Urban Romance

The window rolled back up slowly, leaving nothing behind but a blur of white veil.

"Who were you talking to earlier?" Thaddeus asked.

Danica snapped out of it. She looked at him, then down at the bouquet in her hands. Louisa's name was at the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare say it.

She was afraid that if he knew, he would open the door without thinking and run straight toward the wedding car across from them.

Danica could tell that Thaddeus loved Louisa. That much was obvious.

What she didn't understand was why he was marrying her. Maybe it really was about family. Marrying her meant securing the Watsons' support and a smoother path ahead.

"Teddy, look," she said instead. "The bride across from us gave me this bouquet. Isn't it beautiful?"

Thaddeus didn't answer. His eyes were still fixed on the opposite convoy. The windows were up now, and he couldn't see anything, yet he 

"Ms. Graham said you should go ahead with the wedding, Mr. Cromwell."

Gregory Voight's expression was a little strange, but Thaddeus visibly relaxed the moment he heard those words.

That meant Louisa was here. She had come, and that was enough.

Danica got out of the car, her nerves stretched tight. She was afraid that Thaddeus would turn around and abandon her at any given second.

The wedding was unprecedented in scale, and even the slightest mishap would turn her into a laughingstock. No matter what happened later, she had to see this ceremony through first. Everything else could wait.

She pulled a bridesmaid aside and had her pass a message to her parents, urging them to speed things up and get through the formalities as soon as possible.

Without anyone needing to prompt him, Thaddeus had already instructed his people to begin.

The music started. As the host's smooth, pleasant v

The stars had been breathtaking the night before, and the morning sunlight felt just as relentless.

Louisa was woken by the sunlight. When she opened her eyes, she saw Flora smiling at her.

"You're really something, Lou," Flora said, half amused. "You're getting married today, yet you're still sleeping like nothing's happening."

Louisa buried her face against Flora's palm and mumbled, "I'm still tired, Grandma."

"Tired or not, you'd better get up. The cars are already here."

Louisa lifted her head and followed where Flora was pointing. Outside the window, a line of black luxury cars had filled the entire driveway.

The online friend of hers had really shown up to marry her.

She got out of bed and walked outside, where she saw a man standing in the sunlight. His dark suit fit him perfectly, tailored down to every line, and the custom cufflinks at his wrists caught the light like diamonds.

From head to toe, he looked like someone who belonged at the center of attention.

"What are you standing there for?" Flora urged. "Go on."

At this, the man, who had been facing away, turned around slowly.

Louisa's breath caught when she saw him. "It's you?"

…

At 9:59 am, on Central Avenue in Galaton, two massive wedding convoys moved toward each other along the wide, parallel roads.

One belonged to the Holten family, and the other belonged to the Cromwell family.

Elijah and Thaddeus were Galaton's most talked-about men. One held power, and the other held money. Coincidentally, both were getting married on the same day.

The media hadn't slept all night. Cameras were already rolling from every angle, livestreams blasting across screens as reporters fought for the best vantage points.

The scale was overwhelming. The wedding convoys stretched endlessly in both directions, well over a hundred vehicles each. The two convoys advanced steadily along their own roads and finally met at Central Plaza.

By tradition, when wedding cars crossed paths, the brides would exchange bridal bouquets as a gesture of goodwill.

Elijah's wedding announcement had come without warning, and no one knew who the bride was. At that moment, every lens and every gaze locked onto his wedding car, all of them desperate for a first glimpse of her face.

Only one person couldn't care less, and that person was Thaddeus.

He hadn't slept after his call with Louisa the night before. Everything felt off, as if he were moving through the day mechanically.

He didn't care who Elijah was marrying. All he cared about was whether Louisa would show up.

Before the convoy departed, he hadn't seen her at the venue. With her work ethic, she never showed up late, yet she still hadn't appeared.

He had tried calling her, but her phone couldn't be reached. He sent people to the nursing home, only to be told no one was there.

He even checked the local news. There were no accidents reported.

Then, under the collective gaze of the crowd, the window of Elijah's wedding car slowly lowered.

A face veiled in white came into view. Even through the veil, her features were clear enough that cameras zoomed in immediately.

Danica didn't need any equipment. She saw the face so clearly that her chest tightened and her mind went blank.

Louisa? Was she seeing things? How could Louisa be sitting in Elijah's wedding car, dressed in a wedding gown?
 
Louisa leaned forward and held out the bouquet. Danica reached out almost mechanically. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say Louisa's name or ask something.

"Congratulations," Louisa said calmly, placing the bouquet into Danica's hands.

Whatever had happened between them didn't matter anymore. Thaddeus, Danica, and everything else were all part of the past now.

Just then, Thaddeus froze at her words.

Congratulations? Why did that sound like Louisa?

He lifted his head sharply and looked over.

The window rolled back up slowly, leaving nothing behind but a blur of white veil.

"Who were you talking to earlier?" Thaddeus asked.

Danica snapped out of it. She looked at him, then down at the bouquet in her hands. Louisa's name was at the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare say it.

She was afraid that if he knew, he would open the door without thinking and run straight toward the wedding car across from them.

Danica could tell that Thaddeus loved Louisa. That much was obvious.

What she didn't understand was why he was marrying her. Maybe it really was about family. Marrying her meant securing the Watsons' support and a smoother path ahead.

"Teddy, look," she said instead. "The bride across from us gave me this bouquet. Isn't it beautiful?"

Thaddeus didn't answer. His eyes were still fixed on the opposite convoy. The windows were up now, and he couldn't see anything, yet he couldn't bring himself to look away.

As Danica lifted the bouquet toward him, Thaddeus lowered his 

Chapter 11 Waiting for You to Marry Me