Imela Barau's POVBreathe in.Breathe out.Blink.Repeat.All the coping lessons I gave myself for thirty minutes while we drove over here had suddenly become useless, as none of them were helping me face the beat of the drum. My heart hammered against my chest, and sweat trickled down my face as I bit down on my lower lip, waiting for the reaction of the speechless family at the dinner table to the news."You asked her to marry you?" Ivory Plane, Oliver's mother, exclaimed as her green eyes darted between us in horror as if those words were the worst thing she had ever heard. Her complete disapproval bore itself in her poised, high-pitched voice.Oliver Plane dropped the bomb a minute ago. It was the news of our engagement at the dinner table, and a minute of silence passed with the gazes of the other four Planes at the table darting between us."I am very sure that is what I just said a minute ago, Mom." Oliver, who hadn't picked up all the cues his mother had laid since he stepped i

Oliver stepped into the hallway of the hospital ward and approached the nurse at the counter to ask where Elena's ward was, trying to find it with his eyes. My heart skipped at seeing him, and my palms grew sweaty. I couldn't help the smile that curled its way into my face, and it took a few seconds for him to find me. When he did, his smile was wide and blinding. Oh, this man with his goofy smile was as beautiful as they came. He had an untucked grey shirt with its sleeves rolled up on a pair of plain black trousers. His short, silky blond hair looked ruffled, and though this wasn't his best look, he still killed it. He stopped speaking to the nurse and hurried over to me. His eyes filled with adoration as he stared at me as if he hadn't seen anything better. This wasn't my best look. I wore a red sundress that stopped on my knee and a pair of black slip-ons. My coarse hair was in a messy ponytail, and my glasses kept falling off my nose today. I was tired. "Hey, beautiful," he

This morning, I was Imela August Barau, and now I am Imela August Plane.Imela August Plane.The name echoed in my head as we returned from the chapel in a ride Oliver had booked.My world has changed in only a day, and yet it wasn't a dream; it was all reality, a reality I was a part of. A reality I had a hand in making. It was a perfect reality—one I wouldn't change for anything else.I loved him, and he loved me, and together, we will face the world that stands in our way.He was brave and strong, and I will learn about courage and what it means to stand tall against a world that challenges our existence.I felt a pair of warm fingers entwining in mine, and I turned from the window where I had lost myself, carelessly staring out over to him."Hey, wife."Wife. That term belongs to me now.I was indeed his wife, and he was my husband, my lawfully wed husband. "Hey, husband," I played along."Where are we going?" I asked before adding, "Or you have not thought that far ahead yet?"H

Oliver turned on the shower, and the water poured out. He reached for the bar soap handing on the wall, and he lathered it over my chest and shoulders, down to my hands. His hands ran over my breasts, and he gently caressed them, making me arch against him.He took the cue and applied more pressure, massaging them and tugging at the nipple, which hardened into a tight bud once more. I moaned, but the sounds were ruffled out by the water rushing down from the shower. He carried on with his assignment, washing the rest of my body, between my legs, then moving on to my feet.I took the soap from him to return the favour. I moved around him to first wash his back, and I ran my fingers over the lines of his shoulder. Down to his broad back, I moved, then lower to his firm ass. I didn't mean for my hands to linger there; they felt right to touch and grab. He was my husband, and grabbing his ass whenever I wanted was now my legal right."There is nothing special at the back, Ela," he groaned

Oliver told Nina we got married, and I could hear her squealing over the phone in excitement. She told us she was happy and couldn't wait to see their parents' faces when they learnt about it. When Oliver told her we would return today, she wished us a safe flight and instructed him to keep me safe before ending the call. He also called, Vivian Aina, his best friend who was studying in the UK and broke the news to him. Vivian, although surprised by the drastic move, video called us to wish us a happy union and journey ahead.On our way back, Oliver revealed that he had gotten an apartment a few weeks ago when the thought of marrying me came to him. He had made a down payment on an apartment near Harvard and finished it on our first day in Vegas. He didn't want me returning to my old place, so he made this purchase the day after we left here. He had begun working on designs and redecoration while we were still on our three-day honeymoon.He also moved his things in but didn't do anythi