Chapter 4. Wedding Dance

|| Veronica ||

Aaron remained silent to the question I asked, infuriating me even more than before. His face was so expressionless; even if I tried to, it would take a million years to figure out what was going through his head.

I gritted my teeth, still pretending to be a graceful bride as the best man and bridesmaid handed us the wedding bands. He sloppily made me wear the ring, and I did the same. Such a joke of a wedding it was.

Screw my reputation. There's no way I'm marrying such a promise-breaking jerk, I decided.

I was about to yank my hand back from him but he kept a firm hold on it. He gave me a sharp look and whispered to me threateningly, "Don't you dare."

My facade dropped as a look of rage swept across my face and I lost my cool. I took a step forward, about to punch him in the punch. But since my luck had run out for the day already, I lost balance on my heels and tripped forward.

Ugh, this is what I needed. An embarrassment in front of everyone.

I could already imagine what the headline of the next day was going to be—'Veronica Wilshire tripped on the wedding altar'.

However, I didn't end up on the ground as expected, rather a pair of arms caught me, and I looped an arm around his neck out of instinct. My all-time fans, who were exclusively invited, went 'aww' with that.

"Stop trying to create a scene and go with the flow," Aaron whispered, secretly glaring at me with his piercing green eyes.

Furiously, I was about to stand up straight by removing his arm from my waist, but just then, the pastor asked, "Do you, Aaron Aldridge, take thee, Veronica Wilshire, to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part, according to God's holy ordinance?"

Without any hesitation, gazing right into my deep blue eyes, Aaron answered, "I do."

I could hear my heart being run over a truck as those two words rolled off his tongue so easily.

While the pastor was reciting my part of vows, Aaron told me, his voice as cold as ice, "You will agree."

"And what if I don't?" I challenged, arching an eyebrow. I could now drop my act since my face wasn't visible to the audience anymore.

"I will make sure you pay," he responded, sounding like he meant each and every word, which slightly scared me.

"... Ms. Wilshire?" the pastor repeated my name for the third time after he finished reciting the vows.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Does she not want to get married?"

"Poor Aaron. She is humiliating him and herself right now."

There was already murmuring and gossip flying around in the church by then.

I didn't know what was the right thing to do. Should I just slap him across the face and get out of here, or should I not tarnish my family's name and career?

I took a sharp breath and decided to do what was best for my family, which was my mom. She wanted me to marry Aaron.

Fine, I will show Mom what a big mistake she has made. I will make her regret it when she sees me unhappy because I'm sure that I will never find happiness in life with a hateful person like Aaron.

And as for Aaron, I will make his life a living hell. He has no idea what Veronica Wilshire can do to him. Every day I will make him suffer with no mercy—and that is my real wedding vow.

"I do," I finally said, making the attendees erupt in cheerful hooting and congratulations.

My eyes started to sting from holding back my tears for so long. I finally let a tear slid by my cheek when the pastor announced, "I, hereby, declared you two as husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

In a relationship where nothing held meaning, what would a mere kiss mean? Absolutely nothing.

As his soft lips touched mine, I felt nothing more than when my co-actors kissed me during a scene; it ignited no sparks or warmth in my belly like that night two months ago. In fact, I think I got more butterflies when he kissed me for the first time, which I had almost forgotten about.

However, it wasn't like I felt nothing. I did feel a strong sense of burning resentment, and I would make sure that I wasn't the only one burning.

Just wait, Mr. Aaron Aldridge.

°°°°°

My feet and cheeks were aching from wearing the five-inches heel and faking a smile for so long.

The reception party was full-on swing with my favorite songs blasting through the speakers, and the guests enjoying their dinner after making me the sacrificial lamb. I had changed into a similar-designed wedding gown but shorter on the edge, so it wouldn't drag around the floor so much and be more comfortable to move around.

I have been wanting to talk to Aaron for two hours now, yet I was getting no chance as he kept talking to his associates with me standing by his side like a clown, with no consideration for me.

It was finally when Sara came and told us, "You guys should take some rest before the first wedding dance, the highlight of the evening." Because that's when the paparazzi would be allowed to enter and be allowed to record the majestic dance of the most-desired bachelor and the diva of the year.

I practically dragged Aaron to the waiting room when we were out of everyone's eyesight. I shut the door with a thud and crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at the nonchalant man.

"Explain," I demanded.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow as if he had no idea what I was talking about.

I let out a humorless chuckle and walked around the room. "Someone promised that he would not come to the wedding altar and not marry me, but it turns out that he wanted to marry me so bad that he had to threaten me."

Aaron rolled his eyes. "It's not like I was dying to marry you."

My rage reached its peak with his damn-care words and I ended up smashing the vase on the ground—even that didn't surprise him. I clenched my jaw and stood in front of him. "Then why did you marry me?"

"You don't need to know," he replied curtly.

"Oh, I know why. You wanted a legal sex partner," I spat out.

"Sorry, what?" he let out, looking at me being offended.

