Chapter Seven

The flowers should have made Vivian smile but she could not bring herself to appreciate their beauty. She could not even face the vanity mirror to look at her own reflection. And most of all, she could not bring herself to even at least fake a smile in front of Kate, her bestfriend who is the only person caring enough to show up in Vivian's dressing room before her wedding.

Yep. She is getting married. Today. But why does it feel like it isn't a day to celebrate?

Vivian lets out a deep long sigh and Kate gives her a sympathetic smile across the room. She only got one person in her life who truly loves her, and she only got a day to change her entire life. Didn't she actually wish for this? Vivian almost snorts out of bitterness. She fidgets with the silk ribbon tied into a knot around her waist and smirks.

Didn't she say that she wanted freedom and agreed to go on with this because this was the only way she could think of to finally get rid of the name she never felt she belonged to? So why isn't she happy? Why isn't she excited? 

"Why do you look sad?"

That. That is the question, and Vivian is still so confused about why she feels that way. She looks up and stares back at her best friend. She could only shrug her shoulders at her. She is still a little bit lost in the moment and she is trying to figure out if she is actually doing the right thing or not before it gets too late.

"You can still decline," Kate then reminds her with a worried look on her face, as if reading her mind. And only if she could, Vivian sadly thinks to herself but she shakes her head no at Kate and turns to finally look at her pale face on the mirror.

She had imagined thousands of scenes in her mind of how she would look like on her wedding day and this one right here, the real image she sees, seems to be the most ideal for her. She looks so beautiful and ethereal, no wonder the makeup artist got teary-eyed before leaving her be, and her flamboyant dress costs a huge fortune too. Lucky for her, the groom is the type to flaunt his riches infront of the public and will never settle for anything less.

She even wears a tiara, covered in diamonds and gold linings like how she had always dreamed of when she was young. She wants something that would make her feel like Princess Diana. And now she seems to be living the dream. It all seems to be coming true—her ideal wedding. Only that she is no longer sure about what comes after it. She should be happy but all she could do is frown and look like she is about to attend a funeral.

Then she remembers the reason why she is here and why she has to get married. Vivian looks back to the day she made a decision to change her life. 

Right, she tells herself. I am doing this for myself.

She will marry the bastard just as what she promised and play the part of the bargain for the price of her freedom. Her eyes slowly goes sharp as she sits up straight on the chair and focuses on her reflection.

As if finally coming to her senses, she nods and briefly closes her eyes for a second, trying to clear her mind.

She has always wanted to be free. For the last twenty-four years she had endured, trying her best to prove herself, she has finally overcome it. From the day she was born up to the day she had finally accepted her fate, she has thrived. And so this should be the very last time she would be doing someone else a favor. After this entire crazy fiasco, she would go to a faraway place and find peace. Let this be her solemn farewell to the old Vivian that she would no longer come back to.

Vivian's lips slowly formed into a smile as she realizes these all and finally convinces herself that there really is no reason for her to feel hesitant. She will just go with the wedding and pretend it is a happy marriage so she could have her own life free of burden.