Ethan knew that something was wrong with her. She appeared extremely disturbed and avoided his gaze at intervals.
“Look at me”, Ethan said, as he cupped her cheeks into his hands, trying to ascertain what was going through her mind.
“I’m fine”, Carissa said immediately, moving backwards until his hands dropped from her face.
“I would take you home”, Ethan announced as he stood up and strolled to the door, gesturing for Carissa to come over.
Carissa was about to jerk off the bed, but remembered that she should still show a glimpse of weakness.
At this, she let out a groan as though she struggled to get off the bed.
Mrs. Williams rushed towards her and led her to meet Ethan, who stood by the door.
“I will handle her from here”, Ethan said to Mrs. Williams, smiling widely at her.
He led Carissa out of the hospital room, with his hands wrapped around her waist and her head bent down to his shoulder.
They got to the car and settled in, smiling at each other calmly and running out of words to say.
That was how their relationship was. Ethan was a serious-minded individual who hardly uttered a word unless he deemed it as necessary.
Carissa always thought of how boring her marriage with him would be, but she always shoved it off as it wasn’t vital to her.
“You were fine before the wedding. We ran all sorts of tests and the doctors confirmed that you are fit and healthy”, Ethan stated as they started driving down the road.
“Well, I guess that changed”, Carissa answered almost immediately as silence erupted in the atmosphere.
“You should be fine soon. I really thought that you would be my wife today”, Ethan said, with a gigantic frown on his face.
“I should be fine soon. I’m sure of that”, Carissa replied in a tone that depicted certainty.
She was only lying and trying to end the conversation. She knew that there was no way she would be fine if they eventually get married.
“Please, do not be sick”, Ethan said in a soothing voice as he looked at her calmly.
She nodded her head, not having any word to utter at the moment.
“I love you”, Ethan whispered to Carissa, who smiled at him.
He hesitated to take his eyes away from hers, and it was clear that he craved to hear a response from Carissa.
She never told him that she loved him. All she ever talked about was how he was a great man who every lady would love to be with.
“You won’t ever reply me? You won’t ever say that you love me?” Ethan asked with a cracked voice, glaring at Carissa, who shifted uncomfortably on her seat.
She always avoided situations like this where she had to tell him that she loved him.
She didn’t love him, and she couldn’t bring herself to utter it.
Ethan’s eyes were transfixed on hers, and it was clear that he wanted to hear it right there on the spot.
“I, I, I love…”, Carissa was saying when the screeching sound of the car tires was heard.
Ethan stepped on the brake, causing the both of them to be pushed forward with a great force.
***
It was almost an accident…
Carissa heaved a massive sigh of relief, not only because they’ve just escaped an accident that would have claimed their lives, but because she didn’t get to reply to him with those words.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked Carissa the moment he recovered from the shock.
Carissa nodded her head, not having any words to utter.
Ethan heaved a considerable sigh of relief as he continued driving, darting his eyes to Carissa, who was clearly lost in thoughts.
“We are here!” Ethan announced as he brought the car to a stop.
He quickly got off and rushed to open the door for Carissa.
“I can carry you if you don’t mind”, Ethan said in a voice that caused Carissa to blush in embarrassment.
“No, thank you”, Carissa said as she smiled and placed her hands into his that was stretched out to her.
Holding hands together, they made their way into the house.
They got to the living room, where they sat down and glared at each other.
Ethan had countless things to say, but currently, his utmost interest was the wedding.
“When would you be better?” He asked Carissa, who swallowed hard and shifted her gaze to the window.
All her life, she never imagined that she would one day be in a situation that turned out to be so complicated.
“I guess I would be better very soon”, she replied with a smile that didn’t get to her eyes.
Ethan nodded his head in understanding and suddenly stood up.
He trudged towards Carissa and sat down beside her, taking her hands into his.
“I really do love you Carissa and every day, I crave to have you as mine forever”, he said and tucked her hair behind her ears.
“I know”, Carissa whispered.
She knew nothing. Her heart was totally disorganized, and the presence of Stan at her wedding made her feel worse.
She sniffed hard as she cleaned off the tears that trickled down her eyes.
Ethan smiled when he saw her getting emotional. He was certain that she was in such state as a result of the impact his words had on her.
“I know you love me as well. Your actions show that”, he said in assurance, while Carissa slowly lifted her eyes to peer into his.
How could she tell him that she doesn’t have a feeling of love for him?
“Thank you so much for everything. I guess I should head over to my room now. I need to rest”, Carissa said to Ethan, who nodded in understanding.
“I would see you in some days time. We would have to reschedule a date for the wedding when you are in perfect health”, he announced as Carissa’s heart skipped a beat.
She made to talk, but her throat turned out to be constricted. As such, she nodded her head and slowly sauntered to her room.
Once she got to her room, she fell to her bed and broke into a loud wail, covering her mouth at intervals to avoid getting heard by someone else.
Gradually, her wails turned to silent sobs and after a while, she fell asleep on her pillow that was soaked in tears.