Marrying the Man in the Dark

With a swift movement, Stella dived into the crowd, enthusiastically greeting the newly arrived grand uncle. She attempted to
strike up a pleasant conversation, mentioning how she had eagerly anticipated his arrival at the entrance for quite some time.
“Sorry about Stella, Mrs. Lenoir,” Ariana apologized with an awkward smile at Cherise. “She’s always like this...”
Cherise’s expression twisted with confusion and nostalgia as she observed Stella mingling in the crowd.
Discovering that this seemingly pretentious and superficial Stella was actually her former high school classmate was quite a
revelation. She couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Although they once shared the same classroom, they seemed to belong to entirely different worlds, with contrasting values and
perspectives after those years in school.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Ariana considered, tapping her fingers. Since you’re the same age as Sav and Stella, and you all went
to Shawbury High School, it’s totally possible you were classmates.”
She laughed, continuing, “I never imagined you’d have been in the same class as them and Steve, my new brother-in-law. I
invited you here for a good time, little did we know it would be a high school reunion. Funny how things turn out, right? Oh, by the
way, Sav has invited a lot of her ex-classmates here today. Maybe chatting with them will trigger some memories!”
Cherise nodded, “I hope so.”
Just then, Damien and Blake approached. Mr. Hampson and Otto went to park the car and arrange accommodations for the next
few days.
“Deep in conversation, I see. What’s the gossip?” Damien quizzed.
“Guess what! The bride and groom today are actually my old high school classmates!” Cherise beamed, linking arms with
Damien.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if the bride was my old BFF,” she teased.
Damien finally lifted his gaze, scanning the names of the groom and bride for the day. He chuckled, “You’re spot on. She was.”
Cherise’s eyes widened in surprise. “No way! Really?”

“Absolutely, Damien replied, a gentle smile gracing his lips. He mentioned he’d recently delved into her past, confirming
Savannah as her high school BE
“But he continued, his tone thoughtful, ‘during our investigation, we discovered that back in high school, Savannah didn’t seem to
have much interaction with her supposed fiancé.”
According to reports from Shawbury, Savannah, who was once close to Cherise in high school, was romantically involved with
another classmate. support her boyfriend’s studies with the money she earned.
As a result, she gradually lost touch with her high school friends, including Cherise.
“Follow me,” Ariana beckoned Cherise upstairs, leading her to a table where their former classmates were gathered in the
corner.
“Please, take a seat. Excuse me while I go greet my family,” Ariana excused herself before departing.
Cherise nodded appreciatively, sharing a meaningful glance with Ariana before she departed.
“Hey, Cherry! Over here!” a man near the staircase called out, recognizing Cherise as he approached and warmly welcoming
her.
Afterward, turning to the others at the table, he declared proudly, “See, I told you she’d come! Cherise was Savannah’s closest
friend in high school. I knew she wouldn’t miss this. You guys doubted me!”
Fetching two chairs, he gestured for Cherise and Damien to join them. “Since you’ve been living in the city since graduation, you
rarely come back, right? So when I received Savannah’s wedding invitation recently, I knew you’d make the trip back for it. And
here you are.”