If Love is Fruitless, Why Long for It?

Maybe my gaze was a bit too intense because I noticed a faint blush creeping up Keith's ears.

"Joy," he hesitated. "You … you’re not having second thoughts about the marriage, are you? Are you unhappy with me?”

I quickly shook my head, then nodded emphatically. “No, no, I’m really happy with you!”

Hearing this, the man immediately smiled radiantly. It was so radiant that it seemed like a spring sunlight melting the last patches of snow.

Keith told me that he had pulled some strings to move our appointment to today and I was more than willing to accompany him to the City Hall.

By the time Tom and Jeff arrived with Lizbeth, Keith and I were looking and smiling at each other. At that moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat.

It was not until I heard Tom's familiar voice calling my name that I realized I had been staring at Keith like a lovestruck fool. "Joy! Why didn’t you pick up your phone? We were worried sick when we couldn’t find you!” he scolded.

"Jeff even went back upstairs to look for you and all he found was the cat. You didn’t even bother bringing the poor thing downstairs! She’s been shivering non-stop!”

Jeff nodded while giving me his piece of mind and complaining about me.

Lizbeth quickly jumped to my defense. “Don’t be too hard on Joy. We forgot about Lily too, didn’t we? Thank goodness, Jeff went back and helped me rescue it.”

Her meaning was clear. The only reason Jeff returned to the house was to rescue her cat, not me.

I checked my phone. It had been two hours since the fire alarm went off and sure enough, I saw a single missed call. I swore my phone had vibrated for just a second before the call abruptly ended.

Their supposed “concern” struck me as ironic.

The smile on Keith’s face faded the moment the three of them showed up, especially when he noticed the cat trembling in Lizbeth’s arms. He quickly pulled me behind him, his tone anxious when he said, "Joy, you're allergic to cat fur. Stay back."

Then he pulled an allergy pill from his pocket. He wanted me to eat it.

His protective actions made the two men’s faces darken.

“Allergy pills aren’t candy. You shouldn’t just give them out recklessly!” Jeff snapped.

I stopped Keith’s hand, reassuring him softly that I had already taken my medication that day.

However, he was not convinced. When he saw me coughing a few times while covering my nose, his expression immediately filled with worry.

“If you’re coughing, then something’s definitely wrong,” he insisted. His eyes were sharp as he glared at the group. The three of you and the cat! Stay away from Joy!"

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and led me away as if they were some kinds of terrible danger.

This was the first time anyone had ever taken my allergy so seriously, especially from a man that I just met. Even if my uncle had warned him in advance, his concern for me far outweighed the so-called “care” I had received from Tom, who had known me for ten years.

Maybe Keith's sudden appearance set off the alarm bell in Tom and Jeff's hearts because they shouted behind me, "Joy, who is he?"

Before I could answer, Lizbeth asked, in a voice full of curiosity, “Is he your new boyfriend, Joy?”

Both Tom and Jeff scoffed in unison. “No way! This has to be some kind of act. She’s just trying to get back at us for not paying attention to her lately!”

I didn’t want to explain myself to these two overconfident men, but I also didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings with Keith right after we had gotten married.

I squeezed Keith’s hand tightly, our fingers intertwining and pulled out the two bright red marriage certificates. Waving them in front of Tom and Jeff, I said, “Let me formally introduce you to him. This is my husband.”

Their smiles freeze. They were stunned into silence. Then, they burst out laughing as if I had just cracked the world’s worst joke.

“Joy, that’s not funny at all!” they said, almost doubling over with laughter.

However, their laughter died away when I opened the marriage certificates, revealing the unmistakable seal of authenticity.

Panic washed over their faces as if something precious had slipped right through their fingers.

“Joy McKenzie, just because we forgot to grab you during the fire doesn’t mean you should marry the first guy you see!”

“Go back to the City Hall and get a divorce. Now!”