Mr Noah, Our Marriage is just a contract

Chapter 2: The Wedding

RACHEL'S POV

I sat alone in the dimly lit room inside the hall, clutching my phone tight. The screen lit up to yet another call from him, my boyfriend. I peered at his name, feeling my heart twist, but I didn’t answer. How could I explain any of this, the lie I was about to live, the promise I was about to make to another man? I felt the weight of the betrayal, yet I couldn’t bring my fingers to touch "answer."

“Miss Rachel?” A soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up to see an assistant standing at the door. Her face was blank and professional, as though this were just another task on her list.

“Yes?” I said, barely above a whisper.

“They’re ready for you,” she said politely, but I caught the hint of pity in her eyes. I nodded slowly and rose to my feet, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on me.

As I stepped into the main room, my stomach churned. The audience barely paid any attention to my presence. Maybe they weren't there for me in the first place.

I had never imagined my wedding to be like this. I wanted something joyful for myself with Elvis. A marriage like a fairytale with the man I loved.

At the front, Mr. Noah waited, looking cool, distant, and serene, the same look he had when he was closing yet another business deal.

“Rachel,” he said as our eyes met, his tone as smooth as silk but about as warm. “I didn’t think you’d keep me waiting.”

I forced a small, quivering smile. “Ain’t I here?” It even sounded unconvincing to my own ears. I looked aside.

The officiant cleared his throat and began the ceremony. His words sounded muffled and distant, and all I could really focus on was the reality trying to sink in. My father’s hospital bills were paid, his health no longer in immediate danger, and all due to Mr. Noah’s help. Yet the price was standing here, saying words that should mean everything but now meant nothing.

As I was to say my vows, I fumbled; my mouth was as dry as sand. My mind drifted back to my boyfriend. I wondered if he was still calling me, still at least waiting for an answer from me that would never arrive.

Mr. Noah looked back at me with a rise of his eyebrow. “Huh, Rachel?” The tone was mocking; he was daring me to change my mind.

I swallowed hard. “No. I’m just... thinking,” I whispered.

He leaned in closer, his voice low. “It’s not like you have a choice anymore; this is what you chose to do for your father.”

I nodded, barely able to meet his gaze. “Yes. This... this is what I have to do.”

He eyed me, his gaze cold and calculating. “Then say the words, Rachel. Get it over with.”

I took a shaky breath and forced myself to speak. “I... I do,” I managed to say, the words almost catching in my throat.

There was no warmth in Mr. Noah’s face, no flicker of sympathy. He simply extended his hand, slipping the ring onto my finger with the same precision he’d use to sign a contract.

And when he did, his words were steady, free of any semblance of faltering. “I do,” he said, his voice firm but completely void of emotion.

I looked down at my hand, the cold metal wrapped around my finger, and felt trapped. This little circle of shining metal now bound me to a man I barely knew, a man who didn’t care about me.

The voice of the officiant finally came to an end. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

Mr. Noah bent slightly, his lips barely brushing against my cheek. “Welcome to your new life, Mrs. Noah,” he said.

I shut my eyes for a second, trying not to burst into tears. “Is it really new,” I whispered in return, “or just another prison?”

He drew back; his face was impassive once more. “That depends on you, doesn’t it?”

I felt the wave of bitterness and swallowed hard. It was my decision; I had made it, for my father, for his life.

They clapped politely as the small crowd greeted the newlywed couple, but to me, it was hollow, much like this marriage. I could not bear to look at him any longer, the coldness in his eyes.

Lowering my head and holding my hand tightly, I felt more alone than at any other time in my entire life. As the ceremony came to a close, I realized I had left one life behind and stepped into another, a life I never wanted.