Tabitha's POV
My head was spinning, and my heart was racing like crazy.
It felt like this moment was something I'd been waiting for forever.
I stood silently, watching Derek as he radiated a dazzling light under all the attention.
His gaze towards me seemed to hide a dazzling galaxy.
"In the past, I loved my wife so deeply that I hid her away, obscuring her brilliance. Now, I want to return all that radiance to her."
Derek said he had tried his best to hide me to keep me safe, but in the end, he was the one who left me with countless scars.
He now sought a different way to make amends and show his love for me.
If this was what I wanted, he would do everything to satisfy me.
He no longer hid me away. Instead, he would proudly declare that I was his wife.
The microphone transmitted Derek's voice to every corner, and the sound of my heartbeat was almost deafening.
In my panic, Derek gently held my hand and said, "Today, we've been invited as a couple to present awards to the icons. It's truly an honor."
It was clear that we were here not just to present awards but to publicly display our affection.
I could sense a unique energy filling the space around us.
I felt both surprised and touched, marveling at how extraordinary this moment was.
On stage, I listened to the waves of cheers and screams rising from below, feeling a mix of nervousness and wonder.
I didn't know why Derek would openly express his love in such a situation, but I felt a satisfaction that I had never experienced before.
Was this what I had been waiting for, as Derek suggested?
At that moment, all other sounds faded away, and the words "she is my wife" echoed in my ears for a long time.
Kelsey's POV
His high-profile nature caused all the flashlights to focus on them, completely overshadowing the main characters for a moment.
I was also invited as one of the guests today, and I had a hard time finding out that Derek would be here. I put in so much effort to create opportunities to meet him, but I never expected it to unfold like this.
Tabitha, in a pale golden evening gown that accentuated her figure, stood next to Derek.
Her dress perfectly matched the color of his tie, making them look like an elegant, perfectly paired couple.
I tightly pinched my dress, creating large wrinkles on it, and in my heart, wishing I could swap places with Tabitha.
The event I had meticulously arranged had turned into Derek's opportunity to publicly announce his relationship with her. How could I come to terms with this?
"Kelsey, are you okay? I told you that my cousin was completely infatuated with that woman. That woman couldn't even keep her child. I can't understand how she's so shameless as to be with my cousin."
Though I was seething inside, I kept my composure. "Ms. Hartley and Derek seem like a well-matched pair," I replied calmly.
"Well-matched? She's just a failure who lost all her family. She isn't even worthy of my cousin's finger! When she and my cousin were making vows of eternal love, it was you who stood by his mother's side, she's just nobody."
"What she is doesn't matter. What matters is what she is in Derek's heart. Derek must be doing this to make me give up. He is paving the way for Tabitha."
"Oh, my friend, here in our place, only marriages approved by the family are stable and lasting. Someone like her was just an unrecognized mistress in the past."
I didn't say much, but there was a little hope in my heart.
Tabitha had only her pretty face, much like a luxury item. Derek might find her attractive now, but soon he might grow tired of her and replace her with someone else.
As soon as I thought of this, I cheered up a little.
My heart was filled with jealousy and discontent, and I knew I had to find a way to win Derek back.
Wait and see, Tabitha.