Stan got back to his apartment, where he threw his coat to the floor. He couldn’t ascertain the exact way he felt currently, but he was certain he felt a considerable chunk of relief.
He gulped down hard as he walked to his wardrobe where a small box laid.
He picked it up and stared at the ring intently, recalling how he had gotten her the ring with all his savings, about a year ago.
“Is everything okay?” He had asked Carissa, who appeared to be gloomy and lost in thoughts.
“I’m not certain that I’m okay!” Carissa had replied, causing him to take his hands off the box that laid in his pocket.
“What’s wrong, my love?” He had asked a worried looking Carissa.
“My mother, she cried all through yesterday”, Carissa had said to Stan, who gulped down hard and lowered his eyes to the floor.
“Her debts are due soon, and she has no idea of how to pay them off”, Carissa had said to Stan, who was blank on what to utter.
Back to the present, Stan held the ring and let out loud laughter which transited to tears.
The ring was hers and all his life, he hoped to place it on her fingers some day.
He sank into his bed as slow tears poured out of his eyes.
“Would she accept me back?” He asked himself continuously, without an idea of what the answer might be.
He was certain he made the right decision by letting her go. Her mother needed help at that point and there was nothing he could do to help them.
He was a poor young man who tried so hard to provide for himself, and there was no way he could help with settling off Carissa’s mother debts.
A part of him told him that she still loved him. She had fainted seconds after her eyes met his and deep down his heart, he knew that she had done that because she wasn’t ready to get married to Ethan.
“I need to see her!” He said to himself in conclusion, suddenly jerking up and pacing around the bedroom.
He made to go to the hospital where she was taken to, but after having a second thought, he dismissed the idea.
The hospital was probably going to be crowded with friends and her mother.
He hated seeing her mother, because of the trauma she placed Carissa into.
Carissa never termed it to be “traumatic”, but Stan resolved to that.
He felt that Carissa was pushed into doing something she never wanted to and as a result of that, was facing trauma which she was never going to talk about.
“Can you tell me when she leaves the hospital? I need to talk to her”, Stan sent a quick text message to his friend.
His phone beeped after a while, indicating an incoming message from Jay.
“Text me the name of the hospital where she was taken to. I would head over there and fill you in with any information I get”, Jay replied Stan who heaved a massive sigh of relief.
***
Carissa finally decided to put an end to her drama. After what ensued during the wedding, she was rushed to the hospital.
All those while, she left her eyes closed, totally aware of everything that was taking place around her.
She heard Ethan’s worried voice and then that of her mother, who was sobbing quietly.
At several points, she made to jerk up and tell her mother that everything was fake and made up.
However, she was certain that would only trigger trouble, which she wasn’t ready for.
Finally, she heard a doctor entering the room and running some tests on her.
After about two hours, she finally opened her eyes, giving them the intuition that she had just gained consciousness.
“Mum, what happened?” She asked pretentiously, peering into the worried eyes of her mother.
“You passed out earlier”, Mrs. Williams explained as Carissa lowered her head to see that she was still clad in her wedding dress.
“Oh my God! During the wedding?” Carissa asked aloud as she looked at her mother, who nodded her head and pulled her into a warm hug.
“I’m sorry mum”, Carissa broke into tears while Mrs. Williams patted her on the back calmly.
“It’s not your fault, my dear, it wasn’t controllable, and you couldn’t handle it”, her mother whispered into her ears.
“It’s my fault! I passed out intentionally because I saw Stan!” Carissa made to say but kept mute immediately.
“Am I fine now? Can we leave the hospital now?” She asked her mother, who nodded her head calmly.
“I guess so, but we need to hear from the doctor”, her mother replied, caressing her cheeks calmly while sniffing hard.
Carissa’s heart thumped rapidly as she thought of what the doctor might say.
There was every probability that the doctor perceived that it was a only pretense. This realization made her heart ache.
“Yes! Carissa!” The doctor said as he walked into the room, causing Carissa to jolt off her thoughts.
“I have your results”, the doctor said as the atmosphere suddenly turned quiet.
“You have a high blood pressure and your sugar level is quite low. That seemed to be the reason your body suddenly shut down”, the doctor said as Carissa sighed in relief.
“You are okay now and can leave”, the doctor added and left.
Carissa smiled at her mother as she sank back into the bed in relief.
They were at the verge of leaving when a knock was heard on the door.
“Hi Ethan!” Mrs. Williams shrieked in excitement as she rushed towards the entrance where Ethan stood.
Ethan smiled at her and strolled towards Carissa with a questioning look on his face.
Carissa’s heart flew out of her chest the moment she caught a glimpse of the look on Ethan’s face.
“Hi Ethan!” She said calmly, trying so hard to appear firm and calm.
Ethan smiled at her, peering piercingly into her eyes, as though searching for answers.
Today was supposed to be the happiest day of his life and the day he would be termed a married man.
However, that didn’t seem to work out as he had planned.
“How do you feel now?” His baritone voice asked Carissa, who tried so hard to avoid his eyes.