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The Seaside Wedding Venue was a vision of tragic beauty. White orchids and pale lilies clung to every pillar, their scent mixing with the salty spray of the ocean. The guests sat in rows of elegant white chairs, their whispers growing louder as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
The Stage of Doubt
Felix stood at the corner of the stage, looking sharp yet hollow in his midnight-blue velvet tuxedo. He took a deep, shaky breath, fighting to keep his face from crumbling. He forced a fake, practiced smile and stepped toward the microphone. The air was thick with one question: Where is the bride?
In the audience, Raina sat in a shimmering silver gown, her eyes cold as she whispered to herself, "She's gone."
Suddenly, a hand gripped her arm. Selina, looking regal in deep emerald silk, dragged Raina away from the crowd. Selina's face was devoid of its usual warmth. "Where is Gabriella? I won't allow you to mess this up, Raina!"
Raina chuckled, a sound like breaking glass. "How should I know? Maybe the bride just ran away."
"I know you are enemies," Selina hissed. "But don't take your revenge here!"
Raina's smile vanished. "I didn't kidnap her. I just... played with her heart. I broke her down until she had to choose between her lover, Jake, or her fiancé, Felix. I think she chose Jake."
Selina stared in disbelief. "You've changed, Raina. You were the one who stopped me when I tried to ruin her life before."
"Yes," Raina said, her face hardening into a mask of pure revenge. "But now I'm ready to destroy her personal life too....."
Suddenly, the crowd gasped. Raina and Selina spun around toward the entrance.
Felix was just about to announce the cancellation of the wedding when the doors flew open. Gabriella appeared, her ivory silk gown windblown and her lace veil trailing behind her like a ghost. She was panting, her face a storm of raw emotion and love.
She didn't walk; she rushed down the aisle, her boots clicking frantically against the carpet. She ran straight to the stage and looked Felix in the eye.
"I am following my heart," she whispered, her voice trembling but sure.
Felix's world stopped. A genuine, radiant smile broke across his face. He couldn't move his eyes from her.She choose him. The ceremony began, and as the promises were made, the crowd erupted in joy—Selina, Han, Dona, and Ajax all cheering for the union.
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The Ghost of the Past
At the back of the venue, a shadow appeared. Jake ran toward the wedding area, his black suit disheveled and his eyes red with tears. He stood at the edge of the sand, watching the woman he loved commit her life to another man.
As Jake watched from the shadows of a floral pillar, his eyes filled with hot tears. He couldn't stop the memory of their final meeting from flooding back.
Gabriella had stood before him in the secluded garden, her ivory silk wedding gown glowing under the sunlight. Her face was calm, but her eyes were red. "I want to clear everything with you, Jake," she had said, her voice eerily normal. "Yesterday, I didn't stop myself from striking you because I love you. I did it because I believe you. I know you could never kill someone... that belief in you is what stopped me. Don't take it the wrong way."
Jake had broken. His face was a mix of disappointment and fury. "Are you fooling yourself, Gabriella? Then why did you come here? You're about to marry someone else, yet you came to me. Isn't that love?" He grabbed her hand, his grip strong and desperate.
Gabriella shoved him back, a pained scoff escaping her lips. "Jake, everything between us ended the moment I knew you were betraying me behind our love. All the time..."
"I was wrong!" Jake pleaded, his voice cracking. "I realized it the moment you stayed away. Please... give me one more chance."
Gabriella chuckled, a sound full of jagged pain. "One more chance? I can't. You only saw me as 'Gabriella,' not Andria. My real identity is buried in Gabriella. I am not the girl you loved; cold and cunning.I was normal happiest girl....that I want forever. I want a peaceful life that you can't give me. I can't spend my future restless, thinking about revenge every second...."
"Then forget it all!" Jake shouted. "Leave the revenge on Raina. Just you and me—that's enough!"
Gabriella laughed mockingly, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. "Still... you want me to leave Raina? No. I will go back to a normal life, but not until I have my revenge. We were enemies who unexpectedly fell in love, Jake. We were never meant to be."
"My love is true!" Jake roared. "We are meant to be!"
"No," Gabriella said, her voice turning to ice. "Even if we love each other, you are always an obstacle in my path of revenge. We would have a conflict every single day. Forget everything, Jake. I've moved on. Don't waste your emotions."
Back at the seaside, Jake snapped out of the memory. The pain was too much. He watched as the final wedding process began, his heart shattering into a million pieces. He couldn't stay. He turned and rushed out of the wedding area, his tears lost to the sea breeze.
On the stage, Felix didn't wait for the priest to finish. He pulled Gabriella's hand, his other arm winding firmly around her waist. He leaned in and kissed her—a passionate, happy, and desperate kiss. As he held her, a single tear fell from his eye and landed on Gabriella's cheek.
Gabriella didn't pull away. She kissed him back, sealing her fate in front of the world.
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The Mother's Truth
In the audience, Raina's jaw tightened. She smirked to herself, thinking, You succeeded, Gabriella. But when she turned, she froze. Standing there was Jasmine, Kevin's mother.
Jasmine grabbed Raina's hand, her smile warm and maternal. "Long time no see, dear. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Auntie," Raina whispered, her icy exterior melting.
Jasmine's eyes turned emotional. "If my son were alive... you would be my daughter-in-law." Raina's face softened completely. "Auntie... do you think I killed Kevin?"
"No! How could I?" Jasmine cried. "I heard the news and tried to reach you, but I couldn't. But when your lawyer came to me with the documents, I signed them. He said it would help you get out. When I asked to see you, he denied it."
Raina's blood ran cold. My lawyer? she thought. They never told me she tried to visit. "I know you, Raina," Jasmine whispered. "You loved Kevin. You could never kill him."
A single tear fell from Raina's eye as she threw her arms around Jasmine, hugging her tightly.
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To be Continued...
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