Chapter Text
Zayne agreed to meet up with his parents for dinner. His mother had been pestering him for weeks, none of his excuses seemed plausible anymore. He had used them all. From last minute night duty to multiple emergencies.
“How are you doing, Son?” Mr Li asked.
“Good. How are you, father,” Zayne sat down, refusing the waiter’s offer for some wine. “Mother,”
“Zayne,” Mrs Li reached leaned to kiss his cheek. “You have been busy with work,”
“I am. But it’s-“
“You look thinner. Have you been eating well?”
“I have. The hospital café-“
“Are you seeing anyone these days?”
This again. “My patients,”
Mr Li laughed, but his mother didn’t look pleased. “You are 30 already,”
“Yes, I am well aware of my age,” Zayne learned it would be best not to argue.
“We met the Joplings on cruise trip last month,”
Zayne didn’t reply. He couldn’t pretend to be interested.
“Their daughter- Aurora, is a delight. She is an Omega. Very beautiful and sweet. She is a ballerina,” Mrs Li beamed.
Zayne let her mother rambled about Aurora, and he could’ve guessed they were playing match maker. He only nodded along, wishing dinner would be over soon. When her mother excused herself to the bathroom, Zayne was left alone with his father.
“The Jopling Pharmacy is the best partner we can ask for.” Mr Li said. “I wouldn’t encourage your mother unless we need it,” he smirked at Zayne. “And I agree that Aurora is indeed, very beautiful,”
Zayne took a deep breath. His mother returned.
“Alright. I will arrange a meeting with her,”
So Zayne did. He got her number from his mother and tried to contact her. Aurora, he learned, was only 22, finished her studies in France and celebrated with her parents, hence the cruise trip where she met the Lis. On the next weekend, and Aurora agreed to meet up for coffee with him. Zayne told her he would pick her up at nine.
Like usual, he was early. Ten minutes to nine, and he was knocking on the Jopling’s door.
A woman in blue scrub opened it. Zayne knew, being an Alpha, some people would be intimidated. But this woman was... surprised. She held her gasp, but her widened eyes did not lie.
“…Aurora?”
The woman was at loss for words. Her hand clenched around the door handle. “Oh. She’s- she’s upstairs. Getting ready,”
Zayne nodded.
The woman was staring at him. “Do you…” she shut her mouth and took a step back. “You should wait inside. Come in,” she widened the door.
Zayne followed her.
“Please have a seat Dr Zayne,” she gestured towards the sofa.
Zayne stopped in his tracks. He didn’t introduce himself, did he? He noticed the Akso Hospital logo embroidered on her sleeve. “Thank you,”
The woman didn’t join him to the sofa, however, she went ahead towards the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink? Tea?”
“No, thank you,” Zayne replied. “Do you work at Akso?”
“Yes. Physical rehab,”
It only made sense Zayne had never seen her. She was in another building, after all. Zayne rarely visited that part as well. “My apologies, I do not think I have ever seen you before,”
She let out a small smile. “We’re on different path,”
The silence fell between them. Zayne wondered if he should’ve waited outside instead. She glanced at the clock. It was eleven already. “If you have somewhere to be…”
“I actually just finished my shift,” she said. “We have ER duty once a month.”
Zayne noticed that she looked tired. Her ponytail was loose and her long black hair was a little messy. Dark circles forming under her eyes.
“Please. Don’t let me hinder you to rest,”
She was staring at him. But then diverted her gaze. “I… I will get Aurora,”
Zayne nodded, and she left. Alone by himself, Zayne looking around the spacious living room. He recognized the Joplings, he met them a few times before. A framed photo of a ballerina on stage. Aurora, Zayne claimed. Her blonde hair in a tight bun, in a tiptoe, hands gracefully presented herself to the audience as the light shined upon her. His mother didn’t lie. She really was, beautiful.
“Zayne?”
Zayne turned around.
Aurora was even more beautiful in real life. Her pale skin, with the blonde hair framing her delicate face. She was wearing a pink dress, matched the blush on her cheeks. Zayne forgot how to speak for a moment.
“Did you wait long?”
“I- no,” Zayne cleared his throat.
“Come on,” she smiled to him. Zayne felt shy for no apparent reason. Maybe, saying yes to his mother wasn’t so bad at all.
* * *
They had been dating for six months. Zayne was falling deeper for Aurora every day. He attended every recital and never failed to bring her flowers. Mr and Mrs Joplings were fond of him, and they weren’t subtle about wanting a marriage to happen.
