Chapter 6 - He Loathed Her
He eventually extended his hand. Xia Rouxin tilted his head up at him, and a single drop of tear fell on the back of her hand. Sneers echoed everywhere, and even the look on Mr. and Mrs. Xia’s faces were contorted into an awkward expression.
It was a scandal that was definitely going to hit the headlines the next day.
Xia Ruoxin stretched her hand out with caution, for there were indistinct traces of bruises on her hand. But Chu Lui grabbed her and exerted force again. All that Xia Ruoxin could do was muffle a cry in pain. He tightened his grip one more time, only this time, the pressure nearly crushed the bones in her hand.
Slightly battered, she could feel the waves of pain in her left foot as she stood up. She had no choice but to follow him with an unsteady foot. Under her veil, no one could notice that the bride’s complexion had turned a ghastly pale. No amount of blush could conceal that kind of paleness.
Everything appeared to be so holy as they stood in front of the priest.
“Xia Ruoxin, do you take Chu Lui as your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”
Xia Ruoxin looked in front of her and felt her vision considerably blurred. She could see the cross hanging on the priest’s chest. It was an apparent sign of a woman’s destiny being bound. And her name— Xia Ruoxin.
“Miss Xia Ruoxin, do you take Mr. Chu Lui as your lawfully wedded husband, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?” the priest repeated the question.
Xia Ruoxin suddenly snapped out of her stupor. She turned to look at Chu Lui and saw no emotion in his immensely remote eyes. There was no love or hatred.
“I do,” she whispered as she closed her eyes. She was more than willing to marry him even if it meant that she had to forfeit her life because that was how much she loved him.
Even if Yixuan was the only one he had ever loved—her sister.
Even if she knew deep down that her pain had only just begun.
“Chu Lui, do you take Xia Ruoxin as your lawfully wedded wife, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?”
Chu Lui pursed his thin lips and answered, “I do”. It might have sounded voluntary however, there was not an ounce of emotion detected in his tone.
“I now invite the bride and groom to exchange their rings,” announced the priest. Chu Lui took a diamond ring out of his pocket. It was designed by a famous French couturier, but it was not meant for her.
He took her slightly bruised hand in a crude way. The look in his eyes turned more remote and it made Xia Ruoxin’s body slightly quiver. The ring wasn’t meant for Xia Rouxin, for he initially wanted Xia Yixuan to have it. He swore that he would go through such lengths to humiliate her. He was willing to use every method.
The ring was too small for Xia Ruoxin’s hand, but Chu Lui didn’t care. It did not bother him for a single bit if it would be painful for her. If she felt the pain, then she deserved it.
Xia Ruoxin inwardly stifled a groan from the throbbing pain on her finger. Her heart had been shattered and numbed countless times on her special day. But did all matters lead to the heart? No, she was wrong, for it was not just the matter. It was the pain on her finger that had shattered her soul completely.
She took the other ring with her bruised, shaky hands. She put it on Chu Lui’s finger and it was a perfect fit. However, the one on her finger was so tight that she could not help but feel sorry for herself.
“The groom may now kiss the bride.”
As soon as the priest finished speaking, Xia Ruoxin found herself into a complete daze. She could not even hear anything that surrounded her. The veil lifted, and all she saw was the man’s icy facial expression. His orbs screamed extreme hatred. Then his head lowered down and moved closer towards her. Xia Ruoxin could only close her eyes in bitterness.