My Darling, My Dearest novel Chapter 464

The bride laughed through her tears. Without a word, she gazed at the groom, who grabbed the mic and declared, "I do."

With open arms, she ran to him. He held her tight, lifted her off the ground, and playfully spun her around.

Rachel joined in as the guests vigorously cheered for the couple. As she was clapping, she heard a soft voice say, "I would also be honored to spend the rest of my life with you."

Despite the noise, she heard every word clearly.

She pursed her lips in an attempt to suppress this strange feeling in her heart. Ultimately, she pretended not to hear what Jack had just said. Her eyes remained fixed on the couple on the stage, but she couldn't help reaching down and holding his hand.

This only went on for a second, but Jack was exhilarated.

The emcee's deep voice brought their attention back to the festivities. "You may now exchange rings."

The groomsman and bridesmaid promptly produced the rings and stood at their place beside the couple. The bride and groom took out the wedding bands and, unable to hide their smiles, prepared to put them on each other's fingers.

The guests, who had been thrilled mere moments ago, were now paying serious attention to the ceremony.

Again, Jack leaned close to Rachel and whispered in her ear, "I still owe you a wedding."

Just like that, everything came flooding back: the wedding ceremony, the customized wedding dress, and all the preparations that they had made. Rachel lowered her head and said nothing.

When he noticed the change in her demeanor, Jack thought that he had said something wrong. He covered his mouth and said, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was saying just now."

This was the worst time to have brought up those painful memories.

Rachel shook her head slightly and said slowly, "A wedding is not important to me."

Weddings were just a set of rites to announce to the world that two people were now married. Beyond the ceremony, no one cared whether the couple was happy and whether the bride and the groom really loved each other.

A wedding does not necessarily guarantee that two people will stay together for the rest of their lives.

Upon hearing this, Jack was convinced that she was not angry or unwilling to talk to him. After a moment of excitement, his face became serious. "Then you..."

He wondered what the most important thing was for a woman who no longer dreamed of having a wedding.

When he finished asking the question, Rachel answered in a low voice, "I just want to be with someone who treats me sincerely."

After everything that she had gone through, it seemed that Rachel had changed her mind about things.

In the past, she had thought that two people didn't need to be in love with each other. They just needed to respect each other. She had agreed to marry Jack, not only as an act of gratitude but also because for her, their wedding was in name only.

Later on, she gradually learned how lamentable a marriage turned out to be if love wasn't present.

At one point, she could no longer stand the fact that the man lying beside her had given his heart to another woman.

So, upon seeing Jack and Celine together, Rachel had decided to go abroad for her training.

She had stayed there for three years. Then, when Scarlett joined the picture some time ago, Rachel had not been able to leave as abruptly as she had done the first time. Instead, she had hardened her heart and protected herself from being hurt yet again.

Upon hearing her response, Jack said, "Rachel, I really mean it."

"We'll see," she responded, her voice only barely above a whisper.

Hearing these words disappointed Jack. After a few seconds, he regained his spirits. "One day, you'll learn to accept me again."

As long as Rachel was willing to give him a chance, he was satisfied.

The two of them continued talking in low voices. They had not noticed that around them, everyone had begun shouting and clapping again. All of a sudden, there was an ecstatic screaming, and Rachel felt something flying overhead. Of course, her first instinct was to catch it.

The next second, she realized that a wedding bouquet appeared in her hands.

Everyone's eyes were on Rachel. Before she could even make sense of what was happening, the emcee's voice cut through the silence. "Congratulations to this lucky girl! You've caught the bridal bouquet, and with that, you are blessed with the bride's happiness. I'm confident that you're going to be a happy bride in the near future." It was only then that Rachel came to her senses. She suddenly felt embarrassed that she was the one holding the bouquet.

All the girls who had wanted to catch it for themselves stared at her.

The corners of Rachel's mouth twitched. Thinking quickly, she handed the flowers to the girl right next to her and said softly, "I don't need the bouquet. You can have it instead."

"Really? Thank you!" The girl beamed with delight as she waved the bouquet several times in front of everyone, shouting, "I got the bouquet!