Part 73

73

Vano was busy tending to everything for Chelsea. He also dealt with Margareth's funeral arrangements, even though she was the cause of Chelsea losing her unborn child. Despite his immense hatred, Carlos couldn't hold onto his anger towards Margareth forever. He needed to let it all go and focus on Chelsea's recovery. Especially since, up to this point, his wife had yet to awaken, despite 13 hours of intensive care.

Exhausted, but determined to push his weariness aside, Vano took charge of everything. It was impossible for Carlos to do it all alone. The mere thought of facing life with Chelsea's continued unconsciousness weighed heavily on him.

Celine approached Vano in the hospital lobby, voicing her frustration, "Why couldn't you be reached at all? I tried calling you multiple times and sent you messages!"

Vano, who had just arrived from home with fresh clothes for his parents, halted in his tracks. He regarded Celine with a sardonic look, surprised that she would raise complaints in such a situation. Meanwhile, he had been dealing with everything firsthand and hadn't even had time to sit down, let alone eat. Vano had been running back and forth, attending to police inquiries, handling Margareth's funeral arrangements, and taking care of Chelsea's needs during her hospital stay. In the midst of it all, he had forgotten when he last had a proper meal, relying solely on a few bottles of mineral water.

"Could you please try to understand my situation?" Vano retorted sharply.

"Understand what else, Van? You left our wedding ceremony abruptly. What's wrong with getting married first and then dealing with everything related to Chelsea?"

"W-what did you just say?"

Vano placed his belongings on the floor. "Are you saying it's better to get married before I take care of my family? While my mom is fighting for her life, you demand that I continue our wedding? Now I want to ask you, is your brain missing, or is your heart dead, that you prioritize marriage over saving my mother's life?"

"But she's not your mother! Your mother has passed away, have you forgotten? It's true that your mother is no longer with us, but there's nothing wrong with me caring for the woman who made my dad's life perfect. If I were asked to choose between taking care of Chelsea and continuing our relationship, I would choose to care for Chelsea and remove you from my life!" Vano declared, grabbing his belongings and continuing toward Chelsea's room.

He had had enough of this unhealthy relationship with Celine. It had only been a few weeks since she had changed for the better, and now she was starting to act out again. Especially considering the deep grief his family was currently facing, her demand for a wedding celebration was out of line.

Where was her heart that she could make statements like that?

Was he panicking? Of course, who wouldn't panic when their relationship was on the line just before their wedding? Celine regretted her inability to control her emotions while speaking. She was sure that Vano would not forgive her easily this time, so she decided to follow him.

She believed that Vano would meet with Carlos later. She planned to ask Carlos for help in saving her relationship with Vano. It was a repeated mistake on her part, but she was confident that Carlos would not let her and Vano's relationship fall apart so easily.

"Is Mom still unconscious, Dad?" Vano asked as he placed his belongings down. He also took out the food that had been packed by the housemaid for Carlos and Chelsea.

Carlos shook his head slowly. His hand never let go of Chelsea's, except when there was a pressing need. His gaze never wavered from his wife's bruised and battered face. Carlos had never imagined that today would become the worst memory of his life, where he couldn't see Chelsea's sweet smile as he usually did.

Carlos hoped that her smile would disappear only temporarily, not forever, like Vano's late mother. If, by any chance, Chelsea followed his late wife, Carlos couldn't fathom how he would face life afterward. It felt like his world was crumbling again upon hearing that Chelsea and their unborn child might leave them before ever seeing the world.

"Dad, don't worry. Mom is a very strong woman. As you can see, she's still holding on, and I believe she'll come back to us at home, just like before. Mom loves you so much, and I'm sure she won't want to leave her husband alone here. Besides, Mom has a very high level of jealousy, so she'll never be willing to see you with someone else in the future."

Carlos only raised the corner of his lips slightly. He didn't find much comfort in Vano's jest, but he didn't want his son to feel small either for not being able to console him.

"What about Celine? Have you contacted her?"

