Chapter 4

On the day of the rehearsal, I deliberately came late.

Zach stood at the end of the aisle. The look on his face was ice cold.

His mother spoke first, “Annie, you’re about to become the Godmother of the Cross family. Don’t you even have a basic sense of punctuality?”

My mother hurried over, gently pulled me aside, and lowered her voice, “You’ve always been so sensible. What’s gotten into you today?”

I looked at her. “Stay out of this. Some things can’t be fixed by simply enduring them.”

She replied, “Marriage is like that. The alliance between the Carter and Cross families can’t be broken. Marrying into the Cross family is what’s best for everyone.”

So, everyone thought I should just endure it.

Zach walked down the aisle and grabbed my wrist. His grip was firm.

“Let’s start the rehearsal.”

I did not move. “Why is Julie sitting in the Godmother’s seat?”

Julie immediately stood up and took a step back. “Miss Annie, the piano is over here. I was only waiting for it to be tuned. I didn’t mean to sit there.”

Zach answered calmly, “She’ll step down after her performance.”

“What performance?”

No one answered.

Then someone from the audio crew accidentally hit the play button.

Soft piano music filled the hall. A woman’s recorded voice followed. “Zach, if I hadn’t left back then, would we have gotten married in a church in Sicily?”

Then came Zach’s voice. “We would have.”

The ballroom fell silent.

Representatives from the other families exchanged uneasy glances.

Julie’s face turned pale. Her lips trembled. “That recording wasn’t meant for the wedding. I don’t know why it’s being played—”

Zach spun toward the sound technician. “Do you have a death wish?”

Then, he came straight to me. “Annie, that recording was taken years ago. It doesn’t mean anything.

“But you kept it all this time, didn’t you?”

He frowned. “Why do you insist on digging up the past? What’s the point?

“There isn’t one.”

I nodded and answered in a serious tone, “Which is why we shouldn’t get married.”

His mother shot to her feet. My mother grabbed my hand so tightly her nails dug into my skin. “Annie, have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten the alliance between our families?”

Zach’s expression turned cold. He did not raise his voice. He simply stared at me.

“Annie, enough. Not here.”

His voice dropped low enough that only I could hear.

“Your father’s latest weapons shipment still hasn’t cleared customs. Your brother’s asylum application to London was only recently submitted. If this wedding is canceled, every partnership between the Carter and Cross families will be reviewed from scratch.”

Julie stood beside the piano with reddened eyes. “Zach, please don’t pressure Miss Annie like this.”

He never looked at her. His eyes stayed on mine. “I’m not pressuring you. I’m helping you face reality. The interests of our families matter more than our relationship.”

My mother was crying beside me. “Annie, I’m begging you, just go through with the wedding. You can figure everything else out afterward.”

Zach handed me the rehearsal schedule.

“Sign it. Julie keeps the piano performance. Your reception gown will be changed to the blue dress she tried on last time. The transfer of the Old Harbor docks stays in place. And you don't make any more changes to the guest list.”

I lowered my eyes to the pages. Every item looked familiar. Every item reminded me that though this wedding was supposedly mine, not a single part of it was truly up to me.

I picked up the pen. My hand trembled as the tip touched the paper. I had secretly practiced signing my name for this day. I imagined the name ‘Annie’ written beside Zach’s, on our marriage certificate, on our family’s alliance, and in every blessing we would receive.

Zach’s expression finally softened. “That’s better. You’re the future Godmother. Act like it.”

I gave him a faint smile and signed my name. Then, while he turned away, I quietly took a picture of the rehearsal schedule and sent it to my father’s lawyer. Zach did not notice. He thought I had finally given in.

The rehearsal resumed. Julie returned to the piano. Her fingers touched the first key.

“Mariage d’Amour.”

Zach’s men carried white roses onto the stage. A small silver tag hung beneath one of the bouquets. When I walked closer, I saw Julie’s name engraved on it. Zach saw it too. His expression shifted, and he immediately reached to remove the tag.

At that moment, the giant screen in the ballroom flickered to life. A notification appeared across it.

[Wedding Opening Video — Upload Complete.]

I put on a faint smile.

From this moment on, I was done playing my part in their tragic love story. I was going to show everyone the ugly truth behind this wedding.