❁A Good Marriage Isn't Something You Find, It's Something You Make, And You Have To Keep On Making It.❁

Bollocks. Is she mad that i kissed her? But she kissed me back, didn't she? But then again she left without any word. Jesus, why do I do such things?

She's right. I'm a Male Bitch. Idiot Male Bitch.

But it will be unfair to blame it all on me. She was so close to me. Everytime she is close to me I lose my senses. I forget the wall between what is right and what is wrong.

The ground is getting filled with coming guests. Noriana is with Josie Taylor. Not an appropriate time to disturb her. Let's check what is in the food menu.

***

Occupying a seat in the second row I watch Liam, Josie Taylor's almost husband, standing on the stage. His hands are shivering. He's taking deep breaths. He looks nervous.

Deja vu.

I was feeling exactly the same way on my wedding day. It's just a few minutes when the groom waits for the bride. But those few minutes feel like a thousand.

I remember standing there. I didn't know whether to look at the people sitting there or just look down at floor. I didn't know if I was doing right. If marrying Noriana was the right decision or not. My heartbeat was rising with every passing second.

But the second Noriana entered the church, everything stopped. When she walked in that white gown, looking like a queen. A constant smile on her face.

I forgot about the people watching us. For me, it was just us. And at that moment, I couldn't tell if the decision of marrying her was right or not. But I knew it deep in my soul that it wasn't wrong.

With a blink in my eyes, I come back to the present. I stand up to watch the bride walking down the aisle but then realise that all this time when I was reminiscing my wedding, my bride has been sitting beside me.

Noriana's eyes on Josie like everybody else but mine on her.

Everyone sit down and so do we as the bride reaches the stage. “ This reminds me of our wedding. ” I whisper, but she doesn't reply. She's pissed off at me. So I give my luck another chance. “ Doesn't it remind you of our wedding? ”

“ Nope. ”

Definitely pissed off.

Averting my eyes back to the stage, I sigh. I'm usually good at making conversations but this time, I'm lacking of words.

“ It will be wrong to compare us with Josie and Liam. They are nothing like us. Their love is true. No place for lies and pretense. ” she says. Not a word of her is untrue. Then why does my heart feel shattered?

I have no right to say she likes to live in denial when I'm no different. No matter how much I try to deny. Her eyes are the proof that her love for me was never fake.

The way she blushes away when I smile at her is not bluff. She loved me, maybe much more than I did. And maybe I deserved what I got. Lying to her was never my choice but I lied anyway.

“ And now: Liam Harrington, do you take Josie Alison Taylor to be your lawful wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore? ” the officiant asks.

“ I do. ”

“ Josie Alison Taylor, do you take Liam Harrington to be your lawful husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore? ”

“ I do. ” says Josie with a smile on her face.

“ Josie Alison Taylor and Liam Harrington will now exchange rings as a symbol of love and commitment to each other. ”

They both place rings on each other's left hand and repeat after the officiant. “ As a sign of my love. That I have chosen you. Above all else. With this ring, I thee wed.”

“ And now it is my honor and delight to declare you married. Go forth and live each day to the fullest. You may seal this declaration with a kiss. ” the officiant declares.

As they kiss, the music blows out the speakers exactly the way Noriana described.

From now on, Liam is no longer Josie Taylor's boyfriend. Because he's her husband now. I have not known him for more than a month. But as far as I know him, nobody can love Josie Taylor more than him.

When I look at him, I get more disappointed from myself. I've never treated Noriana the way he treats his girl. I wish I had also treated her with love, trust, respect and honesty. Letting her dominate.

“ I am so pleased to present to you the newlyweds, Mr. Liam Harrington and Mrs. Josie Taylor Harrington. ”

***

I can't believe my best friend is married now. I'm so happy for her.

The event is almost done. Josie is about to leave for her new house. Most of the guests have already left. I'm way too exhausted.

Not confronting Hans and going back to home as soon as possible is all I'm hoping now.

“ Noriana, I wanted to have a talk with you. ” a familiar sound is what my ears hear. Can't decide if I should roll my eyes or give out a sigh. So I do both and turn towards him.

“ Hans Nicholas Anderson, at what cost would you leave me alone in my life. ” I comment casually, expecting him to also take it in a casual way.

“ I'm not the one to leave people alone. ” is what he replies. I was trying not to pick up a fight with him but enough is enough.

