Chapter 153 - Till Death Do Us Part...

"Till death do us part."

It sounds like a perfect and most beautiful promise one could ever make to a soulmate. However, don't they say that soulmates have that kind of love which can live past three lives? Then why do we expect love to end with death? And why do we have to start a new life of marriage with the promise of death?

"Till death do us part..." is only beautiful to hear. The reality is morbid.

Why can't we change that promise to, "and they lived happily ever after." Forever is vague but it represents endless possibilities as well. Endless beautiful possibilities.

Marriage is not a ring worn on the finger or a sign on a piece of paper. Marriage is a promise in itself. A very intimate promise between two individuals who decide to share the rest of their lives together. Marriage is a responsibility. Its something to be endured and yet savored. 

"I know I'm not the best. But I promise to give us... the best I can. I choose you not just because I love you but because I respect you. You make me braver and kinder every single day and even though we walked through some harsh patches, you still stuck with me. You endured all my fits of tantrums but you didn't let me go. And I am truly thankful for that. You loved me on days when even I hated myself. I promise to do the same for you. The hurdles in love increased day by day but they didn't waver me. If anything, I should thank all the people who went against our relationship. Because they made me realize just how much I needed this... Us... You and me, forever and ever. Since you choose me, I'll cherish this for life. For a hundred lifetime. I love you!"

Standing with their hands in each other, two pairs of black eyes held so many emotions of disbelief and happiness. They both had tears swimming in their eyes as the bride said her vows. But there was an evident smile playing on their lips as well. 

A round of applause broke their staring and between the laughter and smiles of their friends, the groom leaned to kiss the bride. Petals of baby pink roses fell softly from the ceiling. 

However...

That moment was short-lived...

A deafening sound of thunder filled the room as a trigger was pulled not from afar once... twice... the first bullet broke the vase of flowers placed on the stage while the second bullet pierced straight through the bride's chest. 

The cracking sound had stunned the audience to their places as they looked at a woman holding a gun which still had wisps of smoke coming out of the nuzzle. A trembling hand lifted up to touch her now blood soken gown and her knees buckled. With a 'thud' when her knees hit the floor, it felt like someone had pressed the play button. 

Waves of laughter from a moment ago were swapped with chaos and screams.

The perpetrator stood with an unrepentant look on her face as she whispered, "If I don't deserve his love then he doesn't deserve you either. Haha!!" The hysterical laughter of madness sounded creepy.

A pair of honey-brown orbs were marveling over how fascinatingly the scene was played before her on the silver screen. Tears were trickling down incessantly from those big eyes as they stared at the screen without even blinking for a second as if she was scared to miss something. 

Back on the screen, the scene played on...

The groom kneeled down crying, calling out, "Min, wake up! Keep your eyes open! Someone call the ambulance!"

"Kai..." Min tried to speak in her frail voice which broke. She coughed a bit before continuing, "Thanks for making my dream come true. Let's have a grand wedding in the next life." She tried to smile but the tears from her eyes betrayed her feelings and emotions.

"I promise. I won't let anything happen to you," Kai scooped her up in his arms as he ran towards the door but Min smiled sadly before closing her eyes in his arms forever. She wanted to spend the rest of her life in those arms, her wish came true since the rest of her life ended in his arms...

Storytelling has been a part of human life since the very beginning of time. We all have our moments of storytelling. It's a form of art that has various ways to become a part of our lives. Either as a movie, a drama or just as a book, stories have always revolved around us. Stories are around us everywhere.

Stories have a way of playing with our emotions. We laugh with characters, we cry with them, we even felt moments of sweet love with them. And just when those characters come alive on a screen, all those emotions are heightened. Somehow those characters manage to create a magical connection with us; we feel their pain, happiness, anguish, and love.

We get so emotionally attached to those characters that some of us often confuse those stories with reality. In the dark cinema room, after the night had waned, there was someone like that who was emotionally too invested in the character's pain that had been beautifully portrayed on the silver screen.

That pair of honey-brown eyes were bloodshot and swollen from all the crying but that teenager still had the will to throw popcorn at the screen while shouting, "Why are you killing Min? I mean, my Sister Xiu doesn't deserve it? Bring her back! Bring her back, director! I'm so gonna find this writer to murder him! How can you even think about killing such a beautiful person?"

After the girl was done with the shouting, she sat back and started wailing as if she had really lost someone in real. One could tell from the way she acted how well invested she was through that movie.

"Student! Stop crying already... It was just a movie and actors playing fictional characters. Sigh. Unfortunately, Chen Xiu is still very much alive."