"Why, is it not true? I'm sure you couldn't control yourself when you thought that you would get Veronica Wilshire as your wife," I mocked.

"If I wanted a sex partner, I could get anyone hotter than you in any bar," he fired back.

I chuckled humorlessly. "Hotter than me? Can you find someone like that in any bar?"

"Why wouldn't there be? Just by being an A-listed actor doesn't mean you are the prettiest woman on earth."

"Oh, really? Then, name someone who you think is prettier than me," I demanded.

His eyes hovered around the room, trying to think of a name before a smirk took over his lips. "My niece," he answered, and I was left dumbfounded.

As if on cue, the door opened and a five-year-old blonde girl peeked her head out of the head, her green eyes glimmering with excitement as she mumbled, "Uncle Ron, Papa is calling you."

"Yes, coming, Sen," saying that Aaron picked up his niece, Seneca Aldridge, in his arms and showed her off to me.

"It doesn't work that way," I protested.

"You said to name someone who I think is prettier than you. My Sen is a thousand times prettier than you," Aaron said and kissed Seneca's cheek, who giggled in return and waved at me.

I gritted my teeth and accepted my defeat as he managed to find the loophole within the question. I obviously couldn't argue over being prettier than a child, especially a child who looked like an angel and was my niece as well. Damn it.

Aaron put Seneca down and went to meet Stephen.

Meanwhile, I bent down in front of Seneca, taking her little hands in mine. I didn't get much time to spend with her since I was always busy with my shoots, still, I tried to make some time for her once in a while. I also didn't get to attend Sara and Stephen's wedding six years ago as I was in London during that time for a movie shooting and they got married in such a rush, that's why I didn't get to meet Aaron then as well. And now, look at my luck!

"Hi, Sen," I told her.

"Hello, Aunt Vonnie," Seneca chimed, and I smiled at her. She pouted and placed her soft palm on my cheek. "Why do you seem so sad?" she inquired.

That was it for me.

I broke out crying. I hugged the little girl and cried my eyes out loud while she patted my back without any questions. A little girl could see my pain, yet my so-called husband couldn't. For breaking our promise, for marrying me against my will, he didn't even utter a word of apology, let alone telling me the reason behind it.

So many things were now wrong in my life. The last two months of my life were wasted in vain. No, scratch that. My whole life was spoiled. I was now a married woman, which I didn't want to be.

For a second, I felt like there was someone outside the door, yet I couldn't care less. I wanted to let out the suppressed feelings and feel light to be able to face the challenges that awaited me.

After a few minutes, when I felt like I had no more tears left for the moment, I pulled back and wiped my face with the handkerchief that Seneca handed me. Thank goodness my makeup was waterproof, otherwise, I would have been looking like a ghost in a white gown.

"Thank you, Sen," I told the little girl gratefully. She was the complete replica of Sarah, just her eyes looked like her father and uncle.

"No problem, Aunt. If you ever want to cry again and you can't do that in front of others, you can always count on me. I always keep secrets," Seneca bragged proudly, and a smile took over my lips.

"Sure, sweetheart," I said and kissed her forehead.

Just then, Aaron walked into the room. "Come, everyone is waiting for our dance," he informed coldly.

I nodded and stood up.

"Uncle, won't you dance with me?" Seneca whined.

"Not today. I don't feel well," Aaron told her gently.

"I will let you go today since it's your wedding. But you still owe me a dance for later." With that, Seneca ran out of the waiting room.

The air became tense as soon as the ray of sunshine left. "Let's go," he said.

Frowning, I snaked my arms around his and walked out to the ballroom. As soon as we arrived, all eyes turned to stare at us. The music had already started by then, so without wasting another second, we made our way to the dance floor.

Shit, this dance is going to be an utter failure, I cried in my head as Aaron and I never practiced our wedding dance.

"Let's go with the simplest one. Can you do the waltz?" he whispered to me.

"Yes," I answered involuntarily.

"Then that's what we are going to perform," he instructed, and I nodded since I didn't want my reputation to be spoiled by screwing up my first wedding dance.

Once we got to the middle of the ballroom, the lights dimmed and the spotlight was on us, with the paparazzi recording every move of ours like a hawk.

I placed one of my hands around his shoulder and the other hand was clasped with his while his other hand was on my back. Unexpectedly, we managed to dance pretty swiftly with no mishaps. Perks of both of us being raised in a rich family, we both were taught fancy stuff.

"You must be ecstatic to get a dance with me," I taunted, flashing a smile at the camera.

"Just what do you think of yourself?" Aaron asked in disbelief.

"A queen who doesn't need such an asshole of a king," I responded haughtily, and he scoffed. After a few seconds, when the dance was coming to an end, I asked quietly, "What are you going to do with the mess you created?"

"Amend it," he answered curtly.

"And how are you planning to do that?"

Aaron gazed into my eyes before twirling me around. After that, when my back collided with his chest, his breath fanned on my neck, sending slight tingles through my spine. "You know it."

My lips twitched up as I let out, "Okay then. We shall get a divorce."

★★★★★