Chapter 6
After over a month of recovery, Aaron was finally discharged from the hospital. The moment he felt better, he threw himself into planning his and Eleanor’s wedding. From dresses to rings, jewelry to bouquets–he wanted to personally check every detail and only sent the best ones to their home for Eleanor to choose from.
But after about five days of back–to back fittings and selections, Eleanor couldn’t hide her lack of enthusiasm. She seemed drained, completely uninterested in any of it.
Aaron thought maybe none of it suited her taste, so he quickly had Matthew bring in even more options. Batch after batch arrived, and eventually, Eleanor got so tired of it all that she finally spoke up.
“Maybe we should just cancel the wedding.”
Aaron’s expression instantly changed. He gripped her hand tight, his voice full of panic as he asked, “Did I do something wrong? Nora, you can yell at me, hit me if you want–just please, don’t say things like calling off the wedding. You know that marrying you is the only thing. I’ve ever truly dreamed of.”
Eleanor knew he meant every word. Ever since he turned 18, he had been asking around, trying to figure out what kind of wedding she wanted. The moment he hit 22, he had literally dragged her to city hall to apply for a marriage license.
They hadn’t ended up doing it that day because something had been missing from their documents. Even so, he had never stopped bringing it up since then.
Over the past two years, Eleanor had poured all her energy into her career. Even though she had verbally agreed to marry him, they had kept pushing the wedding further and further back because of her rehearsals and tours.
And with all that stalling came an unexpected pregnancy–and the two of them, who had once been wrapped up in their own little world, found themselves at odds, thanks to outside interference.
Thinking back on all of that, Eleanor’s eyes dimmed with a flicker of
regret.
She lowered her gaze, saying calmly, “You know that dancing is my lifelong dream. I’m not giving that up. I travel constantly for work and spend weeks in closed rehearsals… I barely even have time to be with you.”
Aaron shook his head stubbornly, his voice almost pleading.
“I can wait. I’ve already waited all these years–if you’ll marry me, I don’t care how long it takes after that.”
Looking into his eyes, seeing the fear and desperation behind his persistence, Eleanor knew he
Chapter
wasn’t hearing what she was saying. However, she didn’t feel like arguing anymore, so she forced a small smile.
“Relax, I was just kidding.”
Aaron immediately pulled her into his arms, his voice muffled as he held her tight, “Don’t joke like that… It would kill me.”
Eleanor closed her eyes, her expression unreadable. She thought, “Aaron, when I found out the entire truth, it nearly killed me too. Maybe now, it’s only fair that we both die a little.”
Whatever fear her comment had triggered seemed to hit Aaron hard. After that day, he stopped going to work entirely, sticking to Eleanor like glue and never letting her out of his sight.
The night before the wedding, they both showed up at their bachelor and bachelorette parties -which, in their circle, were one big joint celebration. All their closest friends were there, and the atmosphere was electric.
However, Eleanor had just started her period that day. Her body was covered in cold sweat, and the cramps in her lower abdomen were unbearable. Aaron noticed how pale she looked and immediately tried to take her home.
Yet, his groomsmen weren’t having it. They surrounded them both with drinks in hand and urged, “Come on, Aaron, it’s the last night before you tie the knot! You haven’t even had a drink yet don’t leave now! We all came out for you; don’t kill the mood!”
No matter how much Aaron explained, he couldn’t convince the group to let them
to let them go. Eleanor sighed in resignation and gave in, saying she would be fine, then sat back down on the couch.
Aaron didn’t waste a second and called Matthew and asked him to bring warm clothes, heating pads, and ginger tea to help with the pain.
But half an hour later, it wasn’t Matthew who walked through the door. It was Alina.
Eleanor didn’t say a word, but Aaron’s brows instantly furrowed. “What are you doing here?”
Alina said softly, almost nervously, “Mr. Woods had something come up. He asked me to bring everything over.”
Aaron clearly wanted her just to drop the stuff and leave, but his friends pulled him away for another drinking game. Worried about leaving Eleanor alone in her condition, he reluctantly asked Alina to stay and help look after her.
