Man And Wife| 18+

02| Marriage Disaster

Enrique

"Do you take Estrella Rosa De Leon as your wife?" The pulse in my temple was throbbing with strange feelings. I never signed up for this. I love Valentina, how will I be able to love anyone else? It is now or never but I cannot just walk from the altar like this when she sacrificed herself for my parents and brother's sake.

This will only bring shame to her, I cannot do it however I love Valentina, I can never betray Rosa for she is the one in spite of anything who stood up for my family and Valentina's family. I cannot.

"I shall repeat. Do you, Enrique Esteban Reyes, take Estrella Rosa De Leon as your lawfully wedded wife?" The pope spoke loudly this time, and my eyes cleared the hazy vision as I looked at my bride. Dressed in the red lace off-shoulder wedding princess gown, the net veil draped in front of her face, her eyes were cast at our entangled hands. She is trembling with nervousness, worried that I might reject her right in front of everyone.

"Yes, I do."

A sudden relief washed over Rosa; her lashes fluttered as she looked at me from under the hood of the veil. I could clearly see through the flimsy net as well. She gave a small smile, her grey eyes watering when she heard the priest ask her the same question.

"Do you, Estrella Rosa De Leon, take Enrique Esteban Reyes as your husband?"

"Yes, I do."

I breathe as her deep red-tinted lips whispered her answer. With her declaration, the whole church boomed with a different type of enthusiasm as the pope then declared.

"With the power bestowed upon me by the heavens, I now declare you both man and wife."

Thunderous clapping resounded in the air while Rosa tightly held my hand in hers. Two children came forward with our rings as she picked up the platinum band studded with red diamond and slipped in my ring finger. I too picked the platinum ring with a princess cut, red and white diamonds, and slipped in her ring finger.

In all the process, I made sure that not a single ounce of emotion would slip from my cold and hard expression. She doesn't need to know because I cannot feel anything for her right now, not even gratefulness for her act. It, even so, feels like a plan when I know it is not.

"Now, you may kiss the bride."

Inhaling the longest breath of the day, untangling my hands from hers and slowly lifting her veil, I stared at the divine beauty. My breath was caught in my lungs to look at her magnificent beauty now that wasn't tinted all red by the veil.

Her eyelids were covered in a smokey contrast shade of makeup, the blush and hue of red on her cheeks flared something inside me. She looked beautiful and too unbelievable to accept that all of it was true. Rosa looked like a woman today and not the little 3-month baby, I first met years back. Her innocence was still there to date but how a girl grew up so much, I was still in awe.

Cupping her face, and cranking her head up to look at me, I descended my lips at her, claiming those sinful lips for a quick kiss. I always knew she was the untouchable sin for me. That little girl was not only the daughter of the person who was equal to a teacher to me, but she is as well the girl who was too young and naïve, forbidden to think of. My dad's best friend's daughter, the girl who is a princess for her father. The reason why I and my brother always kept a safe distance from her.

She is nothing like Valentina. Valentina was the kind of girl who everyone likely treated desirable because that girl was in our reach but this girl who stands as my wife now, she is that princess who appeared once on grand celebrations and us, standing among the crowd of thousands would look up at the king's balcony to take a peek of what was hidden from everyone. The princess everyone talked about. Estrella was that girl. Out of our league.