The Substitute Bride

"I..." George faltered, not knowing how to reply. He was dying to take his revenge that he ignored how important a marriage was to a girl.

He had already broken Sula's heart in the process. And if that was not enough, he still tried to use her to achieve his goal. He was not even sure how he could bear causing her this much pain and trouble.

Sula's eyes remained glued onto him. A bitter smile flashed on her face as she clarified his motives, "You proposed to me because you want to get even with Holley, right?"

"Sula, I can explain," George tried to defend himself. But the heartbroken girl refused to hear his explanation. 'What was even there to explain?' she thought to herself. Eyes simmering with bitterness, she interrupted him, "I know how much you love her. I was too naive and wayward. I thought that as long as I stay with you, you would pay more attention to me. So I treated you well and waited patiently. I supposed you would be touched and, eventually, you would fall in love with me.

But I have changed, George. I am no longer the girl who would be too excited to sleep at night just because of your praising words."

She continued calmly, "After so many things that had happened these past few days, I realized that your love towards Holley is well-founded and I can never win your heart.

Even after you learnt about all the terrible things that she had done behind your back, you still have no heart to expose her lies. You only wanted to get even and see her suffer. Your love for her is too strong."

"No, Sula, you've misunderstood," George retorted weakly. He couldn't deny that Sula saw through him.

A self-mocking smile emerged on his face. He kept his head down and swallowed what he had intended to say. He could feel the weight of her stare on his shoulder even without looking.

"I have reflected a lot and as much as I want to, I know that I can't force you to love me," Sula began soberly. She paused to give him time to oppose her thoughts, but he never did. "I am going back to Korea," she finally announced. "I am done getting in between you and Holley. If you really feel sorry for me, please let me go after the meal.

I

wl of soup and lifted it near her lips. Out of the blue, she felt uncomfortable. She felt a sudden pain in her stomach that was urging her to throw up. Covering her mouth with her hand, she hurriedly left her seat and ran to a corner. She bent over and retched.

"What's wrong?" George was taken by surprise as she sped past him. As he recovered, he jumped to his feet and sprinted towards Sula. Patting her back gently, he asked worriedly, "How you feeling?"

"I am fine," she replied. Sula kept vomiting but nothing came up. It took her a few more minutes before she could compose herself again. George escorted her back to her seat and poured a glass of hot water for her. She took a sip and felt much better.

Noticing that she no longer looked nauseous, he tenderly asked, "How do you feel?" "I feel much better," Sula replied softly.

Staring at the fish soup, she already lost her appetite. "Let's go!"

Watching her pale face, he felt worried that she might get collapse any moment. He held her arm and led her to the exit. "I am taking you to the hospital for some check-ups," he offered. "There is no need," she refused.

But no matter what she said, George insisted on driving her to the hospital. With no other choice, she succumbed to him.

As they were leaving, Tim followed them with a confused look. He asked, "What's going on, George? Why are you leaving now? You barely touched your food. Don't you like the food here?"