Chapter 4

The crowd froze in an instant. Sean's expression changed as he grabbed my wrist. "Louise!"

His grip was alarmingly strong, causing pain to shoot through my bones. "Look at yourself right now. You're no different from a shrew!"

A shrew…

I laughed from exasperation. I was about to speak when he cut in again. "I saw it with my own eyes this time. Are you still going to deny it?"

At that moment, every word lodged in my throat. I didn't want to say anything anymore. Because the Sean who always stood by my side when we were kids was already long gone.

I shook his hand off and turned to leave.

"Stop." He stepped in front of me, held out a bottle of whiskey, and said coldly, "Drink it."

I didn't take it.

He didn't pull his hand back either. He added, "If you don't drink it, the wedding is off."

The room fell silent. No one had expected Sean to take it this far.

"Sean, forget it…" Selena hurried over, tugging at his sleeve, her voice soft and gentle. "You're about to get married. Don't make things so ugly because of me…"

Before she could finish, Sean shook her off coldly. His gaze locked onto me, dark and terrifying. He repeated, "I'll say it one more time. Drink it. Otherwise, on our wedding day, I'll leave you standing at the altar alone. Let everyone see just how pathetic you, Louise Rowley, really are."

I stared at him in disbelief, then suddenly laughed.

He was betting that I wouldn't give up this wedding I had fought so hard for. But he was wrong. I had already decided not to marry him.

So, I turned and walked away without looking back.

Just then, Selena suddenly rushed toward me and grabbed my sleeve tightly. "I'm sorry, Louise. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you. Please don't be angry at Sean."

Disgust surged through me. I shook her off.

The force wasn't even strong, but she flew backward into the bar counter. A shattered glass pierced deep into her skin.

Sean's pupils shrank. When he looked up again, his eyes were bloodshot. "Hold her down."

Before I could react, his friends pinned me to the ground. His cold voice rang out beside my ear. "Make her drink that whiskey."

In that instant, panic settled in, and I blurted, "No! That alcohol is too strong! Sean, I'm preg…"

Before I could finish, the burning liquid flooded my throat, searing like fire. I was held down, unable to move. I twisted my head desperately, but the whiskey still spilled down my lips and chin.

It felt like my throat was being scorched. My vision darkened as I choked, forcing out the words, "Preg…nant… I can't drink…"

But the room was filled with laughter and jeers. No one heard me.

The people holding me down even laughed. "Begging now? It's too late."

As darkness closed in and I was about to lose consciousness, Sean finally spoke coldly. "Enough."

Only then did they stop. Someone grumbled in disappointment, "She barely drank anything. Are you going soft on her, Sean?"

Sean looked down at me, his eyes devoid of warmth. His tone was cold, almost cruel. "I'm not as heartless as she is. This is enough to teach her a lesson."

He then frowned at me lying on the ground, trembling in pain. "Stop pretending. I know you can hold your liquor."

But I couldn't move or even say a single word.

His patience ran out. "If you love putting on a show so much, keep going. But I don't have time to watch."

With that, he walked over to Selena and gently lifted her into his arms. "Let's go. I'll take you to the hospital."

As he stepped over my body, he said in a low voice, "Louise, behave yourself. I liked you better when we were younger."

As the crowd dispersed and the night ended, all that remained were whispers and mocking laughter. And half an hour later, the bartender's frantic call for help, and the distant wail of an ambulance.

My stomach burned like it was on fire. That pain brought back memories.

Because Sean didn't like the smell of alcohol, at every family dinner or business event, any drink meant for him ended up in my hands. That was how I built my alcohol tolerance. But what he never knew was that I hated drinking.

Every time, I would throw up afterward. The worst time, I was even sent to the ER.

He had long forgotten those memories from our youth. So, how did he still have the nerve to talk about "when we were younger?"

At the hospital, the doctor treated me urgently. When he heard I was pregnant, he was shocked. "Miss, how could a pregnant woman drink such strong alcohol? If you had come any later, the baby wouldn't have made it."

I said nothing. Once I was stable, I left.

Back at the villa, I went straight to my room. I burned everything to ashes—letters from when we were young, and every gift Sean had given me from age seven until last year. Then, I put the remains, along with the wedding ring, into a box.

Finally, I slipped into George's study and left a letter on his desk.

When I came out, I ran into Sean returning. Our eyes met. I looked away and walked past him.

He stiffened slightly, then instinctively grabbed my wrist. He took a few hangover pills from his pocket and placed them in my palm. "Louise, I lost my temper earlier. I was impulsive. But Selena is my friend. I couldn't just stand by and watch you hurt her."

I couldn't be bothered to say another word. I just murmured a response and closed the door. Then, I tossed the pills into the box as well.

The next day, Sean personally brought my wedding dress to my room and asked about the wedding details. I answered calmly as usual. And seeing how composed I was, he finally relaxed.

On the wedding day, he arrived at the church early, watching the bustling crowd with a complicated expression.

But even as the bells rang, the bride never appeared.

Impatient, he called me. "The wedding ceremony is about to start. Where are you?"

I looked at the long red aisle before me and chuckled softly. "I'm already here."