Chapter 4

Three days later, I arrived at the wedding as promised. The moment Evelyn saw me step into the venue, the tension on her face instantly faded.

I withdrew my gaze, moving calmly to find my seat, only for someone to stick out a foot and trip me hard. I fell straight into the towering nine-tier wedding cake.

The decorations and frosting came crashing down with me, smearing all over my tailored black suit, making me look utterly pathetic. The wine glass I had been holding slipped from my hand and shattered against the floor. Shards of glass flew everywhere, one cutting into my face, and blood began streaming from my temple.

The hall erupted in shock. Every eye was glued to me.

With my vision blurred by frosting, I struggled to get up. However, before I could even steady myself, someone shoved me to the ground again.

Cole’s furious shout rang out from above.

“Jace, what the hell is your problem? We invited you here out of kindness. Not only did you not bring a gift, but now you’re trying to ruin our wedding? You can’t stand to see us happy. Is that it?”

The wedding had drawn a large crowd, most of them eager to see Valerie make her first public appearance with her mysterious husband. Now, they rushed forward to curry favor with Evelyn instead.

“Unbelievable. Who causes trouble at Evelyn Gates’s wedding? He must have a death wish!”

“Look at that ring on his hand. Doesn’t it look exactly like the ‘Eternal Hearts’ rings Valerie bought at auction three years ago? How dare he wear something like that here?”

“Everyone knows Valerie worships her husband. For him to show up flaunting a fake ring in public… Does he have a death wish?”

Evelyn heard the whispers. Her chest rose and fell with fury, her beautiful eyes practically spitting fire.

“Jace, you’re a curse! I must have been blind to ever fall for you. Wearing that cheap fake ring, are you waiting for Val to show up and deal with you herself?”

She lifted her gown and stomped toward me. Then, without hesitation, she drove her heel into the ring finger of my left hand and ground it down cruelly.

Agony exploded from the base of my finger, shooting straight to my heart. I tried to resist, but Cole barked an order, and several people pinned me down at once. I was trapped, unable to move.

My vision was still clouded with frosting, my body held down tight. In desperation, I shouted, “Valerie is my wife!”

Evelyn threw her head back and laughed like I’d told the biggest joke in the world. She twisted her heel harder, the stiletto tip threatening to snap my finger clean off.

“Still pretending, huh? Wait until Val gets here. She adores her husband. When she sees you pulling this stunt, you’re done for!”

Seeing that she wouldn’t listen, despair filled my chest.

I gritted my teeth, vowing silently, ‘When the time comes, every single one of them will pay.’

Evelyn pressed down even harder until the sharp crack of bone breaking echoed loudly. Pain ripped through me, forcing a muffled groan from my throat.

Then, suddenly, the weight holding me down lifted. Everyone was scrambling to fix their clothes and makeup, eyes shining as they turned toward the entrance.

As the attendants pulled open the grand doors of the hall, Valerie walked in with our daughter, Emma, surrounded by admiration like a star at the center of the universe.