The Bland Wedding
666 Words
SONIA
I had never imagined my wedding day would look like this.
In my dreams, I was draped in an overflowing white gown, its train stretching behind me like a river of silk. I pictured myself surrounded by beaming faces, my bridesmaids giggling as they fluffed my dress, my mother dabbing at her tears, my father proud. The man of my dreams would be standing at the altar, eyes locked on me like I was the only person in the world.
But this? This was nothing like my dreams.
This was a courthouse wedding—cold, impersonal, and suffocating. My gown, though white, was plain. Too plain. No lace, no pearls, no elegance. Just a simple dress that barely felt like mine. There was no music, no joyful chatter, just the quiet hum of legal proceedings. My best friend stood by my side, not as a bridesmaid, but as my lawyer.
And my mother? She wasn’t here.
Instead, my father’s wife, my stepmother stood in her place, a smirk barely concealed behind a fake smile. She wasn’t even trying to pretend she was unhappy. No, she was reveling in this. In my misery.
Then there was Adam. My husband.
Or at least, the man who was about to become my husband.
He stood a few steps away, talking in hushed tones with his lawyer.
I swallowed hard.
Was this my fate? A loveless marriage to a man who wouldn’t even pretend to care?
A hand squeezed mine.
“You look beautiful,” my best friend whispered. Her voice was warm, but there was something in her eyes - pity.
I forced a smile. “If only my mom were here.”
“She’d be proud of you,” she said, but even she didn’t sound convinced.
I shook my head. “No, she wouldn’t. She would be furious. If she were here, Adam’s family wouldn’t be the ones giving orders and my father wouldn’t be nodding like a brainwashed puppet She wouldn’t have let this happen.”
My voice cracked, but I forced myself not to cry.
I refused to cry.
I refused to look weak.
If Adam thought I’d be a silent, submissive wife, he was in for a surprise. If this was going to be war, I would give him war. Silence for silence. Fire for fire. Cold for cold.
The judge’s voice pulled me back.
“Do you, Sonia Emerald, take Adam Lorenzo to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I felt my father’s fingers tighten on my arm.
There was no escape.
The walls closed in.
My lips parted. I wanted to scream, to tell them all that this was a mistake. That I didn’t want this. That I wasn’t ready.
But the words never came.
“I do,” I whispered.
It felt like signing my soul away.
The judge turned to Adam.
“Do you, Adam Lorenzo, take Sonia Emerald to be your lawfully wedded wife?”
Silence.
Too long.
I held my breath, every second stretching into eternity.
Then, finally, in a voice devoid of emotion, he said, “I do.”
The judge nodded.
“By the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
I braced myself. But Adam didn’t even hesitate. He leaned in, his lips grazing my cheek in the most impersonal kiss possible.
My stomach twisted.
Not from nerves. From humiliation.
We signed the papers.
My father looked relieved. My stepmother beamed. My best friend held back tears. Happy ones, she claimed, but I knew better.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Lorenzo,” Adam said, his voice empty.
I clenched my fists. If he wanted indifference, I’d give him indifference.
“Likewise, Mr. Lorenzo.”
Something flickered in his eyes, gone too fast for me to catch. A smirk? Amusement? Whatever it was, he turned away before I could be sure, hands in his pockets as he walked ahead, not sparing me another glance.
- Writer
