9
The voice, piercing through the dust of time, struck Sebastian unexpectedly.
It was from long ago, when Charles and Eleanor had first pressured Sebastian to leave Evelyn and marry Charlotte.
Though Sebastian tried his best to conceal it, Evelyn had caught wind of it.
That day, she stood before Sebastian, not crying, yet the look on her face pained him more than tears ever could.
And how had he responded?
Sebastian had tightly embraced her, swearing, “I won’t marry anyone but you.”
Every word Sebastian had spoken then, burned with intensity, etched into his memory, now a biting irony in this sacred wedding venue.
“Sebastian?”
“Sebastian!”
A cheerful, urging voice abruptly pulled Sebastian back to reality.
He quickly looked up and saw Charlotte, her face slightly tilted upward, looking at him shyly, her carefully painted eyes filled with the pure, expectant anticipation of the future.
Countless eyes of blessing and anticipation were focused on Sebastian along with Charlotte’s gaze, like stage spotlights, leaving him no escape.
Sebastian forced himself to lift his heavy arm and pick up the expensive diamond ring.
It was so exquisite, so cold, heavy against his fingertips.
Then, he lifted Charlotte’s slender, delicate hand. Her ring finger was right before him, her fingertips trembling slightly, like a butterfly waiting to land in the wind.
The cold metal edge of the ring touched her warm knuckle.
In that instant, Charlotte’s meticulously manicured, crimson–painted fingernail bizarrely blurred and morphed, transforming into another hand–a hand with clean, unpainted nails, the most beautiful hands Sebastian had ever seen.
They were Evelyn’s, the hands of his beloved Evelyn.
Charlotte then placed the ring on Sebastian’s right ring finger.
The groom may now kiss the bride.”
Cheers and applause erupted like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire space.
Amidst the clamor, Sebastian rigidly lowered his head, inching closer to Charlotte.
Their faces drew closer. Charlotte’s strong floral perfume invaded his nostrils, like an invisible membrane, tightly enveloping him.
His hands clenched at his sides. Sebastian closed his eyes and gently placed a kiss on Charlotte’s soft lips.
During the brief kiss, Sebastian felt no newlywed joy; his mind was consumed by a persistent image: in a dimly lit hallway, Evelyn tiptoed, quickly kissing him before retreating around the corner, leaving only a blurry white skirt.
That was their first kiss, sudden and brief.
But it had thrilled Sebastian for a long time; even now, he remembered Evelyn’s soft lips and the faint scent of gardenia on her.
“Congratulations to the happy couple. May you have many years of happiness together.”
Outside the window, fireworks bloomed across the sky. The wedding was finally over.
The next moment, Sebastian’s calm eyes suddenly brightened, like a man breaking free from chains he’d worn too long.
Ignoring Charlotte’s surprised cries, his parents‘ shocked screams, and the guests‘ puzzled murmurs, Sebastian burst from the cage that imprisoned him, throwing off his suit jacket like shackles, quickly opening the car door, stepping hard on the gas, speeding away.
His hands gripping the steering wheel were taut with bulging veins, shaking violently, He pressed his lips together, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, only one thought filling his mind.
Drive faster. I need to get her. Now.
After a harsh screech of brakes, Sebastian, without waiting for the car to fully stop, leaped out and strode towards the villa.
45
10%
<9
“Evie, we can go, right now!”
He excitedly said this while pushing open the door to Evelyn’s room.
But the excited smile on Sebastian’s face froze instantly!
