Chapter 5

When the lights came on in the wedding hall, Jordan was already seated in the center of the stage.

He wore a white suit, his face ghastly pale. There was a thin blanket on his lap and an oxygen cannula beneath his nose. He was determined to play the part of a sickly man to the very end, so he had to stop and gasp for air after every few sentences.

Meanwhile, the guests began filing into the room. The moment they spotted me in the last row, the whispers started flying.

"How dare he show his face?"

"He couldn't even loan his wife out for a single day. How petty."

"Jordan is practically on his deathbed, and he's still insisting on a divorce. How heartless."

Mom wove through the tables with a glass of wine in her hand, telling anyone who would listen how hard Jordan's life had been. He'd never asked anyone for a favor before, and now, all he wanted was the chance to be a groom. Each time she repeated herself, the look she gave me grew colder.

Philip stood beside her, pretending to persuade everyone not to blame me. In reality, it took him only a few words to lay bare how I'd threatened Renee with divorce. Before long, everyone in the banquet hall knew I was a jealous husband who couldn't even tolerate a dying man.

When the wedding march began to play, the bustling hall gradually quieted down. Renee appeared at the entrance in her wedding gown, and applause instantly swept from the front rows to the back. Jordan gazed at her unblinkingly, as if he had finally gotten the person he'd wanted most in his life.

He raised his hand to cover his mouth, his shoulders trembling violently. When he pulled his handkerchief away, a bright red blotch of blood stained the fabric.

One of the guests burst into tears. "He's gravely ill, yet he's still forcing himself to go through with the wedding!"

"Poor guy. He's literally coughing up blood. He probably won't even make it through the month."

"Renee's such a kind soul! She'd rather be misunderstood by her husband than let Jordan leave this world with regrets."

The officiant invited Renee to recite her vows. She held Jordan's hand, tears glistening in her eyes. "We found each other too late in this lifetime, Jordan. If there really is a next life, I'll make sure I meet you first, fall in love with you first, and marry you first!"

Applause erupted throughout the venue. I sat in the last row, watching her rewrite our ten years of marriage into nothing more than a mistake.

When Oliver stepped forward with the bouquet, he abruptly threw his arms around Jordan. "Pops!"

The moment the word left his mouth, the entire venue fell pin-drop silent.

Jordan hurriedly waved his hand. "That won't do, Oliver… Your biological father is in the audience's seat!"

Despite his refusal, he tightened his hold around Oliver.

Oliver turned around to look at me. "He saved my life, so he's my second dad."

Mom started clapping, and my relatives joined in, showering Oliver with praise for being such a good, grateful young man.

The officiant wiped away his tears and invited me onto the stage. "Mr. Price told me that his greatest wish is to receive your blessing in person, Mr. Hall."

Jordan gazed at me with a triumphant glint in his eyes that only I could understand. "Don't tell me you're so petty that you can't even offer a simple blessing in front of all these people, Terrence."

I rose from my seat and walked onto the stage.

Someone in the audience sneered, "Look who's finally acting like a man."

Renee offered me her hand. "Don't make me lose what little respect I have left for you, Terrence."

I didn't take her hand.

Jordan abruptly lowered his head and started coughing. He broke into a coughing fit and nearly slid out of his wheelchair.

He covered his mouth once again. When he pulled his handkerchief away, another glaring pool of blood stained the fabric.

I walked up to his wheelchair and crouched down. "You're coughing so violently… Let me clean you up."

Jordan went rigid. Before he knew it, I forced his head upright and grasped his chin.

"What do you think you're doing, Terrence?" Renee shrieked as she lunged at us.

Jordan thrashed wildly, kicking his legs with more agility than a normal person.

Mom slammed her fist against the table and fumed, "Unhand him, you brute!"

Several of my relatives also rushed onto the stage. "You won't even spare a cancer patient? Are you even human?"

Jordan's face flushed crimson from the pain, gritting his teeth. However, the tighter he kept his mouth shut, the more force I exerted.

"Aren't you at death's door? How do you have even more strength than I do?" I wedged my thumb against his teeth to break his bite, slipping my finger past his molars.

The very next second, I dug out a ruptured capsule from behind his molars and flung it onto Renee's wedding gown. The crimson fluid burst, striking the pristine white hem of her gown like a violent slap across the face.

Total silence swept the hall.

Pinching the blood-stained plastic between my fingers, I looked up at Jordan. "Have you been enjoying yourself pretending to have cancer, you homewrecker?"