If he thinks what happened between us this evening gives him the right to accuse me and remind me of our damned past. He's wrong. “ Yes. Yes I left. But atleast I didn't pretend to stay, like you did. ”

“ Norian-- ” he tries to hold my hand, but no use. I'm already pissed off. “ Don't you dare say that name. The person you're talking to right now is not the one you treated as a discarded tissue paper almost three years ago. ”

I throw his hands away and turn back to leave. While he grabs my wrist from behind, “ Hey, hey listen. I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean that. I didn't come here to create a scene or to hurt you. ”

I try to proceed on my tracks but my feet and ears decide to stay and listen to his rubbish. “ I'm sorry to kiss you without your consent. And let's be honest here, I hate you but it's because I loved you at one point of my life. ”

I turn back to face him. Heaven knows if he's stating the truth or he's still a heartless stone as always but his eyes tell me, he has never been this honest before.

“ I wanted to hurt you, but it's because you've hurt me a lot. But when I saw you hurting, I wanted to kill myself. ” he adds.

“ Hans listen, I'm not as strong as I pretend to be. Stop testing me, don't break me till the edge from where I can't pick myself up. ” I go closer and tell being completely vulnerable.

Wrapping his arms around me, he caresses my hair, “ Fine fine. Just tell me why did you leave. If it's because of that deal between David and my father, I can explain myself. I was never ready to do it. My father blackmailed me. I never wanted to hurt you. I just needed some time, I-”

“ What deal? ” I pull away.

What is he talking about? What kinda deal? And how is Mr. Williamson involved in it? I thought Hans married me for money. Is there any further to the story?

“ What do you mean by that? ”

“ I asked what deal? And how is Mr. Williamson involved in it? ” I shout. I feel so dumb like a clown. How come I never knew I was a part of some stupid deal.

“ David and my father had a deal, that if I marry you, he will make Andersons 40% share partner of his company. You didn't know about it? Then why did you leave? ”

“Stop it. You're lying. Mr. Williamson was never in support of our marriage. ” I still remember how he told me to not marry Hans.

“ Because he knew you'd do the exact opposite of what he'd say. If he had agreed, wouldn't have you felt suspicious? ” cupping my face he explains.

How much I want to deny but he's right. Mr. Williamson had tried to set me up with other men before Hans. I never trusted his choice. So his business mind came with this idea.

I feel suffocated now. I can't take this anymore. My own father sold me. He sold me to a man who never loved me. What did I do to have a father like him? I wish, he were the one who died. I hate him with my whole guts.

Why? Why everyone I loved betrayed me like that? Is it really because I don't deserve happiness? That I'm just a disgrace to everybody, to my father.

“ If you didn't know about the deal then why did you-- ”

“ Oh. Oh heavens. ” I grasp and run away to lock myself in the bathroom. I cry, cry my heart out. This time I stand in front of mirror and for the first time don't give myself a long speech to be strong.

Because this time I don't know if I will ever overcome through the fact that my father is the one who ruined my life. He is really the biggest businessman, as no father has ever did a trade of his daughter.

Times up. The five minutes that I gave myself are up. Now, I better get ready. Josie is the purest soul I've ever met. She's about to leave and start a new life. I should be there while she's leaving.

***

I was supposed to leave by now. But my eyes wanted to have another glimpse of Noriana. I wanted to see if she's fine or not.

Josie Taylor's wedding was an important event for Noriana too. I wonder if I ruined it. But there she is, carrying a big smile on her innocent round face, wishing her best friend a happy life ahead.

Not a good wife or a mother but she's certainly a good friend. And definitely a strong woman. Just to not ruin her friend's mood on her wedding day, she's bidding her farewell with a smile no one can tell is fake. But I can.

If she didn't know about the contract then what was the reason she left Manchester. She's stubborn enough to tell me the truth by herself. There's only one option left.

Her Diary.

❤❤❤

Heyya, you member of human race with the cutest smile. ٩( ᐛ )و

❁ Tuesday update. As promised. I wrote this whole chapter in just one day ( today).

❁ Josie and Liam are MARRIED. Yay!

❁ I swear, I didn't want the chapter to be a sad one but it was always supposed to be like this only.

❁ Your dream destination?

I hope you're one step ahead to your dreams than you were yesterday. (❁'◡'❁)