Chapter 1 I Don't

When Eugene Ashford walked into my wedding venue with blood dripping from his wrist, my fiancée's eyes instantly filled with tears.

The wedding ring that was supposed to be placed on my finger slipped from her hand and clattered onto the floor. Her entire body tensed as she stared anxiously at my half-brother.

Whispers spread through the guests, and more than a few cast sympathetic looks my way.

"Oh, Lord. I'd heard that the Ashford brothers couldn't stand each other. Looks like the rumors are true. Showing up to your own brother's wedding covered in blood? He might as well be spitting at his brother's face."

"Exactly. He's obviously come to crash the wedding."

"Unbelievable. But look at the bride! Why is she crying?"

"Now that you mention it, what bride would keep her phone on her during the ceremony? She looks totally out of it ever since she answered that call. And now she can't take her eyes off her future brother-in-law. I bet there's something going on between them."

The gossip from a few middle-aged women carried clearly enough for me to hear every word.

The officiant had clearly never dealt with a scene like this before. So, he turned to look at me with pleading eyes, waiting for my cue. I gave him a small nod, signaling for him to continue.

So, he swiftly composed himself, lifted the microphone, and asked solemnly, "Miss Carrington, do you take the man standing before you to be your husband and promise to spend the rest of your life with him?"

Bianca Carrington cried even harder.

Her eyes remained fixed on Eugene, never sparing me a glance.

Eugene picked up the knife again, preparing to slash his wrist a second time. Bianca hurriedly spoke. "I don't," she choked out tearfully, her voice echoing through the hall.

When her words fell, it felt as though a giant hand had seized my heart and squeezed it with all its strength. The pain was so overwhelming that I could barely breathe.

I looked at Bianca, my heart sinking into an endless abyss.

The mountain valley around the venue stretched wide and empty, and the wind that swept through it felt bitterly cold. It felt as if it had blown the relationship we'd built over the past decade to rubble.

I could only watch as she gathered up the hem of her wedding gown and ran toward Eugene.

"Bianca!" I called out to her.

Perhaps there was still a trace of hope buried deep inside me. I waited for her to turn around. My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms that they nearly broke the skin.

Yet, she never looked back.

Instead, she rushed to Eugene's side, covering his bleeding wrist with trembling hands. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face as she blubbered in heartache and sorrow, "You idiot… You complete idiot. You must be in so much pain."

Eugene gently wiped away her tears, his own eyes filled with longing and anguish. "But, Bianca… living without you hurts even more. I'd be sentencing myself to a pain worse than death. Bianca… are you really going to become my sister-in-law?

"You've stopped loving me too… haven't you? If that's true… I'd be better off dead."

His eyes were bloodshot as he choked back sobs before breaking down completely. He was a grown man, but he was crying like a pathetic wreck.

The once-lively wedding hall had fallen into an eerie silence after Bianca blew me off at the altar. Every guest watched the two as if they were tragic lovers cruelly torn apart by fate.

I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. I strode over and drove my fist into Eugene with all my strength. "Go fucking die then!"

"Ah! Jace, you bastard! He's your brother!" Bianca screamed as she shoved me away before immediately dropping to her knees beside Eugene. She carefully wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring at me as she continued to berate me.