“Do you want to get married?” Zayne asked.
“I don’t want to spend my heat alone anymore,” Aurora kissed his neck.
“Well-“ Zayne felt dizzy. It didn’t feel right to claim the Omega until they got married, and Zayne didn’t trust himself around her when her rut came. Aurora smelled like sugar, and Zayne didn’t mind getting his teeth rotten. “I can’t promise I can hold back,”
“How else can I ask you to claim me, then?”
“Baby-“ Zayne gulped. “Are you sure?”
Aurora leaned in and kissed him deeply. “What do you think?”
* * *
Zayne bought a ring. An emerald with a hint of blue, the rarest there was. Like an aurora, a special stone for a special person. They arranged a family meeting and Zayne would have the evening off. At three o’clock, Zayne got off work, took his car, and saw a familiar figure by the road in front of the hospital.
“Aria,” Aurora spoke about her only once. “My parents adopted her, before my mother got pregnant.”
She tried to hail a taxi, but the car just drove by. She huffed and checked her watch. Zayne wondered if she was also joining their family meeting, and they were going to the same direction. He parked his car and got off.
Zayne didn’t know how to get her attention. She never introduced herself, after all. Would it be weird if Zayne called her name?
Aria was searching for another taxi when she noticed Zayne walked closer. “Dr Zayne,”
He remembered that surprised expression. The widened eyes. Her eyes were dark. Almost as black as her hair.
“Are you going to the Toscana Restaurant?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Congratulations, by the way,”
“No, not yet,” Zayne felt a little embarrassed. And nervous.
“Don’t worry. She’ll say yes,” Aria said. “She’d be lucky to have you.”
“I’m luckier,” Zayne couldn’t help but smile thinking about Aurora. His hand absentmindedly went to his pocket. The ring box felt heavy.
“Yes,” she wetted her lips. “Aurora is very… lovely,” her gaze shifted to Zayne’s left side. She pulled him in a sudden. “Watch out!”
There was a loud sound, bigger than a thunder, and it was like a movie, where there was a big heavy loaded truck losing control, falling to the side. But it wasn’t a movie. “Step back!”
Zayne remembered covering her body with his. Then he felt weightless, flying, before dragged away, the asphalt rough on his skin. Someone screamed his name. Everything faded to black.
* * *
“No! Not his hands!”
“But-“
“We cannot lose his hands.”
“Your hands are meant for great things!” Aunt Talia said. She was a witch, they said. But Zayne wasn’t afraid.
“Wow! How did you do that?” Caleb watched in awe. He was struggling to open the lock for hours and Zayne did it in ten minutes.
“You have to be patient,” Zayne returned the bended paperclip to Caleb. “And focus.”
“Magic hands!” Caleb’s little sister held his thumb.
Aunt Talia was right. And Zayne knew the doctors and nurses were trying to save him, even though he couldn’t feel anything, he could hear them. And no, he couldn’t lose his hands.
* * *
“…the second left costal cartilage, 12 milimeters, from the edge of the sternum,”
Was someone reciting the outline of human heart to him?
“Third right costal cartilage…”
Aurora? Zayne was calling her name, but weirdly, he couldn’t hear himself.
“Dr Zayne, can you hear me?”
Zayne could. He was calling her name. His throat felt dry. Something holding his mouth open. Zayne felt choked.
“Grip my hand if you can hear me,”
Zayne did.
“Dr Zayne, can you move your fingers?”
Zayne did. All he heard in response was a held gasp. Zayne stilled.
“Can you feel it?”
Zayne realized he couldn’t feel anything. The beeping of the heart monitor signaling the increase of his heartbeat. He was panicking.
“It’s okay, it’s alright,” he could feel a warm palm on his chest. “We will take care of you,”
* * *
“Loss of motor function in both hands,” Dr Pearce added to the list. “We have to run some tests,” he closed Zayne’s file.
“Do you think it will be permanent?” Aria was nervous. “The paralysis,”
“For now, we cannot find out for sure. But there’s no damage to his brain, thankfully,” Dr Pearce sighed.
Zayne’s parents had returned home. His room was empty once again. He was stable after they removed his ventilator. It was late at night. Aria dimmed the light. Knowing Zayne had lost his motoric function, they had to keep monitoring his condition.
There was a slight change on his heart monitor. Aria turned to face him. His face was full of healed cuts, and there was a scar on his temple. His eyes opened. And he blinked.
“Dr Zayne?”
“A…”
Aria waited, holding her breath. His voice was merely a grunt.
