Chapter - 4 Slow Dance

Charlotte sat at the table, leaving two seats between her and the guests. Being the only one on her side, she indulged freely in the food she took, while Elijah sat next to her.

"Eat properly, Charlotte."

She paused, glancing at her plate. Everything was neatly arranged, but she had a small appetite and wasn't particularly hungry.

"I'm eating fine, Elijah."

He pointed to a drop of sauce on the tablecloth. "Is that fine? No, Charlotte. If you're going to eat, do it properly."

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the small stain on the fabric. His attention to detail was impressive; despite her plate being covered, he still noticed.

She pulled her plate closer, ensuring no food fell, and continued eating.

"We both agreed that no one would know we're married, right?" She nodded, still chewing. "That night was before our wedding."

She stopped eating. "This is the first time we've talked alone. I'm sorry for that night, Charlotte. I don't know what came over me."

She could never forget what he did, especially when he punched her in the stomach. Elijah was a different person that night, and the memory haunted her.

"We got married because of that, Elijah. We don't love each other. Your actions bound us together without love. You can do what you want, and so will I. Let's continue living separate lives as if we're not married. After all, we're only married because of your mistakes."

She resumed eating, and Elijah remained silent until she finished. Leaning back in her chair, she removed the hairpin from her hair.

"Charlotte, you and Elijah, go to the center. Dance—a romantic dance," her mother said as she approached their table.

"A romantic dance, how?" she asked.

Her mother smiled. "Like this, dear. Elijah, come here first." Elijah stood up and followed her mom's instructions. "Place your hand, Charlotte, on your spouse's shoulder while he holds your waist, then just sway slowly. We have a gift for you while you dance."

"Is that necessary? Why not just give us the gift without dancing, Mom?" she suggested.

Her mother's eyes widened slightly. "That's not possible, dear. Even if you only had a civil wedding, you still have a celebration, like dancing in the middle. You didn't even cut the cake to feed each other. Are you not going to dance?"

She bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes. It seemed her mother forgot that their marriage was forced because of what happened, yet insisting on these things felt like guilt-tripping.

"No, Mom. It's a waste of time."

Her mother's enthusiasm faded, so she avoided her gaze. She was surprised when Elijah pulled her toward the center of the living room. As she furrowed her brow, she looked at Elijah, who had a serious expression.

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing."

"But I don't want to. Why did you bring me here?"

He glanced at her mom, who was smiling while looking at them, and other family members stood beside her to watch.

Elijah placed both her hands on his shoulders, while his hands were around her waist. Music filled the room. She didn't move, and neither did Elijah.

"Sway, you two!" her mom shouted.

She secretly grimaced, but she felt Elijah slowly starting to move, so she followed. Her family gathered around, and as they swayed slowly, some of them pinned money to their clothes. She glanced at the money pinned near her shoulder, all in denominations.

It was something she often saw in wealthy families, so it felt normal to her since she could handle it, but it was different this time. Those were gifts because she was now Elijah's wife.

Elijah paused and looked at her. "If you want to hurt me, just punch or slap me."

"Huh?"

He bent down, so she followed his gaze downward. She was surprised to realize she had stepped on Elijah's shoe; nearly half of her shoe's sole was on top of his. It didn't have heels, but the whole shoe was heavy, so it was painful.

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

He just smirked before refocusing on their dance.

Her mother approached, pinning money to their clothes. After her mother finished, she suddenly held their backs tightly, forcing them closer, almost as if they were about to embrace each other.

"Mom!"

She looked at both Elijah and her. "Come on, this is a one-time thing; be sweet."

She closed her eyes at her mom's playfulness.

"Okay, Mom," Elijah replied.

She furrowed her brow at Elijah's response, but she was even more surprised when he pulled her closer.

"Just pretend, Charlotte."

They continued to dance slowly, with Elijah holding her tightly, her hands still on top, while Elijah's hands were clasped around her waist at the back.

"Move; you look like a stick," he teased.

She reluctantly followed his movements. With the heavy cloth draped over her, it felt like a burden.

When the two songs ended and the money-pinning was done, they sat down. While removing the money pinned to her, she counted secretly, and her eyes widened slightly, seeing that the cloak placed on her was worth one hundred thousand pesos, aside from the others pinned around her waist, which were made like a skirt.

"Here, put this aside."

Elijah suddenly placed the money on the table in front of her. It was thick. Their families were generous.

She shifted her attention to the sweet dessert prepared by one of the helpers. It was creme caramel, so she gave Elijah the money-covered cloak.

"For you to have a purpose, remove these one by one from the plastic."

"What? In front of our family?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"Yes, you could've done it later and quietly. Not now, Charlotte."

With the wealth they had, he didn't mind the money. Elijah could take care of it; she could set it aside for the future. She took the money again and placed it on the other seat.

She'd eat the creme caramel first; she rarely had a chance to eat it, only during big occasions at her parents' house. She noticed her brother looking at them; he smiled at her, but when he looked at Elijah, the smile disappeared. She then looked at Elijah, who was also staring at her brother.