“What do you mean?” Aleandra whispered, still staring at the man beside her in confusion.
However, that question naturally received no answer because Issac did not open his mouth at all. He simply remained silent, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
This began to make Aleandra uneasy, but before she could say anything else, the priest standing before them cleared his throat.
“Can we begin?”
That question made Aleandra blink. She immediately straightened and composed herself.
“Yes, let’s begin,” Issac replied in a flat tone, though his lips instantly curved into a smile as he occasionally glanced at the woman beside him from the corner of his eye.
The priest finally began the ceremony solemnly. Even so, Aleandra still couldn’t focus because Issac’s words continued to weigh on her mind.
“Ah, could he have meant my sister? Alegra?” she wondered. “But are they really that close?”
Question after question appeared in her mind, filling it until she could no longer focus on what was happening around her. She barely even listened to the priest’s words during the blessing.
“How about it, Aleandra? Are you willing?”
For a moment, the atmosphere fell silent. Aleandra was still lost in her thoughts, until the priest and Issac turned their gazes toward her.
The priest cleared his throat and spoke again. “Miss Aleandra?” He raised his voice slightly, successfully making Aleandra blink once more.
“Ah!” She blinked several times. “S-sorry.”
Aleandra tried to steady her breathing and regain control of herself, then lifted her head as if she were ready.
“Yes, I am willing.”
Throughout the wedding ceremony, no one could truly read what lay behind the faces of the bride and groom, especially Issac’s.
Even whenever someone spoke to him or simply offered their congratulations, the man only replied, “Yes, thank you.”
Aleandra, however, was different. She tried to act friendly because her father was certainly paying attention to her behavior.
The situation continued for quite some time, until the ceremony ended and the ballroom began to empty as the guests dispersed. The bride and groom had also moved to their hotel room.
Yes, the two of them were finally alone in the same room. There were no guests or noise, only the silence surrounding them.
Issac stared at Aleandra, who was absorbed in enjoying the night sky through the hotel room window.
“There’s only one bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa,” Aleandra said suddenly, still gazing out the window.
Issac immediately raised one eyebrow, surprised and confused by the woman’s sudden remark.
“What do you mean?” Issac began walking toward her.
But that only made Aleandra turn around, her body language suddenly alert. Seeing that made Issac even more confused. He stopped and narrowed his eyes.
“Tsk! What’s with that attitude?”
Aleandra held her ground, slowly backing away with a sharp look in her eyes.
“Was I not clear?” Aleandra insisted.
How could he not? Aleandra’s words and attitude seemed to show that she was unwilling to let him come near her, making Issac feel humiliated. It was an attitude entirely outside his expectations.
No, Issac was confused now. He knew Alegra very well—she had always wanted to be near him, even whenever they met to plan their wedding. But now, the woman’s attitude had changed a hundred and eighty degrees.
Issac fell silent, as if deep in thought. He was quite familiar with the look in the woman’s eyes before him.
“You…”
Issac narrowed his eyes, then suddenly thought, “Are you her?”