Chapter Thirteen — Material Things

Emerald

My wedding day was finally here, and I was the farthest thing from being excited.

It was the day I would be marrying the infamous, Brian Huxley and automatically becoming Emerald Huxley, the wife of a freaking billionaire.

Surprisingly, I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be, but that wasn't to imply that I wasn't nervous at all because I was but just not as nervous as I expected myself to be. I'd say that I was more worried than nervous because more than half of the people that would be attending the wedding would be people that I have never met in my entire life and I didn't even want to imagine how they would react to me as the bride or what they'd think.

I already saw several articles and comments online that insinuate that I was a gold digger, and I found them rather offensive because the last thing I wanted was any of the Huxley family fortune. I hated the fact that I had to marry into his family because now my personal life was no longer going to be personal, and I would have several eyes on me, judging me and making a big deal out of everything that I do.

"Emerald!" a voice called out my name, and I looked back from my dressing table to see who was calling me.

"Oh, it's you," I muttered unenthusiastically when I noticed that it was Mia.

"Well, you look excited," she pointed out sarcastically, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her.

"Don't mess around with me, Mia. I'm not in the mood," I replied, letting out a frustrated sigh and placing my head on my palms.

I didn't like the fact that I was sounding irritated towards her when she didn't do anything wrong, but I just wasn't in the best mood right now, and I couldn't help the way I felt.

"I'm okay, Mia. Just a little tired, that's all," I responded.

I wasn't exactly okay, but the wedding was going to start in a few minutes, so I knew that there was no time for me to vent out my frustrations or talk about why I wasn't feeling good. Talking about how I felt right now was only going to make me emotional, and I wouldn't want to end up crying before my wedding and making things worse for myself.

"I can't say that I understand how you feel right now, Emerald, but if this is something that you know is going to end up affecting you very negatively, then I'll advise you not to go through with it. Don't sacrifice your happiness if it's not going to be worth it," Mia said, attempting to encourage me, and although I appreciated it, it just wasn't what I needed to hear right now.

"I already decided to sacrifice my happiness when I agreed to marry Brian, and there's no backing out for me. I'm just slightly worried that I'm going to have to deal with plenty of uncomfortable remarks about me, but I'm sure I'll be fine eventually," I replied, forcing myself to sound as positive as I could.

I didn't want anyone to worry about me because I already chose to marry Brian and I knew what I was getting myself into when I did. It wasn't an easy decision but to save my family from whatever trouble they had gotten themselves into, I had to make this choice and regretting it was only going to make me feel worse.

Mia was about to respond to me, but we were interrupted by my dad's familiar voice.

"Five minutes until the wedding starts, sweetie," he announced, wearing a smile on his face.

I haven't really spoken to my father in the last few days, not because I was upset with him, but because I knew that speaking to him was just going to make me feel regretful.

My dad and I used to be really close. I was always much closer to him than I was to my mom, and he was someone that I considered my biggest inspiration, but after he suddenly told me that I had no other choice but to marry a man that I knew nothing about, even after I have severally shared with him that I wanted to marry for love, I felt betrayed and disappointed.

My respect for him went downhill from there, and I just couldn't look at him the same way anymore.

"I'll see you later, sweetie. Stay strong," Mia whispered with an apologetic smile before walking out of the room, leaving my dad and me alone.

"So, I'm guessing it's already time for you to walk me down the aisle?" I questioned, making sure to sound as sarcastic and unimpressed as I could.

He sighed. "I know you're upset with me, and I understand that I deserve your anger, Emerald. I apologize that the situation had to come to this because I know you've always wanted to marry somebody that you love, but I ended up ruining that for you," he responded, and I almost scoffed.

"Listen, dad, I'd rather not have you come in here and apologize to me when there's nothing you can do to fix the situation. If you were truly sorry and if you had any consideration for me at all, you wouldn't have set this up from the very beginning, and you would have found a way to resolve your problems without involving me. So don't try to apologize when you and I both know you're not as sorry as you're trying to seem," I replied to him snappily.

I used to think mom was the only materialistic parent that I had because she has always made it obvious that she was obsessed with material things and the idea of climbing the social ladder. As for dad, he always made it seem like he wasn't as concerned as mom was when it comes to being among the elite but after what happened, I've come to realize that both my parents had the same, but they just choose to express their interests differently.

Dad was obviously happy that he would become in-laws with the Huxley family, and I didn't appreciate that he was coming here and trying to pretend like he wasn't happy about the situation.

"You're getting it all wrong Emerald, I understand that you feel betrayed by me, but I certainly didn't mean for all of this to happen and there was nothing I could do to change the situation. If I could, I wouldn't let this wedding happen because I know it's not what you want for yourself, but there's nothing I can do to prevent this," he said, trying to make excuses and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Hmm, good for you dad, good for you. You do realize that we have a wedding to get to and right now isn't the time for you to try to explain yourself to me because I don't care to listen. You've already done your worst anyway," I responded nonchalantly.

He sighed. "I know this isn't the time for me to say this, but, is marrying Brian that bad? I mean, he's a perfectly stable man, good-looking and successful, so what more could you be looking for in a partner?" he asked suddenly, and if I wasn't upset earlier, I certainly was now.

"You are unbelievable, dad! Completely unbelievable! Do you think looks and money are what I'm after in a relationship? You think I care about such trivial things?" I questioned, feeling, even more, disappointed in my dad.

"That's not what I meant…," he was responding, but I cut him off.

"I've heard just enough nonsense from you dad. I don't need to hear more, so spare me. Can we just head in now, or do you prefer I walk in by myself?" I hissed, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Emerald —," he called out.

"It's time for me to get married, dad," I responded, not interested in listening to him say anything else, because I just knew the things he'd say would only make me feel worse.