The Substitute Bride

George smiled and delightedly expressed his gratitude before he turned his attention back to Sula. He shrugged at her and explained in a casual manner, "He's my friend. There's nothing to worry about. I know him. He's just kidding, so don't take it to heart."

Sula shook her head slightly and said, "Forget it." Then again, she was more bothered about his behavior, so she asked in confusion, "What I don't understand though is why you didn't tell him that I am not your fiancee?"

Deep inside, she felt a bit of joy in her heart. However, she suddenly felt like on crossroads. On one hand, she expected an answer; on the other hand, she was afraid that the answer she was about to hear was something that might take that bit of joy away. Still, she had to ask him so as not to keep being bothered about this all. She wore an emotionless face so that he would not be able to read the fear and expectation on her face.

George looked at her and chose to ignore her question. He heaved a sigh as a smile formed on his face. "How do you like it here?" he asked, his eyes around the place and finally landing into Sula as he waited for her answer.

Sula's eyes widened a little bit in surprise at him for changing the subject, but she was quick to regain her composure. She did not want George to think that she was desperate. She stood by the French window and removed her eyes from George to look out. The whole place was splashed and glazed with different and beautiful colors created by the lovely flowers patched on the ground, stretching all the way from the vast land and into the distance.

She took in the mesmerizing landscape for a while, wondering what he expected her to say. Finally, she replied, "This place does look lovely." She then turned to face him and added, "A good place to unwind and to breathe. Maybe have some peaceful tea with friends."

"Exactly." George nodded as he replied in agreement. Encouraged by Sula's same opinion of the place, George started to point out and describe the charming points of the place. "Being away from the center of the city, it is no wonder that the natural system around here provides good air quality, better and clearer than most places, as well as organic and healthy food. Besides the sense of smell and taste, our sight, too, feeds on the breathtaking view. Oh, and look, over there. You can see people having a wedding ceremony on the grass. Choosing this place for such a valuable occasion speaks volumes of this place."

Sula looked over the direction George was pointing. There were indeed people wearing lilac themed dresses and ties. Lilac and white balloons sprinkled the bright blue sky. What caught her eyes most, however, was the bride. Her snow-white wedding dress was shining and complimenting the fresh color shade of green. She was hard to miss and for some reason, she felt a pang of sting deep in her heart.

She sighed under her breath, and without taking her eyes off the people, she gave out a bitter smile and said, "Indeed, it is a sweet and romantic place to have weddings."

To hide the ache inside her heart, she turned to him and complained, "Say, are you trying to show me the place where you and Miss Ye are going to get married?

Bringing me here is a mistake. You are cruel for doing this, don't you know that?"

She chuckled

her to marry him. She was very much confused at this sudden change of heart.

George heaved a deep sigh. "Well, you see, I need to thank you for exposing the truth about Holley Ye. Last night, when you got drunk, you had said something about her, which made me see right through her. It was like the final piece to a puzzle I didn't know. I was trying to figure out until that piece of information you told me was a perfect fit. Holley has been cheating me all these years. I feel disappointed with myself for not realizing that sooner."

He paused for a while to look down on the floor and then returned his gaze back to Sula before he added, "I admit that I did something wrong, so now I am very much determined to make up for it before it's too late.

So please, Sula. Trust me. If you agree to marry me, I promise that I will make you happy, and you won't have to worry about anything else."

Without thinking, Sula asked suddenly, "Do you love me?" For Sula, that was the most important thing to consider before she could make any further decision on this matter. Regardless whether or not George really meant what he said, Sula had to know his feelings towards her to even consider answering his marriage proposal.

Love?

As for George, the question caught him off guard that he was left speechless.

Sula looked at him and saw the hesitation in his eyes, which made her feel sad. His hesitation answered it all. It was clear that he did not love her back. After knowing that his beloved had been cheating on him, he probably just proposed out of impulse, and since she was the person beside him when he felt sad and down, she was the one he asked to. At this point, if she was not there for him, he would probably have asked anyone.

At this thought, a bitter smile formed on Sula's face to cover the fact that her heart ached even more. She knew that she loved him, but it was not enough to accept his marriage proposal. Even though she could not deny her love for him, the mere fact that George did not reciprocate that love gave her no intention to say yes.

Sula heaved a deep sigh and raised her head to look at him straight in the eyes. "If you don't love me, then why offer to marry me?"