"You may now kiss the bride."
I want to question the unhappiness and hesitation in his eyes. I want to be mad, to shout at him that we do not have the right to feel anymore. We waived that freedom when we both signed the contract that will bind us for a long time. We are now caged.
"Let's just get this over and done with," mahina niyang sabi pagkatapos niyang i-angat ang wedding veil na suot ko.
Hinawakan niya ang magkabila kong pisngi bago itinagilid ang ulo ko. Bumagsak ang labi niya sa kaliwang pisngi ko pero sa anggulo ng mga nanunuod, iisipin nilang sa labi niya ako hinalikan.
He faked our kiss and I faked a smile. The crowd cheered but it did not make me feel better—if anything, it only suffocated me more.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
Muli
