Chapter 11
Inside the bridal shop, Thelma was trying on a wedding dress, watching through the mirror as Kenyon approached with a sullen expression.
“Ken, do you think this wedding dress looks good?”
The moment he walked in, Kenyon’s displeasure was impossible to hide. “Why do you have to drag me here for this? You can decide on your own. I’m busy at work.”
Seeing Kenyon turn to leave, the smile that had been piling up on Thelma’s face instantly faded.
“Kenyon, we’re getting married next week. Is it too much to ask you to spend some time with your future wife? What do you think my father would say if he saw how indifferent you are?”
Kenyon had always known that his marriage had nothing to do with love and was only about benefits and drawbacks. He had accepted the consequences when he made this choice, but at this moment, all he felt was irritation
Thelma tried on wedding dresses in the shop for a full three hours, and during those three hours, Kenyon sat on the sofa, watching her try on one dress after another as if on an assembly line.
An absurd thought surfaced in Kenyon’s mind.
What would Marlene look like in a wedding dress?
She had fair skin and beautiful lines along her shoulders and neck, making her perfect for a white strapless dress.
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At this thought, Kenyon suddenly smiled. After a brief moment of amusement, all that remained in his clear mind was the word ‘absurd.‘
Between the sheets, when the two of them were entangled, Kenyon had whispered many sweet nothings, including promises to marry Marlene and the like, but once they left the bed, neither of them took it seriously.
After trying on the wedding dresses, Thelma took Kenyon to a hotel.
After entering, Thelma turned and went into the bathroom. Hearing the sound of running water, Kenyon knew perfectly well what was about to happen.
There was a bottle of red wine on the table. The crimson liquid flowed into the wine glass as Kenyon sat on the sofa, drinking glass after glass in a muddled state.
He knew clearly that marriage was not about love, but about binding interests. A child would be the best tool to maintain his marriage. Even if he and Thelma went their separate ways in the future, it would not affect their marriage contract.
The sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Thelma came out wrapped in a towel, barefoot. Seeing Kenyon sitting on the sofa, she walked over knowingly.
She took the wine glass from Kenyon’s hand and raised her head, downing the red wine in one gulp.
“Mr. Burt, you’re in quite a mood.”
Every movement flowed naturally, as if nothing needed to be said between a mature man and woman.
But at the very last moment, Kenyon suddenly stopped. Looking down at Thelma beneath him, all he could see in his mind was the persistent
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image of Marlene.
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Her body wasn’t as soft, her voice wasn’t as gentle, and even the blush at the corners of her eyes when she silently endured was unusually vivid in Kenyon’s mind..
“Sorry, I’m just not in the mood today.”
Then, Kenyon picked up his clothes from the sofa and left the hotel, ignoring Thelma’s shouts behind him.
The wind blowing in his face sharpened Kenyon’s senses. He only felt more irritable, and when he reached into his pocket, he realized he didn’t have any cigarettes.
Only then did Kenyon remember that
he had quit smoking a long time
ago. Ever since he learned that Marlene m
disliked the smell of smoke, he
had subconsciously quit, a change he only
ed now.
In a way, he and Marlene were very much in sync, and in the past five years, he hadn’t been with any other woman.
Kenyon had always thought Marlene was just Marlene, that it would be the same with any woman, that sleeping with anyone was all the same. But when the moment truly came, Kenyon realized it wasn’t.
An even more absurd thought appeared in Kenyon’s mind: what if the person he married was ‘Marlene?
This ridiculous idea quickly took over his entire mind, growing larger and larger, and before he knew it, Kenyon dialed Marlene’s number.
“Beep-”
The phone rang again and again, until finally a familiar voice answered, “Hello, this is Marlene. I’m not available to take your call right now.”
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
