Take the Next Step

The Weeding

The big day was finally here; Sakura woke up and took a bath. After that, she wore a regular shirt and jeans and went to the hair salon. There she got her hair styled, and make-up was done, and after that, she went to the wedding dress shop and wore her dress. Her mother, Ito's mother, her best friend Momo, Ito's sister Hana, her sister Saki, and her friend Adeline were also there. Of course, there was also Nana since she was Takumi's fiancee, which made Sakura nervous, but she tried to ignore it. Nana had told everybody she was pregnant, and now everyone congratulated her. Since Sakura had talked to her about it, Adeline knew what had happened between Sakura and Takumi. When Nana announced that she was pregnant, Adeline whispered to Sakura: Maybe she isn't pregnant with Takumi's child but with a different guy.
Sakura had to laugh but tried not to show it. Then they were finished, and only Sakura, Adeline, her mother, and Momo were there, and they waited until the shuttle arrived so they could drive to the church. Sakura was nervous, and she felt uneasy now she would marry Ito. They drove to the church and went to a separate room where they took many pictures with friends and family. After all this, her father came, and the other guest left, he and she were alone, and she could hear her heartbeat. She was scared, and her father saw that he said: You don't have to be afraid. Ito is a good man and will be a good husband. He loved you very much. Sakura: I know he is a good man and loved me very much. She thought that was the problem since I love someone else. She tried to forget about Takumi, and then a lady came and told them it was time. They made their way to the church entrance. Sakura was nervous and held tight to her father's arm when the door opened, and she was announced. They walked towards the altar, and she saw all the people who smiled brightly at her or even clapped and cheered for her. She must admit, she looked gorgeous and felt kind of happy when she walked to the altar, but then she saw Takumi standing next to Ito. Suddenly she began to sweat, and she felt hot, like someone had been trying to choke her. She couldn't breathe but tried to hide it. She had no other choice but to accept it now. She walked past Takumi, and her father gave her hand to Ito and bowed to him. She and Ito also turned to the priest, standing next to each other. All the guests sat down, and the ceremony began. They were a priest who began to speak: Ito and Sakura, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"
Ito and Sakura: Yes.

"Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"
Ito and Sakura: Yes.

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his church?"
Ito and Sakura: Yes.

The priest: Now I have to ask you, Sakura? Will you take Ito as your husband?

Sakura was nervous but didn't want to say anything else since it would make a scene and
It wouldn't be good for both of them. She looked at Ito, who held her hand, smiled, and said Yes.

The priest said to Sakura: Then please say your vow: I Suzuki Sakura, Take you, Taki Ito, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and the wrong, sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life. 

Sakura talked after him and said her vow: I Suzuki Sakura, take you, Taki Ito, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and the wrong, sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.

Then the priest asked Ito: Now I have to ask you, Ito? Will you take Sakura as your wife?
Ito said immediately. Yes, and some people began to laugh.
The priest continued and said to Ito: Then please say your vow: I Taki Ito, Take you Suzuki Sakura to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and the wrong, sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.

After they had said their vows, the priest gave a sign to Adeline, who held the rings for Ito and Sakura, and Ito took the call and put it on Sakura's finger. She looked at him and saw him smiling. Then it was her turn. She took the call, put it on Ito's finger, and smiled at him. She didn't want to show him that she was nervous.
Then the priest announced: You are now husband and wife; the groom may kiss the bride.
People began to clap and cheer as he said that, and Ito came toward her. She leaned forward and asked: Is it okay that I kiss you? Sakura said: Yes.
And so Ito kissed her on her lips. After they separated, the guest cheered for them, and Ito and Sakura bowed to both of their parents. Then her friends came toward her and congratulated the pair. They hugged Sakura and wanted to see the beautiful wedding ring. Ito, on the other side, was also hailed by his friends. Takumi also came and congratulated him. He hugged him and gave him his blessing. Sakura stood next to Ito, and when it was her time, Takumi hugged her and gave her his approval. He said: So now you are legally married. I wish you lots of happiness, and I am sorry. I am thankful that you have loved me. He looked at her and separated from her. Luckily Ito didn't notice that, and as he said that, she noticed how tears began to fall. But she tried to wipe them quickly away. Takumi then went away, and she didn't see him anymore.
After their congratulation wishes, they drove to a hall where the wedding party would start. Sakura wore a different wedding dress for this and had to change, she went with Adeline to the separated room, and when she arrived, she sat down on a chair and cried. Adeline comforted her as she hugged her. Sakura said: So now I am married. Did you know what Takumi told me? Adeline: What did he say?
Sakura said he thanked me for loving him, and he still loves me, even if we can't be together. He is sorry and hopes I have a good life, but how can I be happy if I still love him? We both know that, but we can't be together. Adeline: Sakura, I know you love him, and he loved you, but he betrayed you because he didn't tell you that he was with Nana the weeks you were on the business trip. Sakura: Yeah, that's because he and I had a huge fight, and we had decided to break up, so of course, he didn't tell me, and besides, it was a mistake. Adeline: Okay, let's say it is a mistake. What should you do now? You can't change the fact that Nana is pregnant with him. Sakura: I know that. I just. I don't know. Maybe if this night didn't happen, everything would be okay, or what do you think?  Let's stop it, I am now married to Ito, and he loved me. I don't want to hurt him even more. Let's get dressed.
Adeline helped Sakura wear her new dress, and they left the room, but they didn't notice that Nana was in the room. She had forgotten her purse, so she went back to bring it, and when Sakura and Adeline came, she couldn't tell them, so she had hidden behind the curtains. Now that they had left, tears fell, and she got angry. So Takumi and Sakura had an affair all along, and she and Ito didn't know that, and they even slept together. She was furious and wanted to tell Ito immediately. Still, she also knew that if she told him, he wouldn't do anything since he loved Sakura and Takumi was his best friend and today was an important day for him and his family. So she didn't go to him and thought about letting Sakura know that she knew about their secret.

Sakura and Adeline arrived at the party, and everybody was there; they saw Ito talking to some guests, and when they arrived, he stopped and went towards her, smiled at her, and said: You look gorgeous, my wife. Sakura smiled and took his hand. They walked, and the guest made space for them. After they arrived at their table, Sakura noticed that, next to her, Takumi sat, not Adeline. She was confused but couldn't ask Adeline because they all sat down, and the servants brought the wedding cake and the dishes. First, they had to cut the wedding cake together. Sakura and Ito cut the cake together and fed each other. After that, they danced together to a song, and Ito said to her: I am pleased. I am glad I got such a talented, loving, intelligent wife. I love you. I know you don't love me as much as I do, but I will try to make you love me. Sakura looked at him in shock, and  Ito continued: You didn't think I knew that you love Takumi? Sakura, it is so evident that you both love each other, and I don't know what happened between you two, but I hope it now ends and you can begin new. I know that something happened between you, and I could have said anything, but I felt guilty towards you and him because I know you can't be together, and I accepted that you were together, but now he will become a father, and you married me today. So I hope that you will try to love me even a little bit. Sakura couldn't believe his words, so he knew that she and Takumi had had an affair, but he didn't say anything. Why? Because he loved her and he felt guilty towards her. She was angry but couldn't show it. Then why did he play dumb? Did he wait until something happened between Nana and Takumi, so he had a reason to separate her from Takumi? Was he the reason why something had to happen between Takumi and Nana? Sakura didn't want to think about it.