"Aurelia, now that you're pregnant, it won’t be long before the baby arrives. You and Anthony should hurry up and get your marriage certificate. Otherwise, things will get messy when it’s time to register the child."
I forced a smile, keeping my voice calm.
"Auntie, there’s still plenty of time. We haven’t even had the wedding yet."
For a split second, Zora’s smile faltered, her eyes flashing with something complicated.
She put down her spoon and fork and turned to Anthony with a dramatic scowl.
"I told you to mention this to Aurelia and you still haven’t?"
Anthony fumbled, unable to get a single word out.
Then, Zora turned back to me, her expression all business.
"Aurelia here’s what we were thinking. Weddings are expensive, so we figured we could skip it and save the money for when the baby arrives."
I feigned surprise, widening my eyes as I looked at everyone.
"No wedding? But I’ve already designed my wedding dress."
Anthony looked troubled, his lips sealed in silence.
I turned to Zora, my voice steady.
"Auntie, you might not know this, but in my family, there’s a tradition: we can’t get a marriage certificate without holding a wedding banquet first."