Imperfect Desires

The wedding ceremony had already started but Nora and Dylan had yet to come back. It made Xiu even more suspicious about their sneaky behavior. She had never seen Nora acting in such a way. As much as she knew her best friend and Dylan, she was certain that both of them were very blatant people. Both Nora and Dylan wouldn't mind about their image before speaking their minds.

So, the question was why did they choose to talk outside this time? What could possibly not be said before them? No matter what it was it gave Xiu a headache. As her mind liked doing overtime, she had already come up with a million possibilities in her head.

That's why she was so anxious and restless as she kept looking towards the entrance of the hall. "Say, boyfriend, do you think there is something between your best friend and mine?" She questioned Darren absentmindedly.

"Nope. I don't think so," said Darren positively.

"How can you be so certain about this?" asked Xiu again. "They both have so much in common. To be honest, their personalities match way too perfectly. It's like Nora is the female version of Dylan. Don't you think so?"

"I agree but I still think there is nothing between Dylan and Nora," replied Darren and Xiu didn't ask again why he was so adamant on his words.

While Xiu had no interest in the wedding, she still silently watched the ceremony. Especially, when she saw the bride and groom exchanging vows. Her eyes flashed with a distant look as she unconsciously looked at Zhou Jinhai and Liu Nuan. 

They say, heartbreaks hurt but Xiu found something else more painful. And it was the time, she had to sit through the wedding ceremony of Zhou Jinhai and Liu Nuan as Chen Xiu with a bright smile on her face. Even when there was a downpour in her heart, she had kept a beautiful smile on. Indeed, heartbreaks hurt like hell but watching the one you love marrying someone else was worse.

Xiu couldn't remember much from that wedding. That night was a blur to her. It had felt like a dream to her back then. But the reality was that she wasn't the one standing at the alter. It was Liu Nuan. As for her... she was sitting in the front row watching the union of Zhou Jinhai and Liu Nuan.

But there were certain things that she could recall very well. For instance, the way Liu Nuan's pale face couldn't be hidden behind the layer of make-up and the way she needed help to even stand at the alter. However, that one thing that stood out most to her was the way Liu Nuan's eyes were sparkling that night.

That girl looked so happy that Xiu couldn't even bring herself to hate her for snatching someone she used to call hers. "How does it feel?" Xiu heard her mother's voice and turned her face. At present, she felt like she went back in time when her mother was sitting beside her at that wedding and she said, "I told you love will get you nowhere. Don't dream to be what you can't be. See, he abandoned you for her."

Xiu had sniggered as she had replied, "To be honest, I'm not disappointed at all. Mom, don't forget that I'm the person who was abandoned by her own father even before her birth. Even though I have a mother, but I always felt like she abandoned me as well. If my own blood abandoned me long ago, I shouldn't complain now that he abandoned me as well."

She took a brief pause to take a long breath and added, "I should be glad that at least, he was the person who put some effort into trying to make me believe that he actually cared about me. Unlike you, who never even bothered pretending to be a good mother. Besides, I'm just gonna give up now. I'm too tired. So tired that I don't even have the energy to hate anyone."

Her mother didn't say anything to refute her words. "Is that why you registered to be the bone marrow donor for Liu Nuan anonymously? Did you think she'll feel thankful to you for saving her life and let you have her fiance?"

Xiu shook her head as she replied, "No, I want her to remember me. I want her to hate me and be helpless about it. I want her to know that I saved her life even when she stole someone from me. I want her to despise her own life and herself." With a bitter smile, she went on, "Most of all, I want to hate myself for doing this out of pure selfishness. When did I become so sinister? With these thoughts in my mind, it's becoming difficult for me to even recognize myself."

Xiu felt someone's hand on her shoulder and was jolted awake from her daydreaming. She looked at the concerned look on Darren's face and smiled sadly. "Are you feeling okay? We can go outside if you want to." Xiu shook her head and patted his hand in a reassuring manner.

She turned her eyes again to look at Liu Nuan and was stunned to see how she had the same exact look in her eyes as she did on her wedding back then. It was like in five years, nothing changed for Liu Nuan. She was still stubbornly staring at Zhou Jinhai while the latter's attention was on his cell phone.

"My McSpicy," Darren raised his brow at the way she called him. Well, 'McSpicy' wasn't the thing that caught him off guard, it was that 'My' in 'My McSpicy' that hit him. Xiu obviously didn't notice what her words did and went on, "What do you think ensures a happily ever after in a marriage? Love or understanding?"

Darren contemplated her words for a moment before saying, "A marriage needs two beautifully mad people who are willing to love and understand each other." He tapped the tip of her nose as he added, "Not every once upon a time is meant for a happily ever after. Some 'once-upon-a-times' teaches us to live happily. And that's often enough for a beautiful ever after."