“Aurora…”
Aria gulped. How could she tell Zayne that his supposed to be fiancée ran away and left him?
* * *
Aurora was dancing on the stage. The divine white swan, elegant like a goddess. She was spinning easily in the air. Zayne was reaching out to her. But the black swan came, taking her away, and Zayne tried to stop it.
He tried to stand, but he couldn’t. Zayne was falling, to a cliff, a dark pit.
“Aurora!”
The beeping of the heart monitor accelerated.
“Dr Zayne,” a calming voice was a whisper to his ear. “Take a deep breath,”
It was funny how Zayne used to tell it to his patients. Now, he was being told so. Still, he followed. A slow, deep inhale of air.
“…and exhale. Inhale,”
The heart monitor slowed down.
“I’m here. It’s okay. You’re not alone,” the voice was familiar, but it wasn’t Aurora. It was always there, by his side, calming the raging storm inside him. Zayne felt like was already dead. He was convinced it was the voice of an angel.
* * *
Zayne knew he should stay calm, no matter how frustrated he was, no matter how hard it was to do so.
“You are making good progress. Slow and steady,”
It was so dumb. He couldn’t hold a pen. How could he do surgery, then? He could barely function as a normal man, let alone be a surgeon.
“Dr Zayne,” Aria put her hand on his shoulder. “You are getting there. You may think this is too slow, but we are getting there,”
Zayne groaned. His throat hurt. Aria gave him some water.
“How is… Aurora doing?”
Aria stilled. She put down the glass. “She’s doing fine. Let’s focus on your recovery,”
“I don’t…” Zayne gazed at his hands. There were multiple scars on his arms. “I don’t want her… to see me like this.”
Aria didn’t reply. “Dr Greyson came earlier,” she said instead.
* * *
Xavier helped him with his bath. And it had been a long time since Zayne seen his reflection on the mirror. He was a wet caveman. He was clean, at least. Xavier towel him dry, and Zayne raised his hand to his face, which he barely recognized. His dark beard made him look twenty years older. It was a relief Aurora had not seen him.
“Xavier?”
“In here,” Xavier’s voice echoed in the bathroom. “Come on, let’s put some clothes on.”
Aria was waiting outside, with Dr Pearce.
“Dr Zayne, you’re looking good,” Dr Pearce gave him a big smile once he appeared from the bathroom on his wheelchair.
Zayne knew the routine. Stretching his fingers. Making a fist. Wiggling his fingers, one by one.
“Can you hold this pen for me?”
Zayne could. Aria put a paper on the desk.
“Can you make a line?”
It was horror seeing how his hand trembled doing a simple task. Embarrassing.
“Now, with your left hand,”
Zayne swallowed hard.
“Very good,” Dr Pearce wrote some notes. “You’re too much of a perfectionist, doctor. Even I cannot make a straight line,” he chuckled. “Now how about a circle?”
Dr Pearce was pleased with the result. Zayne thanked him, and he was left alone with Aria.
“Your hands are healing faster,” Aria commented. She let Zayne took a peek of some of her notes. “Faster than we expected. Dr Hahn will be pleased to hear the news,”
Dr Hahn was one of the best trauma surgeon. Who would have thought, he would operate on his colleague. Zayne hummed as he caressed his jaw. Maybe because he had seen it, now he was feeling conscious about the beard on his face.
“Motoric response is perfect. Your grip is stronger, and the control is better too,” Aria added. “By the way, your parents said they are going to visit this afternoon,”
Zayne was still touching his face.
“Are you okay?” Aria was watching him. “Do you want to shave?”
He nodded.
Aria smiled. “I’ll prepare it.”
Zayne grabbed the wheel and pushed. Aria said his hands were getting stronger, but Zayne was still struggling to control the wheelchair. Aria came back later. She let Zayne pushed the wheelchair towards the bathroom, only helping to open the door for him, and turning on the lights.
“Alright,” she positioned Zayne in front of the mirror. “Do you want to style it? Leave a little mustache?” she laughed a little.
Zayne found himself smiling a bit. “A clean shave will do.”
Aria was a beta. Alphas and Omegas carried their own unique scent, but Betas had no scent. She smelt like disinfectant and hospital. The scent that was very familiar it started to smell like home. She stood up behind him and poured out the shaving cream.
“This is Xavier’s. Starfruit scent,” Aria gave it a whiff. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“I hope he doesn’t mind.” Zayne replied. He noticed that Xavier was a Beta too. Zayne knew most of the physical rehab staffs were Betas. It would be more comfortable for patients that their caretaker had no dominating aura like Alphas, and they had to be stronger than an Omega.
