"With this ring, I ask you to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish you, for time and all eternity." Stone recited after the Officiant during the exchange of rings and Elspeth happily did the same.
He would have been lying if he said the whole thing didn't make him want to puke.
Elspeth on the other hand, was blind with overwhelming joy and love to have noticed the loathing look in Stone's dark green eyes. They had the same green eyes, only that hers were lighter and filled with more sparkles.
Elspeth remembered Stone well from her childhood days. He didn't use to relate much but just sit in one place. They were the days when his father would bring him at every visit to their tiny home until Stone grew old enough to refuse to tag along.
Elspeth began to miss his face after days but Tracy and Emmanuel never seemed to care and that was when she realized it had actually been a crush on her part. She was liking this boy, but why exactly?
Maybe it was the fact that he never spoke and yet the day she cried after receiving an injury at her left elbow after a fall, he was the first to notice and tell her sorry. During that time of the year, she was five and he was thirteen. And yet, he was charming.
He was the only one that made her feel good about her green eyes. That alas, they weren't a bad fit, after all. If only she wasn't the only one to have inherited it from her irresponsible father rather than her mother's sweet chocolate brown ones.
Thanks to Stone sharing the same color however, she felt better now, although she knew not where he had gotten it from. His father had dark hazel ones and his mother had dark blue ones. Thus, his green ones were dark, too.
Elspeth was drowned in those marvelous dark green eyes that she forgot to acknowledge the presence of her mother and siblings by even a single glance or exchange of smiles. All that existed in her current world was Stone. She was getting married to Stone. Who would have known!
"You may now kiss your bride." The Officiant announced.
Elspeth knew at once what it meant for the heart to race. It was loud, she heard it. She felt her palms grow cold and her ear drums were filled with squealing noises as if she would faint any seconds closer from now. It was happening.
A single peck kissed her lips when the veil was removed and then the crowd gave a loud cheer afterwards.
What? Was that—? How—? Was that how they were supposed to kiss at weddings?!
Elspeth blinked so many times thinking about it while everyone else moved on with the wedding ceremony. Maybe it was because it was their first kiss. Maybe they would do more when they got home. Thus, she let it slide as she accepted the congratulations from her mother, and siblings, and Stone's parents as well.
Her father, Bayldon was around to have walked her down the aisle. Surprisingly, he had been so supportive of the marriage ever since the wedding had been discussed and arranged four months ago.
He kissed her cheeks and hugged her. He was in the same suit that he had worn at the time of his own wedding and his smile was the biggest. He must be happy that she was getting married to a man rich enough to provide for their family and maybe send them money every week.
However, she didn't forget to hug her mother and siblings and tell them how much she'll miss them.
Alas! By late evening, Elspeth stood in front of Stone's mansion, having been driven all the way with him in his Maserati by his personal driver. As she swallowed up the large view in front of her, she was astonished by the level of light that shown from the mansion under the dark sky.
She spotted eight expensive cars in the vast compound by which a limousine was among. And the black Maserati which brought them, being the ninth one. As soon as they had stepped out of the car, three more figures, two women and a man, rushed out of the house and curtsied in front of them, although they greeted in Stone's name.
"Welcome Master Gerardo." They said with their heads bowed.
Stone in his suit, had his head up high and his hands behind his back, so that he stood imposingly. "Show this woman to her room." He ordered without falter.
This woman?! The words hit Elspeth like lightning, in ways she didn't expect.
"What do you mean?" She was abashed as she spun to face her new husband.
"Yes, Master Gerardo." The two women had begun to take action as they hurried to the open booth and began to lift suitcases and bags out of it.
Stone didn't bother to respond, he was already walking away and the butler followed closely behind.
"Wait!" Elspeth called out and raised her long white gown up so she could chase after him, yet she almost fell down. She stopped halfway towards him when he truly waited. "Am I really going to be staying in a separate room from yours?"
Stone didn't turn around and his butler didn't either as his head remained bowed. None of them said a word.
"Aren't we meant to share the same room and sleep on the same bed?" She further stated.
She battled within herself not to speak out the words that rang the most in her head. 'And make love.'
Elspeth didn't have much load, so both women were able to share it well amongst themselves to carry and they also stopped in their tracks when they got closer, as if waiting for when she was ready to follow them into the house and they can show her to her room.
"I'm not going anywhere until you answer me!" She headstrong demanded.
Stone hissed and finally turned around. As if the whole wedding wasn't enough, this woman was going to add to his anger and loathing. He took distance-covering steps towards her and slapped her. "You will do as I say, woman!" He growled.
The women who carried Elspeth's load dared not gasp aloud, so they could only but shake with the effect that the sound of the slap made.
Elspeth cried out and held her face as Stone towered over her.
What?! She was slapped! She felt her heart ache at once.
"What kind of marriage do you think this is, that you have the right to ask such questions?" He asked, his voice enveloped with great anger. "Where was your head when my father decided to arrange such a marriage? Or did you not know that it was to feed your poor family?"
Tears began to gather up in Elspeth's eyes and soon, one rolled down her right cheek as she could only stare down at the floor. She felt so ashamed. Reality had just struck her at the most unexpected time and the word 'poor family' echoed in her head.
How foolish of her to have been naively fantasizing all these days, that because she had a crush on a certain man for so long or because there was an arranged marriage between them meant that he would reciprocate those feelings.
How could she have thought things would go so well? After all, he was forced to marry her. Not of his own will but of his father's. He had probably just accepted her out of pity. And certainly, days back when she had fallen and injured her elbow, he had only also told her sorry out of pity.
All this was unquestionably out of pity! She felt so ashamed.
Stone let out a sharp long breath before combing his hands through his brown hair, as if to smoothen it out backwards more than it already was. "If you do not learn your place fast enough in this house, the maids might have to teach it to you."
No single word could come out of Elspeth's mouth again as she took in every bit of his words through her ears. There were no more complaints she could give and she bit down on her lower lip as a way of holding back from whimpering like a child. Her knees felt weak and she nearly fell against them on the ground.
"Now take this woman to her room!" Stone ordered once again before turning on his heels.
As long as the wedding was successful and she remained in his house, Stone already decided he would make sure that all of his plans went well. Surely, this was only the beginning. Divorce was coming, he could smell it. And Elspeth would be the one begging for it.
He also knew that she would never dare to contact her parents. Not until that day.