Chapter 5

“I don’t want to get married, Mom. But what should I do? How do I tell Mama? I’m sure she’ll be angry with me if I don’t go today,” Lirah said tearfully while looking at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a white dress that reached just below her knees, with her hair loosely styled by Myrna.

“Don’t worry, Beshy. We can’t do anything about it anyway. So, just smile,” Kiray tried to force a smile. Myrna’s daughter and Lirah’s close friend. Despite being their household help in the hacienda, the two of them had become more like family to Lirah. “It’ll make you look good in the pictures, right?”

Lirah’s face became even sadder, and Myrna noticed, so she scolded her daughter. “Enough of that, Kiray! You’re just making Lirah even more sad. Oh, well. Okay, I’ll get your car ready, dear.”

Lirah sadly nodded, not answering, and continued to look at herself in the mirror. She applied some powder and borrowed Kiray’s cheap lipstick. She wasn’t fond of putting makeup on her face. No matter how much Kiray tried to console her now, she couldn’t find it in her to smile. Today felt like a funeral, not a joyful occasion.

After a while, Myrna returned to the room. Lirah bid them goodbye and got into the car. Today, she was going to the municipality where she would marry Matias Gomez. She still had no idea what her future husband looked like or what kind of person he was. Whether he would be kind to her or be cruel. But she hoped that by doing this, she could save their company.

They soon arrived at the municipality. An elderly man who introduced himself as the right-hand man of the Gomez family greeted her. She tried to find her Mama and sister, but they were not there. They had managed to arrange for her to marry a stranger, and now they wouldn’t even accompany her.

“Do you have an appointment with Mister Gomez? He’s waiting inside,” the man said politely.

Lirah weakly smiled at him. He opened the door, and she entered the office of the Mayor of their town. A man sitting behind a wide desk immediately stood up. It was their mayor, Mayor Enrico. Lirah’s attention was drawn to the man sitting across the table, looking at her intently.

“Are you Lirah Sarmiento?” Matias asked with a puzzled expression as the young woman approached them. He also stood up, eyeing her curiously.

Lirah’s forehead creased. “Y-Yes. I am,” she replied politely and softly.

Matias grinned. He couldn’t help but feel annoyed as if the girl was unbreakable. He despised pretense more than anything else.

“Fine. I don’t care who you are. Let’s do this.”

Lirah stopped in front of him. “You’re Matias Gomez?”

“Who else?”

Lirah pursed her lips. “Okay.” She turned to face their mayor. “Mister Mayor, let’s proceed with the wedding.”

Mayor Enrico glanced at Lirah and couldn’t help but smile. He began the ceremony without delay. Matias placed a gold ring on Lirah’s finger, and she did the same for him. Then they signed the marriage documents to make it official.

“And I pronounce you as husband and wife,” the mayor announced. “You may now kiss your bride.”

Lirah’s eyes widened. “K-Kiss?” she asked in surprise. She looked at Matias, who was also looking in another direction. Her cheeks immediately blushed. She had never been kissed by a man before. Kiray had told her that aside from being a woman, it was the most important thing for them.

“Yes, Mrs. Gomez. A kiss seals the deal that you are now one.”

“Do we really have to do that?”

Mayor Enrico nodded, and Lirah’s confusion deepened. She scratched her head. She didn’t want to be kissed by Matias, especially since he wasn’t her first love. She was about to speak up and give her reason, but Matias beat her to it.

“It’s just a kiss,” he said.

Then, to Lirah’s surprise, Matias suddenly pulled her close and kissed her on the lips. It was brief, but she felt the roughness of his action. Afterward, he didn’t even look at her and let her stand there with wide eyes.

‘My first kiss!’ Lirah screamed in her mind.