The wedding day finally arrived.
From early morning, luxury cars pulled one after another into the parking lot of the wedding venue. The grand church had been decorated beautifully with white roses and lilies, long ribbons hung from the wooden pews, while soft music echoed through the magnificent hall.
Outside, security was tighter than usual, reporters gathered behind the barricades, hoping to catch a glimpse of the event. Inside the church, members of the city's high society gradually took their seats.
Although everyone wore polite smiles, the topic of every conversation was the same.
Loretta Gladstone, small groups formed naturally as guests greeted one another.
"I heard she still hasn't regained consciousness."
"So did I."
"My wife visited Mrs. Gladstone yesterday and she said Loretta is still receiving treatment."
"Then how can there possibly be a wedding today?"
No one could answer. A wealthy businessman adjusted his glasses. "If it were any other family, the wedding would have been postponed."
"Exactly."
"So why is Kevin Goodman insisting on going through with it?"
An elegant woman lowered her voice.
"Maybe he is desperate. After all, we know what happened before..." She dared not say everything clearly. After all, she did not want to get on the wrong side of the Goodman family.
The people around her immediately fell silent, another woman sighed quietly.
"Two women died within a week of marrying him, and the third almost died just after the engagement, do you think this is any different?"
"No," someone shook his head. "After all, she is already unconscious."
"Unconscious? Who can tell if the girl is dead or alive?" a woman said, the woman's husband glanced toward the front of the church. "Keep your voice down." He did not want to attract trouble to his family, "I am only saying what everyone is already thinking," the woman argued.
Nearby, another group was having a similar discussion. "I heard reporters have been waiting outside since dawn."
"Of course they have, this is probably the most talked-about wedding in the country." Several younger guests whispered among themselves. "Do you think the bride will actually appear?"
"If she walks into this church today, it will be nothing short of a miracle," another said. "Or a ghost," another joked.
"So are they going to hold the ceremony without her?" a young woman asked.
"Can they even do that?" someone shook her head. "I have heard of people getting married in a hospital or with one partner on a video call, I have never seen a wedding without the bride."
"Maybe..." her friend sighed. "He dared to hold the engagement party without her. Besides, this is the Goodman family, do you think his marriage certificate would be denied simply because the bride did not show up?" someone analyzed.
The group looked at each other, none of this made sense, but they could not argue with her point.
Someone opened his mouth to say something, but a commotion started outside. "The groom has arrived." The commotion outside quickly spread through the church, the heavy wooden doors opened.
Several bodyguards stepped inside first before moving to both sides of the entrance. A moment later, Kevin Goodman walked into the church, he wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his expression remained calm and unreadable, as though today's strange wedding had nothing to do with him.
The discussions inside the church immediately died down, everyone quietly returned to their seats. No matter what they were thinking, no one dared be disrespectful in front of Kevin.
He walked steadily down the aisle without looking at anyone, Andy followed a few steps behind him. Soon, Kevin reached the altar, the officiating priest gave him a polite nod before signaling for the ceremony to begin.
Meanwhile, whispers quietly started again among the guests. A few people close to the Gladstone family could not help but ask questions.
Mrs. Moreno spoke first. "Mrs. Gladstone, has your daughter regained consciousness?" Immediately, several nearby guests turned to listen.
Mrs. Gladstone forced a smile and shook her head. "We don't know." The answer surprised everyone. "You don't know?" someone repeated.
Mr. Gladstone sighed helplessly.
"Last night, Mr. Goodman's people transferred Loretta, we are not sure where."
The surrounding guests were stunned.
"You don't even know where your own daughter is?" Mrs. Gladstone lowered her eyes. "They only told us she would receive better treatment. Beyond that, we know nothing."
The crowd exchanged complicated looks, some felt sympathy while others found the whole situation even stranger.
"So even her parents haven't seen her?"
"No wonder they look so worried."
"It seems they truly don't know." More whispers spread through the church.
"If that's the case... then who exactly is getting married today?"
"Maybe the wedding will be canceled at the last minute."
"But the groom is already standing at the altar."
"Then where is the bride?"
"Maybe the wedding will really happen without a bride," someone said, the news spread from one row to another.
Even the reporters seated at the back quietly prepared their cameras, nobody wanted to miss what would happen next, the atmosphere inside the church became heavier with every passing second.
Then, the music suddenly changed. Everyone instinctively looked toward the entrance, the master of ceremonies smiled politely before speaking into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen..."
his voice echoed clearly throughout the church. "Please rise."
The entire church stood.
Then came the words everyone had been waiting for. "Let us welcome the bride."
Silence.
Every pair of eyes fixed on the closed church doors, not a single person blinked. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see who would walk through those doors.
Maybe the bride had woken up, or there was a replacement bride; no one could say for sure. The doors slowly pulled open, but to the people watching, it felt as though they were opening far too slowly.
They stared at the entrance, wondering if a hospital bed would be wheeled inside or if a bride was standing outside.
As the doors opened wider, the first thing they noticed was a white wedding dress.
A veil covered the bride's head.
"Is that really the bride?" someone voiced the question on everyone's mind.