The wedding ceremony continues with an early dinner party. With only twelve guests in total, we book a small ballroom in a seven-star hotel. The food is incredible, the band plays beautifully, and the guests are enjoying themselves.
A smile never leaves Jennifer's face as she eats and chats with her friends, but I notice the subtle tension in her posture—the way her fingers tighten around her fork, how her laughter fades a little too quickly. I know her better than anyone. The incident in the church—though it lasted less than a second in normal time—still lingers in her mind.
"Don't think about it," I whisper, rubbing slow circles on her back.
Jennifer turns to me and presses a quick kiss against my lips. "I'm okay," she murmurs against my ear.
But the moment the ballroom doors swing open, she instinctively clenches my lower arm—hard. A silent reflex. I immediately soothe her, gently patting her hand. Even before I turn to look, I already know who it is. Master Long.
I excuse myself from the table, catching Jennifer's worried gaze before I walk toward him to meet him halfway.
"How was it, Master?" I ask in a low tone. After the ceremony, he had stayed behind in the church, retracing the lingering energy left by Lily and Bruno. The theory is that everything leaves an imprint in the time-space it touches. With the right ability, one can follow these traces backward—like footprints in the sand of time.
"I traced the woman's energy from outside the church, through the doors, up to the moment she attacked," Master Long says quietly. "But I found no trace of the man's energy before he appeared—nor after they vanished." He pauses, his voice lowering even further. "I think he can teleport."
I stop mid-step, turning to him. "Teleport?"
Master Long nods.
"Is that even possible?"
He smiles faintly. "Impossible in an ordinary person's life. Just as impossible as your speed—or my ability to trace time."
I give a small nod. It must be Bruno's ability after his brain cells were activated—just like Lily, whom I suspect can poison someone with a mere touch of her left hand. That's why she wore a glove before—hiding a death sentence beneath her fingertips.
-
Around 10:30 PM, I carry Jennifer into our apartment for the first time as my wife. With her still in my arms, I nudge the door shut with my foot and take her straight to our bedroom. She doesn't look away from me the entire time, her gaze soft and unwavering.
"Thank you so much for today," she whispers before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips as I finally set her down on the bed.
"Likewise, Wifey." I kiss the tip of her nose before heading to the bathroom to prepare the tub. When I return, Jennifer is already slipping out of her gown.
"Are you happy?" I ask, stepping in to help her.
"Most of the time," she replies with a small smile, stepping gracefully out of the gown pooling at her feet.
I take her hand, pulling her into my embrace. "I'm sorry about the interruption. I'm sorry you had to see that," I whisper into her hair, regret heavy in my voice.
Still nestled against me, she shakes her head. "Don't be," she murmurs before tilting her head up to meet my eyes. "You know what? What worried me wasn't when she tried to hurt me. I wasn't afraid because I knew—without a doubt—you would protect me."
"Then what bothered you, Baby?"
"When she tried to hurt you." Her voice wavers, and I feel her shiver slightly. I tighten my hold on her.
"Don't worry, Baby… she won't hurt me. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't. But honestly… I worry she might try to hurt you in the future."
Jennifer pulls back just enough to look at me with fierce determination. "You don't know how crazy a woman can be when it comes to defending her love. And I have two loves I need to protect."
God, how could I not love her?
Just as I lean in to kiss her, Jennifer suddenly shouts, "Ouch! Ouch!"
"What—what is it, Babe?!" My body tenses in panic as I quickly guide her back to the bed.
But instead of pain on her face, I see something entirely different. Her eyes are wide, her lips parting in a mixture of surprise and joy.
"Babe?" I ask, still confused.
"She… she's moving," Jennifer stammers, then looks up at me, her expression glowing with excitement. "The baby… she's moving!"
"What?!"
Infected by her excitement, I immediately reach for her belly. Then, suddenly, I see it—a tiny bulge, like something, or someone, has just punched from inside. I gasp.
"You see it?! You see it?!"
I can only nod, my attention locked on her belly.
"Hi, Baby Girl… are you awake, Sweetie? It's Daddy," I whisper against Jennifer's belly, rubbing the spot where the bulge appeared. As if responding, it moves again—this time in a different place.
Jennifer giggles, a soft sob escaping at the same time. "Hi, Baby… Mommy's here too," she says, rubbing her belly gently.
My heart feels like it's about to burst. Overwhelmed with happiness, I kiss Jennifer long and deep, pouring all my emotions into it. When we finally part, laughter fills the air between us.
"She's real," I whisper dumbly, still in awe.
Jennifer laughs at my words, but I don't mind. My mind is already spinning with visions of our little girl—of the future we'll have with her.
"We should name her, Babe," I say once I finally shake off my daze.
Jennifer nods. "Actually, I had a name in mind before… Loraine. But somehow, it reminds me too much of that woman we met at the clinic," she says, referring to Laurel—the one-night stand I had faked my way through.
"How about Sophie? After your mom," I suggest.
Jennifer looks at me, her eyes shimmering with emotion. "I love that," she whispers, her voice thick with tears.
Almost at the same time, we both turn to her belly.
"Sophie… do you like that name, Baby?" Jennifer asks softly.
For the fourth time, the tiny bulge appears—as if giving her approval. We burst into laughter, pure happiness radiating between us.
Our daughter has a name now. Sophie Bennet.
T
@@@@@AUTHOR'S NOTE@@@@@
I skip the SNU scene. I think too much SNU scene is not good for your health, no ? ;)