“Oh no, he barely grow any facial hair,” Aria snorted. “I’ll start,”
Zayne nodded.
The starfruit scent was refreshing with a hint of sweetness. Not as artificial as Zayne thought.
“Let me know if you feel uncomfortable,” and Aria started to shave his beard. The sound was crisp to his ear, the glide of the blade was smooth. He could feel her breath slowly hitting his neck. “Turn your head,”
Zayne let Aria lightly touched his chin to face another direction. It was weird, letting other people to do things you used to be able to do by yourself. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the starfruit scent again.
“Okay,” Aria stepped back. She gently patted Zayne’s face with a damp cloth. “It’s done.”
Zayne looked at his reflection on the mirror. Opposite to his belief, he didn’t look like he aged at all. He was still himself. With longer hair.
“I can’t hold a knife as good as you do, but this is not bad, isn’t it?” Aria glanced at his eyes on the mirror.
“No, not bad at all.” Zayne looked back at her. “Thank you,”
Aria grinned. “My pleasure.”
* * *
Mr and Mrs Li were very supportive, though Zayne could see that his mother had been crying and his father’s eyes were clouded by sadness.
“Son,” Mr Li started. “I’m sorry about the proposal,”
Zayne was sick of people saying they were sorry for his condition, but apparently, there was something else to be sorry for.
“I plan to talk to the Joplings once I get better.” Zayne said.
“They knew already.” Mr Li said. “Aria, she’s the Jopling’s adopted daughter.”
“I know.”
Zayne wondered if Aria presence meant the Joplings were also keeping an eye on him.
“There is something I should’ve told you, but I didn’t. Because everything was going so well between you and Aurora,” Mr Li said. His expression serious. “We need the Joplings.”
Zayne held his breath. His father was one of the chairman at Akso, so did the Joplings. With Zayne’s condition now, it was hard for his father to keep his share at the hospital. They needed help. The Jopling Pharmacy was the answer.
“The Joplings,” Mr Li continued. “Need us as well.”
* * *
“Have you told Zayne yet?” Mrs Jopling asked.
Aria just arrived home. She shook her head. “His parents are with him earlier. I think they’re telling him,”
Mr Jopling let out a deep sigh.
Aria turned to Mr Jopling. “Don’t we owe him an explanation? Where did Aurora go? And why?”
“Aria,” Mr Jopling looked at her with disbelief. “We can’t let our daughter marry a disable man.”
“He’s getting better,” Aria stated. “He’s recovering. He needs time.”
Aria was arranged to be Zayne’s caretaker so she could keep an eye on the man. It was easy when the instruction came from the chairmen.
“When?” Mr Jopling asked.
Aria’s shoulders dropped. She had been explaining to the Joplings that Zayne made progress, but he needed time to fully heal and came back to be a surgeon he once was.
“How long do we have to wait?”
Aria gulped. Zayne almost died. He almost died, saving her life. It was unfair they treated him that way. It was unfair Aurora went away when he needed her the most. It was unfair how Zayne afraid to scare his future wife, while the woman chose to leave him behind.
“We don’t have time.” Mr Jopling said in a low voice. “We can lose our position. We need the Lis.”
* * *
There was a tension in the air. Zayne knew he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Aria hesitated before she entered his room.
“Good morning,” she greeted.
Zayne didn’t reply, only acknowledged it with a small nod.
Aria had been very helpful for his recovery. But everything changed when his parents told him that Zayne was to marry Aria to replace Aurora. To save both of their families and their position at Akso Hospital.
“We have rescheduled to do exercises for your legs this afternoon,” Aria started. “Shall we stretch?”
“I did. With Xavier.”
Aria clutched at her chart. “Good.” Her eyes darted everywhere but him. “Do you feel any discomfort?”
Zayne was never good at making small talks. “Have your parents told you?” he decided to ask straight to the point.
Finally, Aria’s gaze fell to him. Zayne was already staring. She looked reluctant. A little afraid, maybe. “About?”
Zayne clicked his tongue. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know,” he hated to be treated like a child. He was a cripple, but wasn’t dumb.
Aria took a seat.
Zayne was getting used to his wheelchair, and it wasn’t hard to move closer to her. They were face to face. Zayne’s knees bumped into Aria’s and his jaw twitched irritably when he realized he didn’t feel anything.
