Chapter 3 3

"Sister Hanni... sister Hanni..." I woke up from a nap feeling Hazel shaking me.

I placed the picture frame I was holding back on the side table, realizing I must have fallen asleep holding it. Hazel followed my gaze, and our eyes met. She held my hands.

"You're not at fault, sis," she said, gently stroking my hands.

You're wrong, Hazel. It's all my fault, I thought to myself before a tear fell, which she quickly wiped away.

"It's not your fault that you got pregnant. I know it was an accident with Erren. But even so, it's still a blessing. So don't feel guilty just because Erren was Hannah's fiancé," she said with a smile.

I just nodded. If only you knew the truth, Hazel, you'd probably hate me.

"Get ready because Aunt Eloisa and the others are downstairs," she said before leaving. That left me feeling like a statue. Aunt Eloisa and the others are here, aren't they? I sighed and started getting dressed.

As I was heading downstairs, I could already hear their conversation in the living room.

"We're here because we want Erren and Hannah to get married as soon as possible," I heard Uncle Errol say.

"Errol, Eloisa, Hannah just passed away. Can't we wait at least a year?" my dad responded.

I took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears at his words.

"We understand your pain, Alejandro. We're still mourning Hannah's loss," my mom added, and my heart shattered at her words.

I didn't expect that.

"I hope you can also understand us, Serina. Hannah is pregnant, so we want to expedite their wedding," Aunt Eloisa chimed in.

I wiped my tears and went down to see them talking, my dad, mom, Aunt Eloisa, Uncle Errol, and Erren, who seemed indifferent to the conversation.

Hazel's eyes immediately fixed on me as she approached with snacks for the guests.

"Sister Hanni," she said, diverting everyone's attention to me, except Erren, who continued fiddling with his phone.

"Hanni, dear, come, sit with us," Aunt Eloisa smiled at me, and I forced a smile back.

"Like I said, Alejandro and Serina, Erren and Hannah need to marry as soon as possible while her pregnancy isn't too obvious," Aunt Eloisa continued.

"But Eloisa-"

"I understand, Serina. I know it's still painful for you both after losing Hannah, but we need them to marry quickly," Uncle Errol added, which left my parents sighing heavily.

"Fine, but when?" my dad asked, his voice devoid of life, and I couldn't help but bow my head. It hurts so much.

"Maybe next month-" Aunt Eloisa was about to continue when Erren interrupted.

"This Friday," Erren interjected, and I looked up in surprise.

"Erren, you still need a month to prepare for the wedding. It can't be this Friday," Aunt Eloisa protested.

I quickly checked the date on my phone, February 28, 2016, 7:36 PM.

"We don't need preparation. We can just get married at the courthouse. We don't need an extravagant wedding," Erren firmly stated, leaving my dad to voice his disagreement.

"It doesn't seem right. Even though the pregnancy was accidental, you should give her a proper wedding," my dad said seriously, and I couldn't help but look at him. It felt like his words touched my heart.

Uncle Errol echoed my dad's sentiments. "Erren is right, Serina, but it can't be a courthouse wedding."

My parents sighed heavily, and I felt a pang of pain in my chest.

"Fine. When?" my dad asked without much enthusiasm.

Erren finally looked at me, and I teared up, feeling his gaze on me.

"Okay, fine. But no more preparation. We'll use everything Hannah had planned for her wedding, from invitations to everything. So, this Friday, it is," Erren said with a smile, dragging me away towards the pool area.

When we reached there, he abruptly grabbed my chin, and with a dark expression, he said, "I don't want to see you wearing short shorts again."

I was surprised by his words, not expecting this. Is he being possessive? Does he not want others to see me in shorts?

My cheeks turned red as I thought he was upset because he didn't want others to see me in shorts.

I smiled at him and stammered, "O-okay..."

"He said with irritation, which wiped the smile off my face, 'You're already pregnant, and you still insist on wearing those kinds of clothes! Fix yourself, Hanni! You're showing off too much and it's coming across as flirtatious.'"

"I-I'm sorry," I murmured, trying to hold back tears.

"Tomorrow, we'll pick up the dresses Hannah had made for our wedding," he said seriously.

I swallowed hard, struggling not to cry. "B-but, Erren, can we change the design of the dress? I don't really like the one Hannah wanted."

He burst into laughter, as if he couldn't believe what I just said. I was shocked when he tightly held my chin and turned it to face him.

"Cut the drama, Hanni. Be grateful you have nothing to worry about for your wedding, as your sister's already taken care of it."

I raised my eyes to look at him, "I-I'm sorry."

"No more 'buts.' You want to change your sister's plans anyway. I'll allow it because you two look so alike. Just think of it as me marrying her on our wedding day," he said angrily before letting go of me and walking away.

When he was about to leave, I spoke up, "Someday, Erren, you'll learn to love me."

"Dream on," he said dismissively before leaving, leaving me in tears. My wedding day is supposed to be perfect because it's my dream. Why do I have to cry now?

This is what you wanted, Hanni. This is your dream, so why are you crying now? Stop crying...