She was here. She actually came.

He was letting Nino do some last touch ups for his bow tie when he spotted her father first. Her father was a large man, so it was quite easy to see him among the crowd, with his petite wife beside him. And then, she was there. His heart lurched in his chest when he saw her. Her head was bowed slightly as she talked to her mother, a soft look on her face as she replied something that was only meant for them.

She was absolutely stunning, making butterflies flutter inside him everytime he saw her. It was an immediate reaction, he couldn't stop himself if he wanted to. And then she looked up, where she met his stare with a surprised look on her face, as if she couldn't believe that he was staring at her without shame when he was right in front of so many people. He almost laughed at the thought.

My Lady, you should known me by now.

He realised with a start that he couldn't call her that anymore, never again in their lives.

She looked away from him first, and he noticed the pained look on her face she tried to hide, and his heart reached out to her once more.

"Hey." It took him a while to tear his gaze away from her. Some sort of understanding flashed across Nino's face when he followed his line of sight, before giving Adrien a pitiful smile and a pat on the shoulder. "It's time."

They stood at their places, holding their breaths. And then, it started. He couldn't pay attention to the flower girl when she first came in. His eyes flickered to Marinette once in a while, where she was pointedly avoiding his gaze as she watched the flower girl threw petals to the floor. He was becoming fidgety again, his skin crawling with some sort of need to just go to her and take them away from here.

"Adrien," Nino hissed at the corner of his mouth. "Hold still."

Once the ring bearer and the brides maids were up, the music started, causing everyone to stand up. He felt the dread sinking in his gut. Chloe came into the church with her father at her hand, and he was starting to panic because no, this wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't the woman he was supposed to see walking down the aisle towards him. She wasn't supposed to sit among other people to watch him getting married to someone else other than her. He felt a pinch on the back of his arm.

"Goddammit man," Nino breathed out. "People will notice."

He tried to at least calm himself, making everyone believe he was nervous from excitement rather than the fact that he very much wanted out. Before Chloe was passed to him, he saw at the corner of her eye that Marinette had gotten up, her phone in hand as she answered it on her way out of the church, closing the door quietly behind her that it hardly made a sound.

"Take care of her," the mayor told him with a gruff as Chloe took his arm, where she flashed him a smirk as they faced the priest.

Adrien tried to listen to what the priest was saying, but found it difficult when all he could think of was Marinette, with her dark hair he used to run his fingers with and her soft lips he once tasted. It was very hard to see what was in front of him when he just saw the love of his life came to his own wedding instead of being beside him at the moment.

"Do you, Adrien Agreste, take Chloe Bourgeois, as your wedded wife?"

He could feel the stares that were aimed to him, the looks of criticism as they waited for him to answer. Of course, they were expecting him to agree to this, to say yes, and if he didn't, well, something bad would clearly happen later on. He could feel Chloe squeezing his arm impatiently when he was quiet for too long.

"Say it," she hissed, shooting him a glare. "Get this over with."

Licking his lips, he glanced at Nino, to which his best man answered with a raise of eyebrows.

He took a deep breath. His breathing was coming faster. He can't stop his heart, thudding far too quickly and far too loudly. The blood rushed in his ears, drowning out all sound. He licked his lips again, his mouth too dry. His tongue felt too large for his mouth, it felt like a dead fish.

"Adrien!" Chloe hissed again. He could see her clenching her bouquet, the fabric of her satin gloves tightening over her knuckles. He felt the stares more acutely, the gazes like fire on his back.

"Adrien?" Nino's voice cut over the rush in his ears.

"I-" Adrien wanted to throw up. "I do."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth that he head soft sighs of what he presumed to be relief from the captive audience behind him. When the priest turned to Chloe he was smiling, but no wider than she. He glanced at Nino, who was frowning at him with concern. He could feel the air becoming lighter. He hated it. How can everyone be so happy when the air felt thick and suffocating to him?

"You may kiss the bride."

Nino surreptitiously nudged him and pointed with his chin to Chloe, who was facing him with a wide smile under her veil. Trying to stop his hands from shaking too much, he lifted the veil over her head and she angled her head towards him, eyes already closed.

'A peck,' he thought as he leaned forward. No sooner had his lips made contact with hers, Chloe's hands shot up and clasped his head. The audience gasped. Adrien tried to pull away. These lips were too slick, too cold. There was no warmth in them; it was like kissing ice.

When she finally released him, Adrien leapt back with a gasp and the audience laughed like it was a good show. But all he saw was Marinette, just coming in, looking like she was slapped in the face. No, worse. She had always been pale, something he loved about her. Pale face with warm, pale lips. Now her face was drained of blood. White lips, pale face.

Shakily, she gathered herself and made her way to her seat. She shot her mother a quick smile that wobbled and sat down. When she finally raised her eyes, he didn't know her anymore.

After the reception, the guests were milling about, enjoying the meal and the lovely weather. She stayed the entire time, smiling and shaking hands with everyone. Even as he climbed into the limousine, he watched her. As they drove away, he watched her waving at them with everybody else. She was too strong for her own good.