"I hadn't had a chance to contact Celine earlier because I was really busy dealing with the accident. I also had to deal with the insurance for Aunt Adinda's car. I haven't even had a proper meal." Vano lifted the half-empty bottle of mineral water.

"That's enough, Dad. It's quite uncomfortable, and suddenly Celine came here and asked me to continue the wedding. She was angry with me for choosing to follow you to find Mom. Where is her conscience to be able to say such things? As a result, I don't want to continue the relationship with her, even though all the wedding preparations have already been completed. Unfortunately, I can't bear to have a wife like Celine for a lifetime; it's too long to spend with the wrong person."

"I understand, Van. That's why I came here to apologize. I got carried away by my emotions and didn't realize I had said hurtful things to you." Celine interrupted Vano and Carlos.

Vano shook his head. "What's the use of coming here and following me this far? It's better for you to go back and rest. Tell your parents that tomorrow morning, I will come to apologize and reimburse whatever expenses have been spent preparing for our wedding plan yesterday. I will release you, and you can find a replacement for me."

"Van, it can't be like that." Carlos released his hand from Chelsea's and placed it gently. He approached Vano and Celine. "Get married. Dad will arrange your emergency wedding. As for you, Celine, it's okay to get married right here at the hospital because Dad can't leave Chelsea alone here. Your wedding can't be canceled because everything has been prepared."

"Is that right, Uncle?" Celine asked with sparkling eyes. Carlos nodded. "You can contact your parents and ask them to come here with the designated officiant for your wedding. We'll wait here, and I'll also contact some family members to act as witnesses for your marriage. It's okay if the wedding is held right here, and we'll have to postpone the reception until later, depending on Vano's mom's recovery."

"It's okay, Uncle. I accept everything with an open heart." Celine could truly hide behind Carlos in this situation.

Even Vano couldn't refute Carlos' words, let alone reject marrying Celine. Consequently, Celine hurried out of Chelsea's hospital room to contact her parents. She was determined to ensure that her wedding ceremony went well. Celine wouldn't leave the hospital until she became Vano's wife.

Marrying his son while his wife was fighting for her life was an incredibly difficult decision for Carlos, but he didn't have any other options. He couldn't bear to see Celine heartbroken if they postponed their wedding again and again because of Chelsea.

Carlos hoped that Vano and Celine's marriage would change her attitude towards his wife, Chelsea. He hoped that Celine would become a little more mature and stop resenting Chelsea's presence in their lives.

As the morning approached, a few of Vano and Celine's family members had gathered in Chelsea's hospital room. They were a small group because they didn't want to disturb the other patients, and Carlos didn't want any commotion in the room since Chelsea was still unconscious.

Celine and Vano were dressed neatly in matching traditional attire, ready to have a simple wedding ceremony without any grand celebrations. They all spoke in hushed tones to avoid disturbing Chelsea, who lay in her hospital bed.

The officiant arrived, and he sat in front of Vano, Celine, and Celine's parents. The wedding was about to begin, and Celine couldn't wait to officially become Mrs. Wijaya. Vano took a deep breath, ready to marry Celine. However, just as he was about to recite the marriage vows for Celine, a girl suddenly entered the room.

She looked disheveled, as if she had just been held captive somewhere.

"This marriage cannot continue because that girl is the child of a murderer!" the girl, who turned out to be Amber, pointed at Celine. Vano and Carlos both raised their eyebrows, startled by Amber's presence and her claim that Celine was the child of a murderer.

"Don't listen to her. She's obsessed with Vano, but her feelings were unrequited. She also often failed to get married, so she's a bit crazy!" Celine's father signaled to one of their family members to escort Amber out of the room.

"No, I'm not crazy. You're the ones who are crazy for wealth, hurt because Uncle Carlos won a tender with a fantastic amount, and decided to punish Vano by making him marry a murderer's daughter." Amber explained, struggling and asking to be released when one of their uncles tried to drag her out.

Carlos rushed after Amber's departure. He pushed the man who had been trying to silence Amber's mouth. Amber had been revealing facts about the death of Vano's mother.

"Tell me what really happened?" Carlos demanded. Amber nodded her head, complying with Carlos' request.