“Are you that upset they forced you to marry me?”
She shook her head. “I am not upset because of that.”
Zayne scoffed in disbelief.
“Dr Zayne-“
“Don’t.“ Zayne hissed. “Don’t call me that. I am not a doctor anymore. Can’t you see the state I am in?”
Aria bit the insides of her mouth. “I’m sorry,”
“For what,”
“I’m…” Aria muttered. “You got hurt because you tried to save me.”
“I’m sorry too.” Zayne snapped. “I’m sorry, that I save your life, and I become a cripple.” He said through clenched teeth, eyes piercing to the woman in front of him. “I’m sorry that Aurora left me because who wants to be with half a man that I am?!”
It was all her fault. Aria was right, if Zayne didn’t save her, he wouldn’t be like this. He would be injured, but not like this. He could do operations again. He definitely could walk again. Everything would be normal, and he would marry Aurora.
Everything hurts. Not from his wounds. But his insides. Zayne didn’t know it could hurt like that. The fact that his parents forced him to marry to save the family. The fact that Aurora left him because he was a cripple. The fact that Aria was taking care of him out of guilt. Nobody cared about him.
All he could do was to blame Aria, because it was the only thing that made sense.
“I wish to be alone.”
Aria stood up, hiding her face. “I will ask Xavier to come later for your lunch.”
* * *
There was not a single day Aria didn’t feel guilty about what happened to Zayne. She had minor wounds, and right after the crash, she accompanied Zayne to the ER. When Zayne was unconscious for a week, she was afraid all the time that the man wouldn’t open his eyes. When the doctors said the injury to his hands were too major, and he couldn’t use them again, Aria insisted that they could keep his hands. Dr Hahn was on leave, and she definitely crossed the line when she directly contacted the senior doctor. Fortunately, Dr Hahn didn’t think twice to save his colleague. Dr Pearce gave her a warning, though.
She remembered when Zayne healed a patient with an unknown heart disease. It was a miracle, they said. His work, his hands, were a present from god. But now, how could they discard him easily?
It was hard enough to hold back her tears when she was near him. But the dam broke. The tears were unstoppable, no matter how had Aria pressed tissues to her eyes, it couldn’t contain her flooding emotions.
It was all her fault, Aria knew. It was logical that Zayne blamed her for everything happened to him.
If all Zayne had for her was hatred, let Aria took it. If it could help him, she didn’t mind. The man didn’t seem to remember her anyway.
* * *
Zayne continued to heal, and they kept their interaction to minimum. It was quite easy, as Zayne was capable to do everything by himself. Almost.
“You are leaning your weight on your hands. Your shoulders are going to hurt,” Shuqi was a big muscular Alpha who assisted him for his leg exercise.
Sweat formed on Zayne’s forehead. He tried to shifted his grip and put some weight to his legs, but he failed to take a stand.
“Take it easy doc-“
“It’s not easy at all!” Zayne groaned, his Alpha roaring out. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Aria took a step towards him, but stopped.
Shuqi touched his arm gently. “I understand-“
“No you don’t.” Zayne cut, glaring to him.
“Let’s take a little break.” Aria tried to intercept. She brought Zayne’s wheelchair closer. “Fifteen minutes. And we’ll try again,”
Shuqi helped Zayne to his wheelchair, and Aria handed him some water. Shuqi excused himself outside, and Aria lowered herself to Zayne’s level.
“Shuqi had been doing this for twenty years. I trust him. So if he said you shouldn’t force it, you have to listen to him.”
Zayne rolled his eyes. “You said my hands healed faster than expected. Maybe he’ll witness something he had never seen in twenty years.”
“Arrogance will bring you nowhere Dr Zayne,” Aria narrowed her eyes at him sternly. “I don’t want you to injure your shoulder,” her voice softened in the end.
“Of course. It’d be devastating if your husband cannot walk, and cannot move his shoulders, isn’t it,”
Aria straightened up. “You can hate me all the way you want,” she gulped. “But don’t hurt yourself. It’ll bring you nowhere.”
Zayne gulped more water. After the break, they continued the exercise. It wasn’t getting better. Zayne knew he made no progress. Dr Pearce said his legs might needed longer time to heal.
“And Dr Zayne, I understand that you are an Alpha,” Dr Pearce said. “How frequent is your rut?”
“Normal,” Zayne replied. “Once every three months.”
Zayne only realized then. It wasn’t normal anymore. He had stayed at the hospital for almost six months.
