He Married Another So I Accepted My Arranged Husband Chapter 31
A few weeks before the project was set to go live, the bridal shop called.
The wedding dress had been repaired.
My mother went with me to pick it up.
When the saleswoman unzipped the garment bag, I saw the strand of pearls at the neckline, perfectly restored.
All the broken gold thread had been replaced, and the skirt had been cleaned and pressed.
Only the single missing pearl had not been replaced.
The saleswoman looked apologetic.
“The original pearls have a very particular luster. We couldn’t find one that was an exact match.”
“If you’d like, we can replace the entire strand.”
I reached out and touched the tiny, empty space.
“That won’t be necessary.”
My mother asked, “It doesn’t bother you?”
“It used to.”
I zipped the garment bag closed.
“Now, it’s just a repaired dress.”
When we got home, Desmond saw the box.
“Want to try it on?”
“The wedding is over.”
“Who says a wedding dress can only be worn once?”
He carried the box upstairs carefully.
I leaned against the doorway, watching him.
“You’re not going to ask me why I kept it?”
“It was a gift from your mother.”
“And?”
“And it’s part of your past,” he said, pausing. “The past doesn’t just disappear because you get married. As long as it isn’t still hurting you, you don’t have to throw it away to prove a point.”
I walked over and helped him put the box away in the back of the dressing room.
Beside it sat the old childhood photograph of us.
In the photo, I was missing a front tooth, and Desmond looked pale and ill, yet we were both grinning from ear to ear.
Suddenly, I said, “Once the project goes live, let’s go back to that clinic.”
“Why?”
“I want to see if the room is still there.”
A smile touched his eyes.
“All right.”
“But this time, you can’t just call me Light Eyes.”
“What should I call you, then?”
He lowered his head, moving closer until our faces were inches apart.
“Husband.”