Chapter 8 The Wedding Day

• The wedding between Rhea and Dion was truly held. However, it was not a grand and lavish celebration like those of high-society families, but rather a simple and private ceremony attended only by the families of the bride and groom.
• Yes, this was the condition Rhea had given her mother if she wanted her to agree to the marriage—namely, that the wedding had to be held privately, with no guests other than family members, and completely closed off to any media coverage. Reluctantly, Aliza agreed to her daughter’s demand, as all she wanted was for Rhea to accept the marriage.
• The wedding ceremony proceeded smoothly, and Rhea and Dion were now officially husband and wife.
• “Congratulations to both of you. May you become a happy family and be blessed with children soon. Ah, I can’t wait to hold my grandchild,” said Aliza eagerly.
• Rhea rolled her eyes at her mother’s congratulations and well-wishes, not responding in the slightest.
• “Thank you, Auntie,” Dion replied instead.
• “Hmph, why are you still calling me ‘Auntie’? Call me ‘Mother’—I’m your mother now,” Aliza protested to her son-in-law.
• Dion chuckled lightly. “Ah, yes, you're right. I meant Mother. Thank you for the congratulations and your prayers.”
• Aliza gave a small smile, reaching out her right hand to gently pat the shoulder of the young man who was now officially her son-in-law. “You're very handsome. Rhea is lucky to have a husband like you.”
• A scoffing sound was immediately heard, of course from Rhea, who one hundred percent disagreed with her mother’s words. She didn’t feel lucky—on the contrary, she felt deeply embarrassed to have a husband ten years younger than herself. To Rhea, this marriage was a disgrace, which was why she didn’t want anyone else to know about this shameful reality.
• “You’re exaggerating, Mother. I’m the one who’s lucky to have such a beautiful wife like Rhea. I’ll take good care of her,” said Dion, making Aliza even more fond of her son-in-law.
• “Looks like I didn’t make the wrong choice in picking you as my son-in-law. Please take good care of Rhea. All this time, no one has taken care of her. Ever since her father passed away, she’s been looking after herself… and as you can see, she has turned into such a cold and firm woman.”
• “Mother…,” Rhea scolded, feeling that her mother was talking too much.
• “I’m only telling the truth to your husband. From now on, he will be the one to take care of you, just like your late father did. You must serve your husband well, Rhea. Obey everything he says. Even though Dion is younger than you, you must still respect him because he is your husband. Do you understand?”
• Rhea didn’t answer. She simply turned her face away, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation.
• “Dion, please take care of Rhea and make her happy. I entrust her to you, and I’m counting on you. Please don’t disappoint me.” Aliza made her request sincerely, her eyes glistening with tears that were on the verge of falling.
• Dion gave a small smile and gently took one of his mother-in-law’s hands. “Thank you for trusting your daughter to me. I promise to take care of her and make her happy.”
• The promise Dion made to his mother-in-law marked the end of their conversation. After that, one by one, the family members came forward to offer their congratulations to the newlyweds, until it was finally time for Rhea and Dion to leave for their honeymoon.
• The married couple stood in front of a car that was ready to take them to the airport.
• “I’ve prepared some fun and suitable vacation spots for your honeymoon. Plane tickets, hotel, and everything else you need is all inside here,” said Aliza, handing her daughter an envelope. Rhea accepted it without enthusiasm. Ever since the wedding ceremony began, there had been no sign of joy on her face—only reluctance and disinterest.
• “Be happy, my daughter. I’m glad to finally see you married. Forget about work for a while, okay? Now is the time for you to have fun with your husband. You deserve to be happy and enjoy life.”
• “If you’re done talking, I’ll take my leave,” Rhea quickly interrupted, clearly uninterested in hearing more about her new status as a wife.
• “Wow, it looks like Rhea just can’t wait to be alone with her husband,” said Greta Damares, Dion’s mother, with a small chuckle at the end of her sentence.
• “Hurry and follow your wife, Dion. Do your best tonight. Just like Mrs. Aliza said earlier, we hope you’ll give us a grandchild soon,” teased Garry Damares, Dion’s father.
• Tired of hearing all the chatter from her mother and in-laws, Rhea quickly got into the car without waiting for her husband.
• “Dion, go after her quickly,” Aliza said while gently pushing his back to urge him to follow Rhea, who was now already seated inside the car.
• “Alright. We’ll be going now,” Dion said politely as he took his leave.
• “Yes, have a wonderful honeymoon. Enjoy yourselves, both of you,” she replied.
• Dion stepped into the car and sat next to Rhea, who turned her face away, clearly unwilling to look at her husband.
• The car began to move toward the airport. Inside, there was complete silence, as neither Rhea nor Dion said a word.
• “Stop the car here,” Rhea suddenly said, breaking the silence and drawing the attention of both Dion and the driver.
• “Why stop here, Miss? We haven’t reached the airport yet.”
• “I said stop here—and you can go home,” she replied firmly.
• “Huh? What do you mean telling him to go home? Then who’s going to drive us to the airport?” Dion asked in confusion.
• Ignoring her husband’s question, Rhea tapped the driver’s shoulder impatiently. “Stop the car now and go home.”
• “But, Miss...”
• “Or would you prefer I fire you this instant for disobeying my orders?”
• Frightened by her threat, the driver finally complied. He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. Then he stepped out, and Rhea immediately slid into the driver’s seat. She drove off, leaving the driver standing by the roadside, completely bewildered.
• “What are you doing? And where are we going? This isn’t the way to the airport,” Dion said, baffled, as Rhea had turned the car around, no longer heading toward their original destination.
• Rhea scoffed. “That’s because we’re not going to the airport.”
• “Then where are we going?”
• “Don’t ask too many questions. You’ll find out soon enough.”
• “But—”
• “I don’t like people who are talkative and noisy. If you don’t want me to kick you out of this car, keep your mouth shut. Understand?”
• Dion immediately zipped his lips shut, not wanting to be thrown out by his fierce wife—even though, deep down, he couldn’t stop wondering… where exactly were they going?