Chapter 5: The Wedding

Chapter 5

The waves of reporters subsided after Noah ran through the door. They eventually followed him and left the place with no more than three reporters who stayed with Averill.

Her eyes were glued to the place where she last saw Noah. His back vanished into thin air, "Ms. Averill Hursen?" She regained her trance as the camera's flash hurt her eyes. She then smiled at them and continued walking in the aisle.

To the altar, without the groom waiting for her. 'It was supposed to be like this anyway. He doesn't love me. Of course, he'll choose his sick girlfriend,' 

Every step seemed like a thousand pounds that'll make a hole in the ground. At last, Averill takes the last step onto the altar. The noises from around the chapel became visible to her hearing, but she stayed composed.

Averill hugged her manager and director before they unwillingly let go of her hands. She walked to the altar alone. Faced the priest and held the bouquet of white roses tight. 

"Should we wait for the groom?" Averil sensed a hint of pity in the priest's voice, but she shook her head.

"Let's proceed. Noah... Noah agreed to it anyway. He won't be coming back, but the wedding must be done at all costs," the priest was taken aback. Never in his fifty years of handling a wedding did he see one without a groom.

'What a pity for a beautiful bride like her,'

The wedding carried on as silence sipped through the entire hall. When the priest asked for the oath, Averill faced the crowd.

"Wow," she laughed. Every face in the hall was from her side, from the entertainment industry, to be precise. No one from her family nor Noah's came. "I can't tell whether this is the real thing or there are hidden cameras, and this is all for a show," she kidded, her friends laughed with her, but pity was in their eyes.

They knew her situation well, but they couldn't understand her decisions. Why did she not just abort the baby? Instead of pushing herself into a relationship where there's no love, she could've been better that way.

Especially to a man like Noah.

His reputation isn't the best among the bachelors, but being titled a billionaire just a few years after entering the business world earned him respect even from people outside the circle.

"Nonetheless, let me recite my oath. I, Averill Hursen, will devote myself to you, Noah Darius Dalton, without any reservation. I will be faithful and loyal until the day we part, hopefully, until death."

***

"Cough, cough, cough," continued dry coughs filled the hospital room. Noah looked so worried as he held Yanna's hand. "Shit," he cursed under his breath.

"What about the w-wedding? Cough! cough!" Noah flinched. It was lost in his mind. He forgot what could've happened at the wedding, not that he cared.

'Averill, that woman isn't as important as your health. What are you thinking, you silly,' he kissed her forehead and rested his head on her stomach.

"I love you, Yanna," she stared at him and slowly formed a soft smile on her chapped lips. 

She leaned towards him and kissed the top of his head. "I love you too,"

They stayed like that for a while. Yanna fell asleep. Noah stood up and looked at his wristwatch. It's ten in the evening. He kissed her on the lips and went outside. His secretary rushed to him worriedly.

"Sir,"

"What?" he irritatedly replied. Noah has been taking care of Yanna since he came here, and he's exasperated at the moment. He never had a good sleep for a week, thinking of a lot of stuff.

"It's about your... wife,"

"What wife? Did I get married, huh?" His patience became thin. Karl gulped and bowed his head. 

"Ms. Hursen proceeded with the wedding even without you, sir, and collapsed." Noah stopped walking.

'She collapsed? What great acting she launched. Must I care? And she did what? Marry air? Pathetic wench,' he continued walking to his car and left his secretary speechless.

***

Averill woke up with an unfamiliar ceiling. Her head is splitting in half as her body aches all over. She regained consciousness and immediately held her belly. 

"The baby is safe," a deep voice talked from her side. A familiar voice. 

"Keiffer," he helped her sit up and gave her a glass of water.

"What the hell happened when I was away, having my vacation in Spain? Dad called me last week, but I had a lot of things going on that I just arrived at last night."

"Uncle must've given you an earful,"

"He did while he flirts with your manager," he checked her forehead and texted someone on his phone. "I will be in charge of you from today onwards,"

"No,"

"Averill,"

"You like me, Keiffer. I don't want to hurt you. I'm married."

Keiffer felt a needle piercing his heart right now. She got married without even talking it out with him. They had been good friends for years until he developed feelings for the beautiful woman.

He cannot understand why she would force herself to marry a man who did not even care about her to the point that she married thin air in that lone chapel. 

"You could've forced me to take responsibility for his child. You do not have to marry your sister's boyfriend! That dickhead doesn't deserve you!" the truth coming from his mouth irritated Averill. She glared at her and breathed deeply.

