Chapter 61 To Say Goodbye

"And why is that?" Melinda asked, when she finally broke out of her astonishment. Jonas had subtly emphasized their relationship was nothing more than partnership a while ago.

For him to suddenly act possessively, and over such a small matter, was confusing to his wife. 'What is he even trying to say?'

Jonas leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you go there, you will only bring shame on the Gu family," he drawled out. Melinda wanted to punch his pompous face.

"What are you talking about? What shame? Kent and I are friends, and he’s getting married. It’s only natural for me to celebrate it with him and offer my best wishes." Melinda paused and mimicked Jonas’s stance. "What’s going on in your mind, exactly?"

Jonas snorted and rolled his eyes, and it only made his wife even more pissed at him. "If I say I don’t want you to go, then you can’t go." With that, he turned and walked away with a satisfied smirk on his face.

In spite of her bafflement, Melinda felt outraged at the childish way her husband was acting, and the means with which he exercised his whims. 'Damn it, he isn’t called a tyrant for nothing!'

If Jonas expressly forbade it, there was no way Melinda could work her way around his iron-clad word. She paced back and forth in the room, nibbling on the tip of her thumb as she thought the matter over.

After a while an idea came to her, and she hurried over to the main villa to speak with Nelson. If there was anyone who had greater authority over Jonas’s instructions, it was Nelson.

As soon as she got there, Melinda recounted the whole situation to the old man. "Grandpa, Kent and I really are just friends. He’s helped me a lot through my toughest times. Of course I want to give him my best wishes on his special day."

Nelson sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don’t worry, child. I’ll discuss this with Jonas for you." It didn’t take much convincing to get their grandfather on her side, and it relieved Melinda greatly.

Soon after that Jonas was called into Nelson’s study, and the door remained shut for a considerable amount of time. She had no idea what warranted such a lengthy conversation.

All she knew was that Jonas came out with a thunderous expression on his face, and he was grumbling when he told her she could attend the wedding.

Having achieved her goal, Melinda chose not to dwell on the matter any longer. The important thing was that she would be able to give Kent her blessing.

The ceremony was set to be held in a five-star hotel within a week’s time. As far as she knew, Kent personally took care of the banquet design. He did make a few calls to Melinda, asking her for some input.

She was a writer, after all, and her imagination was bound to be more profound. Besides, women usually knew what other women wanted.

On the day of the wedding, Melinda wore a lilac dress paired with nude pumps. She donned a white windbreaker coat over it, making the perfect picture of a well-dressed woman from a rich family.

When she came down the stairs that afternoon to leave, she spotted Jonas lounging on the living room sofa, sipping coffee while reading the newspaper. He was wearing a black coat over his suit.

That was a curious detail, but her thoughts were sidetracked by how devastatingly handsome her husband was. He looked like a regal senior official.

As soon as he saw her, Jonas put down the newspaper and rose. He looked utterly displeased as he looked Melinda up and down, although his eyes may have lingered a tad longer on her luscious mouth.

"Let’s go," he finally said, a little roughly, the frown never leaving his face.

"Wait, what?" Melinda was just about to walk past, but turned instead to look at her husband.

"Are you attending the wedding or not?" Jonas asked impatiently, grabbing his car keys from one of the side tables. "What are you saying? Are you coming with me?" Melinda was dumbfounded at this development.

Jonas gave a loud sigh of frustration. "What’s wrong with that? Am I not allowed to accompany my own wife?"

"Of course that’s not what I meant, I mean... all right, forget it." Melinda could see that this exchange was starting to aggravate him, and she’d rather not provoke him any further lest she kept her from going at the last minute. "Just remember that you already agreed I coul

When she was done fixing herself she emerged into the common room. Silence met her as the rest of the entourage gathered there and stared at her appearance with no small amount of awe.

Just as Melinda was starting to feel awkward, the bride went up to her and took her hand. "My bridesmaid is so beautiful. I’m very fortunate."

Looking at the bride’s kind smile, Melinda smiled in relief. "Thank you."

At six o’clock, the guests were called into attention, and the ceremony commenced. Every so often, Melinda would peek at Jonas from where she stood, just to make sure he wasn’t stirring up any more trouble than he already had.

The whole affair went on smoothly, and soon it was time for the couple to exchange rings and say their vows. Melinda executed her task and handed over the rings, and then retreated with the other bridesmaids to the back of the couple.

"Is there anything the groom would like to say to his bride?" The officiating celebrant’s voice rang out. The microphone was then positioned towards Kent, and he began to speak, "Today, the woman I once loved has come to bestow us her best wishes, and even graced my bride and I the honor of bringing us our wedding rings, which are to be the token of our lifelong love."

A heavy silence fell on the hall, and Melinda froze where she stood. 'What's happening?' She kept her head down, dreading what might come next.

Already a muffled buzz went around among the guests, which was to be expected, in light of the groom’s words.

But then Kent continued, "I believe everyone deserves to have their first love, whom they had shared their growth and their hardships, come to send you off as you embark on your new life, with your new love.

It’s a poetic way, I think, to come full circle. And I am grateful that I can say goodbye to her now, in a manner that allows me to embrace my new love at the same time."

He paused and looked deep into his bride’s eyes. "I love you, and I will love you forever."

Melinda finally looked up, in time to see Kent slip the ring on his bride’s finger. His bride didn’t look unsettled at all. If anything, there was an assured and joyous resolve in her expression.

While her entourage tittered with the unexpected way things could have turned out, the bride had the calmest face. It somewhat calmed Melinda as well. In spite of their momentary discomfort, the two women were grateful for Kent’s honesty.

The microphone was then handed over towards the bride. "My new husband seems to be honest to a fault," she joked, and a round of awkward laughter traveled the hall.

"Thank you, my love. I shall take you up on your offer, and grow old with you, and relish in the lifetime love confession that you have offered me."

Then, in front of all their friends and family, the couple kissed, marking the end of the ceremony. The crowd applauded, and the entourage went back to their seats.