* * *
The Lis and the Joplings held a meeting at his room. Mr and Mrs Li, Mr and Mrs Jopling, and their respective lawyers. They would sign a contract, but both parties knew they should leave no evidence to their agreement. The wedding would be held next week, inviting only the VIPs and closest family. Did it mean Aurora would be there?
“We can skip the engagement,” Mr Jopling said.
“What do we tell people?” Zayne asked, looking around the room. His eyes met Aria’s, but the woman lowered her head.
“I did mention a few months ago to some friends that my daughter is dating a doctor at Akso,” Mrs Jopling said. “But I didn’t specify which one,”
“Zayne, Aria had been helping you with recovery. It’s easy to say that you two fall in love during the process,”
Zayne resisted the urge to shudder. Was it that easy to fall in love when he couldn’t do nothing and Aria was only doing her job? Zayne would date all his patients, then. But he decided not to argue.
It wasn’t a long meeting. Aria was quiet in her parents’ shadow. Before he left, Mr Li placed something on Zayne’s palm. The ring box.
“It’s mine. We’re going to use different rings.”
* * *
“Gossips flying around… saying that you’re getting married, Dr Zayne,” Greyson said when he visited him.
“Is it true?” Yvonne asked.
Zayne looked away, grabbing a bite of the butter cookies Yvonne brought.
“Aria! Come in!” she waved, calling Aria. “I brought some- Dr Zayne, it’s for both of you,” Yvonne took the tin box from Zayne’s hand and offered Aria some cookies.
“Thank you,”
“Ah, it’s nothing! You’ve made us a delicious garlic bread the other day,” Yvonne said.
Zayne turned to them.
“Come on, you two have been bringing me many lunchboxes,” Aria smiled to Yvonne. “It’s nothing compared to that,”
“You need energy to take care of our Dr Zayne,” Greyson grinned.
Zayne caught Aria stole a glance to him. And Yvone caught them too.
“So Aria, because Dr Zayne is saying nothing…” Yvone teased. “Is it true he’s getting married?”
Aria froze. She stiffly took a butter cookie and ate it instead.
“Why are you so curious about that,” Zayne said.
Greyson put his hands on his hips. “You’re warming up to us after eight years working together. I want to know who can thaw that ice heart of yours that easy,”
“She’s not here.” Zayne raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t you have work to do?”
* * *
“You look handsome.”
Zayne had his hair cut. Xavier helped him to wear the black suit. Luckily enough Zayne could do the bowtie on his own. Aria straightened it a little. Her fingers barely touching his neck.
And if Zayne had to admit, Aria too, looked beautiful. In that simple white dress that reached the floor. Her hair was usually in a ponytail or a messy bun. But that day, it was tied half, with a crystal ornament on the side. She wore makeup. Her eyes looked prettier, the color of coral smudged her cheeks, and her lips were full. But all Zayne could think about was, how Aurora would look in her wedding dress.
“What is it to you?” Zayne asked.
Aria looked at him.
“Why do you agree to marry me?”
Because, Zayne had thought about it. Aria too, could just leave, like Aurora. Why didn’t she say no?
Aria sighed. Her eyes were gentle, and she kept her gaze on him. “I have a heart too, Dr Zayne. And maybe you won’t believe me. But I care about you.”
True. It was hard to believe.
Zayne barely remember the wedding. Maybe his brain wanted to mute everything out. He didn’t feel nervous. He felt empty. He recited the vows like it was the answer to an exam.
“I, Aria Jopling, take you, Zayne Li, to be my husband. To…” Aria stopped, and Zayne stared at her. She took a breath. “To have and to hold, from this day forward. For better for worse, for richer for poorer. In sickness and in health.”
To be fair, they had been through it all. Sickness and health. Well, for his part, Zayne thought.
“You may kiss the bride,” the priest said.
Their eyes locked. Aria blinked. She lowered herself to the wheelchair, face to face with Zayne. Closer, he could notice the color of champagne of her eyeshadow. Her irises were dark. Her scent, was not the sterile hospital smell he used to. It was a faint smell of jasmine, maybe her perfume.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to.” Aria whispered quietly, offered him an understanding smile.
Zayne breathed out. He knew it was his duty to save the family, and both of their names. He reached up, cupping her jaw, and move his body forward. Their lips touched in a short and chaste kiss. “I don’t want to,” Zayne said to her lips. “But I have to.”
Aria pulled back. The guests clapped their hands. Zayne saw his wife turned around to wipe her tears, before facing the crowd with a stiff smile on her face.