood run cold at her abrupt question, and I wondered if she suspected anything. My heart leapt in my chest, but just before I started to panic, I told myself that there was no way that she could have caught on. I narrowed my eyes slightly at the possibility that Raphael might have told my mother something, but then I realized that he didn’t seem like someone who would break the deal that we made. Plus, it seemed like he hadn’t had enough of playing with me yet. I almost let out a scoff at the ridiculousness that that fact could bring me some comfort.

"What do I think of him? Well, I guess he’s okay," I replied vaguely.

"I think he’s the perfect gentleman. He also seems to be very good at his job, and I know that Bennett is extremely proud of him. I know that you two have just met, but I truly hope that the two of you would get along," my mother said before showing me a very hopeful smile. I couldn’t bring myself to make a promise with her, so I decided to steer our conversation in another direction instead.

"I think we should leave now or we’re going to be late for the final fitting of your dress," I quickly changed the subject.

"Well, just look at the time! Time really flies. You’re right, we should leave. I also look forward to seeing you in your dress. I’m sure the tailor did an amazing job," my mother said before clapping her hands excitedly.

I made my best effort to smile at her while trying to keep my jumbled and troubled thoughts at bay. The deal that I was forced to make with Raphael remained as a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. Although I didn’t want to go along with his plan or play into his hand, I also didn’t want to do anything to risk my mother’s happiness. I told myself that things might get better after the wedding, and I should just hold on for now. All I needed to focus on was to get Rafael to cooperate so that my mother would never find out about the fact that we had slept together. Whenever I looked at my mother’s joyful face, I couldn’t stop myself from looking forward to the upcoming wedding. After all the effort that we poured into it, I was determined to make the wedding a success and one of the happiest days of my mother’s life.

**The Day of the Wedding**

Everything about that day when my mother got married for the first time in her life was perfect. The sky was clear, and the birds were chirping in the morning as if they wanted to congratulate her. The flower decorations that my mother had picked out turned out much more beautiful than I initially imagined, although I guess that wasn’t surprising considering the many years that my mother spent working as a florist.

"You look like an angel," I told my mother honestly when I entered her dressing room.

She turned around and beamed a smile at me, and it almost felt like she had a halo on the top of her head. She looked stunning wearing her white wedding dress adorned with laces and crystals.

"And you look like my little angel," she said before reaching her hands towards me. I slipped my hands into hers as I resisted the urge to hug her in fear that I might wrinkle her dress or ruin her perfect makeup.

"Are you excited?" I asked as I felt my heartbeat quicken in my chest.

"Yes," she confessed before blowing out a breath.

"Don’t be. I’m sure that everything will turn out perfectly. Just don’t forget to enjoy yourself," I said before winking at her.

"I’m so nervous, I don’t even know if I can do this," she said before letting out a sigh.

"What are you saying? Of course you can do this. Bennett is probably so eager to see you right now," I told her while I couldn’t stop smiling.

It was adorable to see my mother nervous in this way because it just told me how much she was looking forward to her wedding.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, but it is almost time," a woman from the organizers team popped her head in through the door to inform us that we needed to be on standby.

"It’s finally time! Let’s go, mom," I said to my mother as I took her hand in mine.

The woman led us to a large double door that was the entrance to the church. The door was closed, and we both knew that at her signal and when the band started playing the wedding march, I would lead my mother inside the church where everyone was waiting for her to make her appearance.

–To be continued...