Chapter 4

The minute hand pointed to 8:55 am. I pinned on my bridal corsage and picked up the groom's.

Charles' pupils contracted. "Natalie, what are you doing?"

I glanced at the clock on the wall. "I told you, I wasn't going to miss the lucky moment. So, I'm leaving now."

Charles' expression darkened, and he reached out to grab me. "Natalie, stop messing around! If I don't go out with you, who's going to escort you there?"

I took a step back. "Then you don't have to."

With that, I picked up my bouquet and turned toward the door. Behind me, my relatives let out a series of hushed gasps.

"Is Natalie really going to leave the house on her own?"

"She can't do that!"

"The groom is still upstairs!"

Winnie was getting anxious, too, though mostly because she couldn't understand what was happening. She exclaimed, "Natalie, what are you doing? I was just fixing my makeup. Is this really necessary?"

I didn't look back. When I reached the stairs, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

The next second, Charles caught up and grabbed my wrist. "Natalie!"

He kept his anger in check, but his voice was heavy with frustration. "Today is our wedding. Both families' relatives are here, and our guests are waiting at the hotel. Are you seriously going downstairs alone and making a spectacle of yourself in front of everyone?"

I looked at him and suddenly found the whole thing absurd. "Am I the one making a spectacle of myself?"

Charles was struck speechless.

At 8:56 am, there were only two minutes left until the designated departure time. Mom's eyes were red as she watched me.

Dad hurried after us, his voice hoarse. "Natalie, have you made up your mind?"

I looked at him. "Yes."

Grandma stood by the doorway, leaning on her cane. She gave me a gentle nod.

"Natalie, when the lucky moment comes, you leave. No matter what happens, don't let anyone bully you into swallowing your pride."

My eyes stung at that. "Okay."

I continued downstairs.

At 8:57 am, I reached the front entrance.

The doorway was packed with relatives. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and several older relatives who had traveled all the way from our hometown stood waiting with wedding favors, their faces beaming with smiles.

Outside, the Lumley family's wedding car procession was parked a short distance away. The lead car was covered in flowers, with Charles' name and mine displayed on the hood.

A red carpet stretched all the way to the entrance. The confetti cannons had already been set up. The photographer stood with his camera equipment, while the emcee was sweating profusely from anxiety.

Everything was ready. All that remained was for the bride and groom to walk out.

Charles caught up with me, his face contorted with rage. "Natalie, how long are you going to keep this up?"

I stopped walking.

The front door was right ahead of me. One more step, and I'd be in the wedding car, officially leaving my family home as a bride.

I lowered my eyes to the red carpet beneath my feet before looking back up at him.

"Charles, it's 8:57 am. The lucky moment is almost here, and the door is right in front of us. I'm asking you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?"

The entire area fell silent. Every relative turned to look at Charles.

He clenched his fists, and a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. But the panic quickly gave way to irritation.

He responded, "Natalie, stop making a scene. We'll leave together after Winnie finishes fixing her makeup."

As though he was afraid I hadn't understood him, he emphasized his next words. "First of all, there's no such thing as a bride leaving her family home alone. And second, Winnie is your bridesmaid. How are we supposed to proceed if she doesn't come downstairs?"

I stared at him in silence. The last bit of warmth left in my heart finally went cold.

We'd come this far. We were down to the final minute. He'd followed me downstairs. He'd seen all the relatives gathered at the entrance. He'd seen the wedding cars and the red carpet. He'd seen me standing right in front of him.

And yet, he still said the same thing, insisting that we had to wait for Winnie to finish fixing her makeup.

I let out a soft laugh. "Charles, you've certainly never disappointed me."

His expression changed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

I didn't answer. Because the next second, the clock struck 8:58 am.

A deafening barrage of confetti went off outside. An entire line of unfamiliar wedding cars pulled up and came to a stop at the entrance.

Everyone instinctively turned to look.

A man in a black suit stepped out of the lead car and walked straight toward me. He extended his hand.

"Let's go, Natalie. Let's get married."