The wedding day showed up faster than Ivan expected. Honestly, he wasn't ready for it at all. He had known it was coming, but still… seeing the date actually arrive made his stomach twist. Jaya was getting married to Marcus today. Everyone else talked about it happily, but Ivan couldn't feel even a tiny bit of excitement. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to dress up. He didn't want to stand there and pretend everything was normal.
But Jaya had told him to get ready and wear the coat she bought for him at the mall. She didn't ask him she ordered him. And he couldn't say no to her, no matter how much he wanted to avoid this day.
"Ivan, are you ready?" her voice came from the hall.
He turned around and saw her standing there. She was already in her wedding gown. The white dress made her look so elegant that Ivan had no words. She wasn't just pretty she looked complete. Like everything fit perfectly.
He nodded and tried to fix his tie, but his fingers didn't want to cooperate. Jaya opened the door and stepped inside his room.
"You really look like a grown man today," she said lightly. "Also, Marcus won't be coming to pick us up. We'll drive the car ourselves."
Ivan stared at the floor. "Can you go without me?"
Jaya sighed immediately. "Ivan… we already talked about this, didn't we?"
He didn't look up. "Is he more important than me?"
"Who? Marcus? No. Ivan, you're important to me," she said calmly.
"You chose him," he muttered.
"Love chooses love, not a person," she replied.
He finally raised his eyes. "Didn't you love me?"
Jaya stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I do love you. You know you're my kid. But humans need love and care from someone. We need a partner. I need someone who stands beside me as a husband. You have to understand that. Stop being stubborn."
Her voice wasn't angry. It wasn't cold. It was soft, almost fragile. Ivan stared at her face, and for a second, it looked like he understood her. But then he looked away again. He didn't want her to see his expression. He didn't want to show the part of him that was hurting.
The drive to the marriage hall was quiet. Jaya hummed a little under her breath, like she was trying to calm herself. Ivan kept staring out of the window the entire time.
When they reached, the hall was crowded. People were laughing, talking, taking pictures. Bright lights, flowers everywhere. A place full of noise and excitement.
Ivan walked inside but didn't react to anything. His face was blank, almost empty. He didn't belong there. It felt like the world was moving around him, but he was stuck.
After a few minutes, he slipped away from the crowd without saying anything. He just needed some space. Somewhere quiet. He walked toward the washroom and shut the door behind him.