My Darling, My Dearest
Chapter 464 Rachel Received Bride's Flowers

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!

Then, upon realizing something, she turned around and told Rachel, "But you were the one to catch this. Now, you've given it to me. Would it still work?"

When Jack saw that Rachel had given the bouquet away, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, hearing this question, he suddenly felt short of breath.

He glanced nervously at her, afraid of what she might say. After some thought, he decided that he would speak for her instead.

He had just opened his mouth when Rachel spoke, caressing her belly. "I'm pregnant. This bouquet is useless to me."

"Yes." The lady's face lit up. Relief and joy quickly replaced the worry that she had initially felt.

At the same time, Jack, who had been so nervous that he had held his breath, finally let out a deep sigh.

He adjusted the tie around his neck and said, "Yes, she is pregnant. Catching the bouquet wouldn't be useful to her anymore." He then smiled proudly.

Rachel turned around and studied the expression on Jack's face. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He was the CEO of a company, always rational and calm, but in front of her, he always had a childlike personality.

The bouquet toss often marked the end of a wedding ceremony.

The buffet was up next.

At this moment, a well-dressed woman was sitting on a chair behind Rachel and Jack. She stared straight at the group of people making a fussing over the bouquet. A man sat right beside her. He glanced at her expression and asked, "Why didn't you go up there to grab the bouquet, Kailey?"

"Forget it. I'm not a friend of the bride. Even if I went there, I wouldn't have been able to grab it." Kailey faked a smile and pursed her lips. She then reached out and hooked her arm against the man's. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she said in a soft voice, "In fact, I feel very happy that you can take me to your friend's wedding. That's all I can think about."

The man didn't say anything. He simply reached out and gently stroked her cheek.

The sun shone through the leaves, making beautiful shadows on people's faces. The man, who had been the same man whom Kailey approached at the bar, was Benny Chen, one of Jack's employees. He gently patted Kailey's hand and said, somewhat uncertainly, "I think I see my boss. I'm going to go over and say hello."

"Ow!" Kailey, who had been fairly silent, now frowned and cried out in pain. She applied pressure on her temples and said, "Benny, my head hurts all of a sudden. Can you send me home, please?" She stole a glance at him, and seeing the hesitation on his face, she howled, "It really hurts! I feel like my head is about to crack!"

Letting Benny Chen go and talk to Jack would expose her and make the next phases of her plan impossible.

She had to do everything in her power to prevent Jack from knowing that she knew Benny Chen.

Benny Chen was worried now. "How about I bring you to the hospital instead?"

"No, thanks. I just want to go home and get some rest."

Gradually, the room grew quieter and quieter. The voices faded away, and the wedding ceremony ended. It was now time for the buffet.

Now that she was pregnant, there was so much that Rachel was not allowed to eat. It did not matter that much, as she did not feel like eating most of the time. In fact, she did not feel like eating now. She got herself a small slice of cake and found a place to sit in.

Several women approached her, hand in hand. Rachel thought that they looked familiar, but she couldn't recall who they were.

A girl in a floral dress stood in the middle. She pointed at herself and smiled. "Hi! We used to go to school together, and I used to sit in the front row. I was short then. My name is Sophie Chen. Do you remember me?"

Even if the woman had told Rachel her name, the latter couldn't quite recall who she was. Still, she nodded and smiled. "I remember. It's been a long time since we've last seen each other."

The other two women also told her their names. Then, all three pulled out chairs next to Rachel, sat down, and went on and on about everything that had happened in junior high school. Even when she had been attending school, Rachel had not paid much attention to the people around her. She had no idea who they were.

Nevertheless, they were old classmates, and they had had the initiative to approach her. It would have been rude to tell them outright that she did not recognize them. She was afraid that if she said that, she would be subjected to endless eye-rolling. Even though Rachel was not that good at socializing, she was smarter than that.

She picked up her fork and ate her cake while she listened to the women recall stories of the past. When they addressed her, she smiled lightly at them as a response.

Author's note

Goose BBSS

Translator: Scarlett5555