Chapter 42 — Six Days Before Forever.
After the engagement, time never stopped. It was a day after, then a day became a week.
A week turned into a month.
A month turned into six.
Time never stopped—and neither did the wedding preparations.
Venues were booked, then rebooked.
Clothes were designed, fitted, adjusted, and redesigned.
Guest lists expanded.
Then expanded again.
News leaked online. Reporters requested invitations. Sponsors tried to attach their names to the ceremony.
It was chaos. But it was the good kind.
For six months, celebration lingered in the air of Migan City.
But beneath the celebration, Violet sometimes felt something else — like she was racing against a clock no one else could hear.
As for her and Andrea?
Well.
They were already living together. Very much living together.
And no, it was not easy. All thanks to Kingsley.
.
.
.
.
.
Two Months Ago
The reason they started living together?
It was a secret.
From everyone.
Except the two of them and maybe Clay, against his will.
Violet and Andrea had secretly registered their marriage.
Yes. Legally.
At the marriage bureau.
All thanks to Andrea—who absolutely could not wait anymore.
If you asked him why—especially when the wedding was only two months away—he would say:
"I never thought marriage could take this long. Honestly."
When he proposed, he had expected to be married within the week.
Instead?
One month passed.
Then two. Then three.
Then four.
All thanks to the mothers and their "it has to be perfect" energy.
So on one faithful Thursday— He snapped.
He found Violet in the De'ora garden that afternoon.
The sun was low. The wind gentle. She was sitting on a stone bench, reading something she wasn't actually paying attention to.
Andrea walked toward her with that calm, dangerous determination she knew too well.
She looked up.
"…Why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're about to do something ridiculous."
He stopped in front of her.
"I am."
Her heart skipped. He held out his hand.
"Marry me."
She blinked.
"I already said yes."
"No," he said softly. "Marry me today."
Silence.
The world seemed to pause.
"Legally," he added. "Right now. Just us. No guests except Clay. No chaos. No waiting."
Her breath caught. "You're serious."
"I've waited four months," he replied. "That's long enough."
Inside her head, Vira scoffed."Tch. He can't wait, Host".
Violet ignored her. Instead, she stared at him.
She was twenty-three in this life. Twenty-two in the last one.
Forty-five years of existence.
And never married.
Never allowed to love freely. Never allowed to want freely.
If not for Andrea… even kisses might have remained on her bucket list.
In her first life, she had survived. In this one, she wanted to live.
Her lips curved slowly. "…Okay."
Andrea didn't hesitate.
He pulled her up and kissed her like a man who had just won something he had no intention of ever losing.
Never.
.
.
.
.
.
That Very Afternoon. They registered their marriage.
No grand ceremony. No announcement.
Just signatures.
Just vows spoken quietly between them.
Clay was the only witness, as expected.
And he was strictly forbidden from speaking about it.
"Say a word," Andrea had warned calmly, "and I will transfer you to Antarctica."
Clay believed him.
.
.
.
.
.
That Night. Andrea took her home.
From the moment the door closed, he kissed her.
Against the wall. Along the hallway.
At the bedroom door.
By the time they reached the bed, Violet's thoughts were a mess.
Inside her head— Vira gasped dramatically.
"Host. Is this happening? Am I about to watch something rated R—LIVE?"
Violet's mind screamed:
"Do it. Do it. Do it."
Andrea laid her down. Hovered over her.
Their breathing uneven. The air thick.
And then—
He lay down beside her. Pulled her into his arms.
His thumb traced her jaw.
"Sleep," he murmured against her hair.
She froze.
"Our wedding is in two months. We're not breaking the rules."
Inside her head— Vira exploded.
"Sleep?! WHO told you to register the marriage then?! You are LEGALLY married! What rules?!"
"Host, don't be shy! Tell him you want it!"
Violet said nothing. Her face turned red.
She buried herself in his chest, too embarrassed to speak.
But what neither Violet nor the furious Vira noticed—
Was the smirk on Andrea's lips.
A slow, satisfied, wicked smirk.
He was not struggling.
Not at all.
They fell asleep like that.
Legally married. Technically innocent.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Next Day
Andrea packed her belongings from the De'ora's.
After graduation, Violet had moved back into the De'ora mansion. She's living with her parents.
Lily agreed. Kingsley absolutely did not.
He was fuming.
While movers carried boxes outside, Kingsley interrogated Andrea like a criminal.
"Your wedding is in two months!" he barked. "Can't you leave her here until then? Why must you steal her so fast?"
He grabbed one of the movers by the collar. The poor man nearly cried.
Andrea stepped forward calmly.
"Father-in-law, please relax. I'm not taking her away from you. You can still visit."
Kingsley froze.
"…Visit?"
He turned slowly.
