Arranged to be Yours

Chapter 4

"Stay here for a moment, honey. You father will be here soon to escort you down the aisle."

My mother was wearing an elegant navy blue evening dress with a fitting bodice and a slightly flaring skirt. Her mahogany curls were done in a messy side bun with a small diamond studded comb in her hair that my dad had gifted her a few years ago for their anniversary and she wore small classy diamond earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet. They were a set, one she'd bought in Paris when they'd been on their honeymoon if I remembered correctly. And of course, she wore her wedding ring, the band glaring at me as if to mock me.

I glanced down at my left ring finger. It was empty. And that made me feel free. But it wouldn't stay that way for much longer. Because in just a few minutes, a exactly 15:56, I'd be walking to my misery. And I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to.

I had done a lot of thinking when we'd driven to the venue of the wedding. Aurelia's words had kept ringing in my head over and over again. Don't fight too much...he is the key to your happiness...

How did she know? Has she met him before? Does she know my groom? Or was this her intuition whispering in her ear? I wasn't sure, but what I did know is that I could not object to my own wedding. Nor could I run away from my problems. I couldn't humiliate my parents like that. How would I be repaying them if I did that? And I wouldn't be a coward either. The only way to solve this problem would be to face it head on. I'd give my parents what they wanted, even if it meant sacrificing my own happiness in return.

A soft hand was placed on my arm, causing me to look up into my mother's green orbs as she stared at me with worry etched onto her face.

"Katherine? Honey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Only then did I realize that a stray tear had been cascading down my cheek. My throat felt thick with emotion, my tongue as heavy as lead, so I let my resolve crumble and fell into the arms of my mother, breathing in her scent to calm me down whilst sobbing softly.

"I-I am g-g-going to m-miss you so much M-Mom..."

From the wetness that I felt on my shoulder and the way her body shuddered with each unsteady inhale of breath, I could tell that my mother was crying too.

Her hands were caressing over my back softly, soothingly, just like she did when I was a little girl, and I wanted to cry even more. Starting today, I wouldn't be her little girl anymore. I wouldn't be hers but would belong to someone else.

"I'll miss you too, honey. I'll miss you too. But remember, I'll always be your mother and no matter what, nothing on this earth will be able to change that. I'll always just be a phone call away." She pulled away and wiped the tears from my face as she smiled at me fondly before kissing me on my forehead, another memory from my childhood before continuing, but I knew what she would say and spoke each word with her, a small smile beginning to tug at my lips, "I love you. Until the stars vanish from the galaxy, the oceans become deserts and all music fades from the world. Forever."

She returned my smile with one of her own before asking, "Will you be alright here until your father comes?"

I nodded at her.

"Yes. Besides, I have Aurelia here too, so I'll be okay."

We both looked to my right and saw Aurelia talking to the flowers, moving from one plant to the next as if she were mingling with wedding guests.
Mother turned and raised an eyebrow to which I just shrugged. That was just Aurelia's way. A hippie. A spirit as free as a wild mustang. Untamable.

With a final squeeze, my mother turned and went to go take her seat, giving me a few minutes of alone time as I craned my neck to look around a bit more.