Chapter 3 Different Groom

Dahlia. 

" We should invite the two wedding planners to the wedding, Dahlia. I want everything to be perfect... I might not approve of Jason, but he is your choice, I will still support you. It has to be beautiful, and your makeup artist, I have already booked an appointment with the Anonymous Blue......." From the other end of the phone, I could already picture my mom's furrowed brows, lips pulled into a thin line as she explained everything, unexcited about the wedding, but going along with it regardless, because that's what I wanted, and she loved me too much to say no. 

What she didn't know was, things had changed, and the wedding? It was not going to happen. 

Anonymous Blue. My breath hitched as I heard my mom confirm the appointment. He was a Star Bridal makeup artist, his work was clean and flawless, he only worked with three clients in a year. I had always wanted to have my makeup done by him. I had even gone as far as planning my wedding along his schedule only to be rejected by Jason. And yet, my mom had gone out of her way, just to convince him to do my makeup, outside his schedule, and we would have to cancel on him since the wedding was obviously not going to happen. 

I missed my chance with the Anonymous Blue and the mere thought of it had my blood going cold, and I held the phone tightly, too tightly, actually, to the point that my knuckles went white.

After all those appointments, after all those plans, Jason decided to give up, to let go of the years that we had spent together, like they meant nothing to him, promising an apology, like it was supposed to fix everything.

" There won't be a wedding, Mom." I tried to be strong, to sound unaffected, happy, even, but I failed. The sound came out as a muffled sob.

As the words left my lips, a fresh wave of cries followed shortly after and I cried my heart out, the phone still pressed to my ear. From the other end, the line was silent, but she was there, she was listening. 

" What happened, Dahlia?" After I quietened down, she finally asked, her tone clipped, sounding like she was fighting to keep her composure. 

" He..he never loved me, Mom...He found someone else. He only settled for me." I explained, my words cold and detached, my voice shaking, but just a little.

" There won't be a wedding." I had already come to terms with that, but saying those words out loud shattered me all over, a fresh wave of pain gripping my chest. 

There wasn't going to be a wedding. 

"I am a failure, aren't I, Mom? I have loved him for so long, I have tailored my life around his, always thinking about him, about what he likes, what he wants, to the point that I forgot about myself. " My voice was cold and bitter, edged with mockery as I revealed. 

" I have missed so many opportunities because of him. I never truly followed my passion because of him. I studied business, did everything, worked in the company, I took a huge load of work, desperate to prove a point, dying to become perfect, for him, a suitable daughter-in-law for the Riggs, and what did I get?" I asked, my voice shaking, the anger, the bitterness, and the sour taste of betrayal twisting my heart. 

" He never asked for any of it. He said that I did that willingly. He said he would apologise, though. That's all I deserved." I revealed, laughing, self-mockingly. I saw people look my way. I must have looked like a crazy woman. I mean, I wore designer clothes, high heels, and sat on the walkway, near a highway, laughing and crying at the same time. My image, must have been a perfect description of 'out of her mind,' right? Honestly, I didn't care. After the shocking revelation, after the betrayal, I wouldn't be surprised if my mind decided to give up on me too.

" Do you remember when he was involved in an accident? When he lost his sight? " I asked, my voice, surprisingly calm, like I was talking about something unrelated to me. But it was and the pain that the memories brought? It was unbearable, for a moment, I felt like I couldn't breathe as I thought about those two agonising years. 

I was sixteen when Jason was involved in an accident, a life-threatening accident. He had a temporary sight loss as a result. 

Things became unstable in his family. He was supposed to be the next heir, the next leader of the Riggs family. But without eyesight, of course, those selfish and business-minded people had a change of heart. They loved him, yes, but when it came to their personal interests, he couldn't compare.

His father had decided to send him to the village, alone, and with just a distant relative. Overnight, his status plummeted and he fell into depression, giving up on himself. He couldn't stand himself, his current status... He was cast aside, his current position in the family, obvious. He was no longer important. 

No one knew that his father had an illegitimate son, and when Jasonn was kicked out, the illegitimate son came in, the new heir to the family. 

I was broken, hurt, and confused. But one thing was for sure, I loved Jason, and I wouldn't stop doing so because of his current condition. 

For two years, I switched my studies to online, and followed Jason to the village. I had cared for him, dressed his wounds, learned herbal skills, just to cure him. There was a famous herbal doctor in the village. A prodigy, skilled and proud. I had camped outside his home for four days, asking him to take a look at Jason. And when he conceded, he had just thrown medicine my way, some dry herbs, telling me to boil them and give them to Jason. He had wanted nothing to do with us.

After one year, there were no changes, but I never gave up. I stood by him, my heart breaking, the love that I had for him, throbbing in my chest, but I never confessed. I didn't want him to feel indebted to me. 

Her mother, had also been there. With the revelation of the betrayal, and her son's condition, she was also in a bad position, sickly. But I had cared for them, giving everything that I had, love, care, you name it. 

Later, a few months before his recovery, he had asked me why I was doing all that. 

' Because I love you, Jason. ' I had been tempted to say, my heart was beating erratically, but I had said something else entirely. That's how much I had loved him, after all. My love was pure, and I didn't want to burden him with it. 

' Because we are best friends, Jason. ' I had whispered, instead. 

On my eighteenth birthday, he had regained his eyesight, and he confessed to me. He said he loved me, he said he had secretly loved me for years. He had looked sincere, and I had believed him...

I had said yes, and we moved back to the city. 

And now, the truth? It was nerve-wracking. 

But I wasn't going to burden him. He wanted me out, I would do so with dignity, without looking back.

" The wedding will be there, Dahlia. " I was yanked back to reality by my mother's calm voice. The call was still on. 

" But we will have a different Groom."

" Dalton Riggs. "