"Lily. Did you hear this son of a—"
"I heard," Lily interrupted calmly.
"How can it be the same?!" Kingsley demanded.
"It won't be," Lily said softly.
And somehow that hurt more.
.
.
.
Meanwhile—
Violet stood far away in the corner.
Silent. Invisible.
Absolutely not getting involved.
Vira fully supported this decision.
Lily eventually dragged Kingsley into their bedroom to "talk."
They did not come out for the rest of the day.
When Kingsley finally emerged— He looked calmer.
Suspiciously calmer.
But when he noticed the house felt emptier— His expression collapsed.
He opened her old bedroom door and the silence hit him harder than any argument had.
He turned.
Walked back into the bedroom.
And cried.
Lily had to comfort him all over again.
And now— The wedding was just one week away.
And somehow…
Everything felt both too fast— And not fast enough.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If anyone thought the final week before the wedding would be peaceful— They were wrong.
Very wrong.
The Mist estate looked less like a home and more like a command center.
Staff moved in coordinated patterns. Florists argued softly about symmetry. Event planners whispered urgently into headsets. Fabric samples were everywhere.
And in the center of it all— Stood Lily De'ora and Elara Mist.
Calm. Too calm.
"We'll start the rehearsal again," Lily said gently.
"For the fourth time," Kingsley muttered under his breath.
Across the hall, Andrea stood at the altar setup, hands in his pockets, looking composed.
Violet stood a few steps away, holding her bouquet for rehearsal purposes, trying not to laugh.
"Walk slower," Elara instructed kindly.
"I am walking slow," Violet protested.
"You're walking like you're late for a board meeting," Lily corrected.
Andrea smirked.
"Take your time," he said softly, eyes never leaving her. "You're walking toward me. I'm not going anywhere."
That made her cheeks warm instantly.
From the second row, Kingsley cleared his throat loudly.
"She can walk slower," he said. "No rush."
"Father," Andrea replied evenly, "the wedding is in six days."
"And she's still my daughter."
Clay, standing discreetly near the aisle, leaned toward Lucas and whispered, "Should we time how long before he threatens to cancel the wedding?"
Lucas didn't even look up. "Three minutes."
"Two," Dannon muttered from behind them.
Meanwhile, the wedding coordinator clapped her hands.
"Positions again, please!"
The music started. Violet inhaled.
This time, she walked slower.
Measured. Graceful.
The soft notes of the rehearsal melody echoed through the hall.
Andrea watched her like the world had narrowed to one point.
Her.
For a moment— The chaos faded.
The arguments. The schedules. The pressure.
It became simple.
Just a man waiting. Just a woman walking toward him.
When she reached him, he leaned slightly closer and murmured:
"Still time to run."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
He smiled faintly. "So I can chase you."
Her lips twitched. "Behave."
Behind them—
Kingsley glared. "I heard that."
Lily patted his arm. "You hear everything except when I ask you to relax."
He ignored her.
The rehearsal continued. Rings were practiced.
Vows were tested for tone.
Victoria adjusted flower placements like she was negotiating a merger.
April insisted the lighting needed to be more "cinematic."
Emery volunteered to "demonstrate emotional crying angles."
No one allowed him.
By the end of the evening, everyone was exhausted.
But when Violet stood in the center of the half-finished venue, looking at the lights being tested overhead—
Something settled in her chest.
This was real.
Six days.
What if something changes before then?
She glanced at Andrea.
He was already looking at her. He didn't look nervous.
He didn't look uncertain.
He looked sure.
Unshakably sure.
And that— Made her heart race more than the idea of the wedding itself.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, while wedding chaos, secret marriages, and Kingsley's emotional breakdowns occupied Migan City— A different kind of storm arrived.
The automatic doors of Migan City International Airport slid open with a soft mechanical sigh.
She stepped out like she owned the ground she walked on.
Skinny jeans. Black crop top.
Oversized jacket hanging effortlessly off one shoulder.
White canvas shoes touching the polished floor with lazy confidence.
Her hair was tied high in a sleek ponytail.
Makeup flawless. Sharp. Intentional.
A pair of dark sunglasses rested on the bridge of her nose despite the indoor lighting.
People glanced at her. Then glanced again.
Not because she was loud— But because she carried the kind of presence that suggested she didn't need to be.
Her phone was pressed to her ear.
She didn't smile. Didn't slow down.
Didn't hesitate.
Outside, planes roared in the distance as luggage wheels clicked rhythmically against the floor.
Then— Her lips curved slightly.
"CHRISTOPHER" she said smoothly, voice low but certain.
A pause. Then—
"I'M BACK."
The words weren't loud. But they carried.
Like a warning. Like a promise.
And somewhere in Migan City—Something shifted.