15

Third POV

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the officiant proclaimed, triggering a wave of cheers and applause from the crowd.

Isabelle smiled gleefully, her eyes fixed on the newlywed couple in front of her. She watched as her stepmother and her new stepfather shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The room was filled with joy and celebration, but deep inside, Isabelle felt a mix of emotions.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, even though she was genuinely happy for her kind stepmother.

After all, her father had passed away four years ago, and seeing her stepmother find love again was a beautiful thing. But there was something else that tugged at Isabelle's heart.

As she looked at her stepbrother, who was now officially part of the family, memories of their college days flooded her mind. He had been her crush, the one who made her heart skip a beat every time he walked into the room. But now, he was not just her crush; he was now her stepbrother.

Isabelle has had a crush on Axel for longer than she could remember. Despite trying and failing to push the feelings away, they seemed to have only intensified.

And now she'll have to forcefully get rid of her feelings for him because he just became her stepbrother.

Isabelle tried to push away these conflicting emotions, not wanting to ruin the happiness of the moment. She wiped away a stray tear that had escaped her eye, determined to be strong.

It was a bittersweet feeling. She was feeling overwhelmed with everything; her college crush became her stepbrother, and the only mother figure she had ever had just remarried.

Just as clapping filled the hall, when the couple started walking down the aisle, heading to where they'd sit for the remainder of the event, Isabelle smiled before excusing herself to take a minute.

She mentally reminded herself not to take too much time, just in case her stepmother started searching for her. Isabelle didn't want her worrying about her on this special day.

As she walked toward the restroom, from the corner of her eye, she noticed her new stepbrother, Axel, talking to some people with his back to her. And she couldn't help it when her stomach did the little flip of excitement that usually happened whenever she saw him.

The moment she was in the restroom, unable to hold the tears back any longer, she bawled her eyes out. All her feelings were getting the best of her. She was genuinely happy for her stepmother, but today held a lot of unknowns for the future.

She couldn't imagine how her life would be now that she had a new family. In all honesty, she loved Ruby, her stepmother.

She had taken her in and cared for Isabelle like she was her biological daughter. After her father passed away, Ruby was all Isabelle had left. And now she had a stepfather and stepbrother.

Everything was overwhelming. The mere thought of what would occur after the wedding seemed to tug at Isabelle's mind even more.

The prospect of residing in the same house as Axel was simultaneously frightening and inviting.

She couldn't imagine how it would feel living under the same roof with the guy she had loved for so long.

The reality that she'd be living in the same house as Axel and seeing him every day set in very hard, and Isabelle couldn't help it when her hand darted out to grip the edge of the sink.

With her back against the wall, and the loud sound of cheers and clapping floating from the hall and into the restroom, Isabelle immediately got reminded that she had to go back to the wedding, so her stepmom and Grant, her new stepfather, would not worry unnecessarily about her.

After wiping her tears, Isabelle took out her makeup and swiftly touched up her face to hide the evidence of her previous crying.

Clearing her throat and then straightening out the creases in her dress, she plastered on the fakest smile she could possibly muster before picking up her things and walking out of the restroom.

Just as she was stepping out, with her gaze on the floor, she accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry," Isabelle and the woman she bumped into said at the same time.

"Mom?" Isabelle called out in awe after she raised her eyes to see the person she bumped into, and it surprisingly turned out to be her stepmother. "What are you doing here?" She asked, confused.

"I was looking for you, Izzy."

"For me? Why?" Isabelle chided herself mentally. The point of her hurrying back from the restroom was to avoid this.

"It's time to cut the cake, and when I looked around, you were gone," Ruby explained worriedly. "Are you alright, darling? You can tell me if anything is wrong," She said softly.

"Everything is alright, mum. I'm alright," Isabelle reassured. "You don't have to worry about me, it's your wedding day," she flashed a grin at her mom.

The latter scoffed playfully, "I'll always worry about you. You're my daughter." Ruby whispered as she cupped Isabelle's cheek with her hand.

"I'm fine, mum. Now go back inside. The guests will lose their marbles if they find the bride absent." Isabelle said, causing her and Ruby to laugh out loud together. "I'm so happy for you, you have no idea how much," Isabelle said sweetly, before hugging her mother.

Ruby sniffed, still embracing her daughter. "You're gonna make me cry." She exclaimed playfully and then chuckled.

"No, please don't cry. You start crying, and then I start crying. You know how it goes," Isabelle said, and they both laughed while Isabelle made sure a stray tear didn't ruin Ruby's makeup.

"I love you so much," Ruby whispered lovingly. "You know that, right?"

Isabelle nodded her head repeatedly as she fought back tears. "I know, Mum. And I love you too. Now, let's get you back to your groom," Isabelle said, and they both chuckled as they walked back into the hall together.

After Isabelle followed Ruby to where Grant was sitting and waiting for her, she plastered a smile she thought was genuine enough, and then walked back to her seat to join the rest of the guests.

She smiled lovingly and waved back at Ruby after catching her searching for her in the crowd. Little did Isabelle know that this new chapter in their lives would bring both challenges and unexpected joys.

As she watched the couple embrace, laugh and smile at each other, she couldn't help but wonder what the future held for their new family.