Chapter 453: Their vows

The church resounded with loud claps as everyone cheered and clapped in excitement.

The officiant nodded. Then he spoke, “Two people in love do not live in isolation. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple. By our steadfast care, respect, and love, we can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today. Will everyone please rise?”

Everybody rose from their seats.

“Will you who are present here today, surround Liu Jinhai and Liang Nana in love, offering them the joys of your friendship and familial love and support them in their marriage?”

Everybody loudly said, “We will!”

Jing giggled. “I had always supported my beautiful sister-in-law.”

Grandma Liu cleared her throat. “Of course, my blessings are always with them.”

Liu Hai said, “Well, it was all thanks to me because I had chosen Nana for Jing. It didn’t turn out that way, but Nana is still is my daughter-in-law. Hahaha!”

Chen Liling stomped her foot. “Big brother! Don’t forget that I chose Nana first for Jianyu. It didn’t turn out that way either, but the credit goes to me.”

Chen Guiren silently nodded, agreeing with his wife as always.

Jianyu rolled his eyes. “Forget it, Mom.”

Serena smiled. “Hehe~~ Jinhai and Nana will always have our backs.”

Yukito and Yukira proudly grinned. “Well, we were always Nee-chan’s adorable devil twins. Brother-in-law and Nee-chan will always have our support too.”

Jinhai and Nana burst into laughter, but at the same time, they were overwhelmed with everyone’s love.

The officiant nodded.

“Thank you all. You may be seated now.”

Then he looked at Nana and Jinhai again. “We’ve come to the point of your ceremony where you’re going to say your vows to one another. But before you do that, I ask you to remember that love—which is rooted in faith, trust, and acceptance—will be the foundation of an abiding and deepening relationship. No other ties are more tender, no other vows more sacred than those you now assume. Please now read the vows you have written for each other. Liu Jinhai. You may begin.”

Jinhai smiled and tightly held Nana’s hand into his. Nana’s heart raced faster, and she gazed into his black orbs that shone with nothing but love for her.

He admired his beautiful wife for a moment before he spoke,

“I, Liu Jinhai, take you, Liang Nana, as my rightfully wedded wife in the presence of all our families and friends.”

Nana gently squeezed his hands in response.

“You know, everybody was telling me to write my vows for you. But I didn’t do that for two reasons. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because firstly, you didn’t know about our wedding. It was a surprise. So, it would be unfair to you that I got the time to write my vows, but you didn’t. And I can be unfair to anyone in this world but not my wife. Never.”

Nana chuckled helplessly. Truthfully, she wouldn’t have minded it. It didn’t even cross her mind, but this simple gesture of his expressed just how much he cared about her.

If she had to say her vows on the spot, then so would he.

“And secondly, I don’t need to write my vows down or to remember them. My vows live inside me through my heart that beats every second, and in every breath I take. They are a part of me. They are what I feel for you every moment.”

It was getting hard for Nana to control her overflowing emotions. This was one of those many moments when she felt how Jinhai could love her so much?

She was just an ordinary girl, running her restaurant as a chef and living with her twin brothers. She was just a simple girl who worked hard everyday to earn money and get by.

A man like Liu Jinhai, who could have had any woman in this world at the snap of his finger, just why did he choose her and love her to this extent?

No. There was never an extent to his love. And at times like these, she thought how lucky she was to have Jinhai as her husband.

“Nana…I love you. I love you so much that…just tell me to bring a star, and I will send a rocket to space right away.”

Everybody burst into laughter.

Nana’s eyes watered as she felt the seriousness in his gaze.

Idiot…

Jinhai squeezed her hand and gently pulled her towards her. “My love for you has no bounds, Nana. I promise you that it will always be like that. In this life and all our next lives, I will only be yours. I promise to be the reason for your smile. I promise to wipe away all your sadness and pain. My love for you will never fade away, be it now or years later when we get all wrinkly and old with grey hair.”

Nana’s eyelashes trembled, and tears finally escaped her from her eyes as she couldn’t hold them back any longer.

“In sickness and in health, in happiness and in pain and in youth and in old age, I will always be with you as your strongest pillar of support. You are the light of my life. I promise to cherish, protect, and love you with all my heart so that you always shine brilliantly just like this forever, and that light in your lovely brown eyes never dims even for a second. Even in my last breath, the last and the only name my lips will whisper will be yours, Nana. Only Nana.”

Nana softly gasped as Jinhai finished with his vow. Words weren’t enough to describe what she felt at the moment. She wanted to jump in his arms and tightly hug him with all her strength. She wanted to cry in his embrace as his heartfelt words sunk into her. For a moment, she thought that her heart wasn’t enough to contain his undying love.

Her entire being brimmed in joy and happiness that she never felt before. His words hit her so hard that she felt her knees go weak. At this moment, she wanted nothing but the solace of her husband. She wanted nothing but for him to tightly hug her back, too, and kiss her lips.

She silently mouthed to him.

“Thank you…”

Jinhai whispered. “Anything for you.”

The officiant said, “Liang Nana. Please go ahead.”

She wiped her tears and gazed at him. Her lips curved into the brightest smile ever.

“I, Liang Nana, take you, Liu Jinhai as my rightfully wedded husband in the presence of all our families and friends.”

Her fingers in his palms trembled, but Jinhai held onto them, giving his utmost reassurance. He knew that it was an overwhelming moment, not just for her but for him as well.

Only God knew how nervous he was when he was saying his vows. He was always wondering if it felt inadequate to her or that maybe Nana wasn’t satisfied.

Nana wanted to speak, but she was so overwhelmed that the words stuck in her throat. She was too emotional to gather her thoughts, and when she tried to speak, her lips would tremble, and she faltered.

Because she was just as nervous as Jinhai was.

“I am here, Nana.” Jinhai warmly smiled. “I am not going anywhere. You can take as much time as you want. All my time belongs to my lovely wife, anyway.”

Nana softly chuckled amidst her falling tears.

She took a few moments, and then she said,

“You know…I still don’t know why you love me so much. But, I know one thing, and that is that I will always protect and cherish your feelings until the very end. I promise that you will have me beside you at all times. Whether the days may be sunny and bright or they may be dark and gloomy, you will always find my hand tightly intertwining yours.”

Jinhai’s heart fluttered, and he had an urge to hug her at this very moment. Excitement and love surged in every cell of his body.

“I will share all your joy, and so do the troubles if and whenever they come along our way. I will always stand beside you like an immovable mountain and face all the challenges and problems with you. I promise never to leave you alone. I promise never to lie and hurt you. I promise to fulfill all my duties as a wife and uphold our marriage to the best of my abilities. My heart belongs to you. All of it. And it will always unconditionally love only you. In this life and all the next lives as well.”

Jinhai’s gaze shone with tears as his heart shook by her vows. He didn’t want to cry, but he just couldn’t help it. The woman he secretly loved for two years but couldn’t reach out to her, couldn’t hold her, and couldn’t kiss her, was now in front of him, adorned in her wedding gown just for him. Just for this moment, he had waited for so long…and now it was here.

The officiant said, “With the sacred vows and promises assumed by both bride and groom, it is now time to exchange rings as a reminder of them. May I have the rings, please?”