Chapter 213 I Wish You A Happy Marriage
A hand suddenly tangled in Laurie’s hair, yanking her head back.
Laurie barely had a second to react before his mouth crashed against hers -fierce, unrelenting, like he meant to consume her whole.
Her lungs burned by the time he finally let her breathe.
“Are you insane-” The words barely left her lips before he pulled her back in, kissing her with a hunger that stole the rest of her sentence.
His tongue moved with practiced ease, coaxing, demanding.
She felt like she was drowning–submerged in heat, in him.
Their lips found each other again and again, drawn together as if by some magnetic force, bodies pressing close, desperate and breathless.
“Stop… stop!” Laurie gasped, her voice breaking between ragged breaths. For the briefest moment, their lips hovered apart, the air between them charged and unsteady.
“Laurie…” His voice trembled with desperation, her name falling from his lips like a plea. “Say you were forced. Say you don’t want to marry him. That you don’t love him. Say it.”
He buried his face against her neck, his breath hot against her skin.
Silently, he cradled the back of her head, as if searching for proof—for any sign that this marriage meant nothing to her. That she still belonged to him.
But deep down, a quiet fear gnawed at him. What if this moment was nothing more than borrowed time? What if reality refused to bend?
“I was forced,” Laurie whispered. “I really don’t want to get married.”
Her words landed softly, yet they sent ripples through him, stirring something deep and unsteady in his chest.
He pulled her closer, as if holding her tighter could make her words more real.
Then, slowly, he let her go. His hands lingered for a second before he pushed her gently from his embrace, his gaze searching hers.
Laurie let out a hollow laugh. “Do you actually believe me?”
His breath hitched, the hurt flickering in his eyes before he could hide it.
“Laurie… what do you expect me to do?” His voice was quiet but heavy, every word carrying the weight of something breaking.
She dropped her gaze, her shoulders slumping under the weight of her own words. “You should leave. There’s no future for us. Don’t come looking for me again.”
His eyes widened, the pain in them deepening as he stared at her, uncomprehending, unwilling to accept it.
Laurie said nothing more. She simply turned away, refusing to meet his
gaze.
Silence settled between them, heavier than any argument, more devastating than any scream.
His voice was low, measured–but barely holding together. “I’ll ask you one last time. Do you really want to go through with this marriage?”
Laurie inhaled sharply. “Yes.”
His jaw clenched. “Is it really over for us?”
Her fingers curled into fists at her sides, but she didn’t waver. “Yes.”
The word came out firm, though her voice trembled just slightly. Still, she kept her head turned away, afraid that if she looked at him, she might break.
He let out a bitter smile, his fingers slowly unwrapping from hers before he turned away.
His heart felt like shattered glass–impossible to piece back together.
Every step toward the door felt heavier than the last, as if he were dragging the weight of something he’d never get back. When he turned the handle, it felt like twisting the dagger stabbed into his heart.
Behind him, Laurie’s hands trembled. She didn’t know how much longer she could stand. Even the quiet creak of the door sent a jolt through her
chest.
Then, in a voice raw with grief, he said, “Laurie, once I walk out this door, we’re strangers. I wish you a happy marriage.”
She forced a smile. He couldn’t see it, but it wasn’t for him–it was for herself. A small, fragile lie to hold herself together.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I hope everything goes well for you too.”
The door shut with a quiet finality.
Laurie collapsed onto the sofa, her chest tightening under the weight of everything she had just lost.
His parting words-“I wish you a happy marriage“-echoed in her head like a cruel curse. Tears spilled down her cheeks, unstoppable, unchecked.
