“Because you are my little pumpkin.”
I chuckle at the familiar answer.
But then he continues, “The first time I held you, you were so small, just like the pumpkins I used to pick for my mother from our garden. So I named you pumpkin.”
I look up at his face. “And why did you never tell me this before?”
He shrugs. “I saved it for your wedding day.”
I laugh.
“To make you laugh like this, so you can have good photos.”
I laugh even more as we step outside. The front garden is transformed into a dreamy wedding venue. The wedding and reception are set in this garden.
We enter through the flower gate, at the end of the aisle stands Zoan. My jaw almost drops when I see him wearing a champagne-colored suit. He looks absolutely stunning, and the way he’s looking at me, I’m melting in my Fire on Ice dress.
Daddy gives my hand to him. Zoan holds it firmly, his eyes never leaving mine.
We exchange our vows under a floral archway. When we kiss, it’s gentle and tender.
After the ceremony, we walk to the reception area. We cut the cake. Then the party begins, a whirlwind of dancing, laughter, and joy that leaves me exhausted. By the time everything winds down, I’m on the verge of collapsing.
Tomorrow we leave for our honeymoon, and I’m more than happy with that decision. Today, in no shape or form, could I travel.
I look at the man walking beside me. I don’t know whether he has really dealt with the people who talked badly when the news of our wedding came out, but I don’t find anyone talking shit today.
When the news of our wedding came out, a lot of people started saying nasty things. Somehow, it leaked on the internet that the woman Zloban Bennett was going to marry was the daughter of Alexander Bennett, and then everywhere, people began spinning theories that could make anyone cry, and by anyone, I mean me. Although the people who talked nonsense in their videos and articles soon vanished from the internet, but for an entire week, whenever I searched his name or mine, a new piece of bullshit appeared right in front of me.
I still remember those lines that made me cry for hours.
“Playbook move: groom the family, marry the daughter, inherit everything. What a slimeball.”
“She slept with the man she called brother.”
“She’s a selfish whore who ruined everyone’s life for a thrill.”
“She could’ve chosen any man, but she picked the creepiest option.”
“A calculated piece of human garbage who waited his whole life to claim what wasn’t his.”
“Her face should be worn as a mask of shame in that house forever.”
“What a perfect little scam, charm them, marry them, bankrupt their reputation.”
“They raised a monster and sold their daughter to him.”
If not for my family, I wouldn’t have survived that period. My parents never said a single harsh word to me or to Zoan, even when the whole world was throwing filth at them, and that only made my guilt heavier. They kept telling me not to feel that way, but who can really control their emotions once they start spiraling?
Wen and Lyn were there with me physically, helping me resist the urge to check the internet, but even then, I somehow kept stumbling across that crap.
Zoan and Daddy were furious, but they couldn’t stop people too abruptly, it would have only drawn more attention. After about a week, everything finally died down. It looked natural, as if people had simply gotten bored and moved on from the gossip. Now, all traces of that information have been completely wiped from the internet.
And that’s the story of the online world, at least the one I’m aware of. What people in the underworld said about it, I have no idea. But I’m sure of one thing: they weren’t silent.
I sigh. It was a bad time, Avira, but it’s gone now. You’re married to the man you love. The happiness of thepresent moment blooms inside me again, chasing away the gloominess of the past.
We walk inside the mansion and then to his room.
