Chapter 8
“Annalise, are you really getting married?” Jensen’s voice trembled slightly, much like the first time he confessed his feelings to me years ago. Back then, with a soft, shaking voice, he had said, “Anna, my greatest wish in this life is to marry you. But don’t feel pressured–I’ll make sure you understand my heart, no matter how long it takes. I’ll wait for you.”
But after all these years, we never truly understood each other’s hearts.
Benjamin, being younger, spoke more bluntly.
“Annalise, stop pretending. I don’t believe for a second that you’re marrying someone else!”
“Look at you–a sickly girl from a ruined family. How could the Anderson family accept you? This is just another stunt to get our attention, but I won’t fall for it.”
Though he said this, his eyes reddened. Suddenly, I was reminded of when we were children, playing make–believe together. I would wear Mrs. Miller’s white dress, pretending to be a bride, while the two brothers fought over who got to be the groom. Benjamin, unable to win against Jensen, would cry with red eyes, just like now. It seemed as though nothing had changed–and yet, everything was different.
I adjusted my dress, avoiding their gaze.
“You should go. For Mrs. Miller’s sake, I won’t have my guards drag you out.”
Jensen looked at me in disbelief, as if wounded.
“Annalise! Stop this nonsense. Do you think marriage is a joke? Have you really thought this through?”
“We’ve spent twenty years side by side, and you never agreed to marry me. Why would you marry a stranger?”
I answered calmly.
“I’m not being impulsive. Every choice I’ve made is after careful consideration.”
“I’m not getting any younger. If I don’t marry soon, I might never have children.”
They believed they’d waited for me for twenty years. But hadn’t I been waiting for them,
too? All these years, I was convinced that I was inseparable from the Miller brothers, that I
would marry one of them, and our two families would finally unite. But now I understood: even the closest childhood bonds can’t withstand fate. Deep young love can also be fleeting.
And feelings that were never truly there–what’s left to cherish?
Jensen looked at me, visibly hurt. “But why… why marry Philip? If you wanted to get
married, you could have chosen me…”
I looked up at my reflection in the mirror. The wedding gown adorned with sparkling diamonds was exactly as I’d once imagined as a child. I glanced at the two brothers and smiled slightly.
“Because he’s the only one who made a clear choice–for me.”