"Leave me alone, Keiffer. I don't need your naggings. I am married now, and you can't associate yourself with me anymore."

"What about your career?"

"I can retire for whoever's sake it is." she casually replied. It gave Kieffer a headache. She worked so hard to build her name, and she'll just retire.

'I will not allow you to fall into this misery, Avi,' he thought to himself before leaving the room. He called for a few doctors to look after Averill.

Keiffer drove to the hotel he was staying in but went straight to the penthouse instead of his room.

Coincidentally, Noah just arrived there, and he's currently opening his door. Keiffer rushed to him and gave him a strong punch. "What the fuck!!" he glared at the man and immediately recognized him.

It was his best friend. "You're back,"

"And you're still a fucking asshole,"

"Says the man who punched me at first sight. What did I ever do to you?" Keiffer rushed to him again and clenched his fist against his collar. He forced him to the wall and pinned him there.

"Look, Keiffer, if this is still about Yanna--"

"Fuck you. When did I even like Yanna?"

"What?" Noah got confused. 

"I never liked her. You can have her all you want but leave Averill alone. Who the hell told you to get her pregnant?!!" his voice filled the entire floor. Noah kept silent.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I will never understand why she loves the likes of you. You ungrateful, selfish bastard." He pushed him to the floor and went straight to the lift. He is forced to shut his eyes as he controls his emotions. 

Keiffer had never been this mad for so long.

He rushed to the shower when he arrived at his unit. 'Fucking bastard. Averill did everything for you, and this is what she gets? I will never forgive you,'

***

The wedding caught numerous slander from fans. They are not criticizing Averill because Yanna and Noah's relationship is unknown to all. They attack the groom, who runs away at the very moment his bride is walking down the aisle.

"How could he live her like that?"

"What the heck is wrong with that groom?"

"He just left our Averill in the middle of chaos. Man! He's nuts. I thought he was somewhat decent for our Avi, but he's not deserving! Averill is such a good woman for him!"

"Why did she even marry him? Is she really pregnant with his child?"

"I heard he's her twin's fiance?"

"What the hell? And he had the audacity to get Averill pregnant? Why can't they just leave her alone? What will happen to her career now?"

"At least he's decent enough to take responsibility? He's a billionaire and could've just covered up the whole story,"

"And didn't she collapse? Man, what will happen to our angel now!!!??"

"Come on. Decent? No way! He should even be ashamed of himself, leaving that beautiful bride in the wedding!"

"A reporter posted it, sir," Noah's headache didn't let him sleep last night, and this chaos welcomed him into the office today. 

News about the supposed private wedding causes an uproar in social media. 

The stock market plummeted, and his office received slander calls from time to time. Noah stayed silent, handling things at speed and in a calm way. He stayed composed until the issue subsided in a month.

A month had passed, and only a few mouths talk about it now. Especially since a lot of new rumors surfaced in the past month. 

It also has been a month since he saw his so-called wife. Karl wants to update him about her, but he never listens to any of the reports. Now, he doesn't know if he'll have to inform him that Averill took a modeling project in their company that is supposed to be given to her twin, Yanna.

The project manager outright declined Karl's proposal to make Yanna the model as per requested by the CEO simply because he wanted Averill to do it instead. Averill has an excellent reputation and given the company's issue last month, it will provide them with the upper hand if they give her the project instead.

Noah answered his phone immediately when he read Yanna's name on it. He stood up and left his paper works.

[I got rejected,]

"What? What rejection?" Upon hearing the word his boss uttered, Karl flinched. He should've told him first! 'Oh, god, I'm gonna get an earful later,'

[The modeling. They told me they already got a person for it,] Noah's brows furrowed. He glanced at the folder containing the said project and immediately fell silent upon reading the details of it.

"I will call you back, babe," he ended the call without waiting for Yanna and walked straight to Karl's desk.

"Explain."

"I tried telling you about it, but you said you were busy," Karl defended himself first. 

"I told you to give it to Yanna without any question!!" Noah shouts. He massaged his temple and sighed sharply. 

"Call Averill here,"

"She's having a vacation in your villa,"

"And who gave her permission to use that?"

"Your mother sent her there because she's been in bad health since your wedding. Ms. Averill is having a sensitive pregnancy, sir," Karl tried explaining. 

Noah didn't bother to reply and fetched his keys. 'You're really testing my patience.' he drove to the villa with that thought in mind.