Singapore woman once believed missing marries Romanian
It was an online romance that took a dramatic turn with what seemed to be the mysterious disappearance of a Singaporean woman and her mother in Romania.
But the story - which gripped the attention of many people - took a heart-warming turn last month.
In February 2016, Ms Cheryl Yap Lay Leng, now 27, and her mother, Madam Foo Li Kheng, now 63, were reported by her father to be missing for more than 10 days, which resulted in the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking the Romanian authorities for help.
Ms Yap's father, who wanted to be known only as Mr Yap, had not been informed about their trip and was worried that they had been victims of a scam and feared the worst, reported Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News.
But more than two years on, Ms Yap and her Romanian boyfriend Alexandru Donea, 20, have tied the knot.
"After five years of struggling to be together, we have finally made the biggest step towards our future," said Mr Donea in a Facebook post on Sept 27 titled #ForeverTogether.
In his post are also photos of their wedding, which appears to have been held at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, based on a location tag.
On Mr Donea's other Facebook account, which seems to be manga-inspired, he wrote on Sept 28: "Starting today, Cheryl and I are officially husband and wife. Achievement unlocked. #GotMarried #ANewLife #ForeverTogether. Yesterday, it was the sweetest moment of our life, we have been waiting for this since early 2014, But now it has finally happened. Thanks."
Ms Yap left for Romania on the quiet with her mother on Jan 22, 2016, as she thought her father would object, Mr Donea told Romanian media in February 2016.
The two were uncontactable for more than 10 days before they were seen on Romanian TV on Feb 2, where Ms Yap said they were staying with Mr Donea at his parents' home in Vulturesti, a village commune about 150km from capital Bucharest.
When asked by a reporter why she had gone to Romania, Ms Yap replied: "To meet my boyfriend to work together on YouTube."
In March 2016, Ms Yap, Madam Foo, as well as Mr Donea and his mother were in Singapore, based on Facebook photos of them at a shopping mall.
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