Chapter 3

Time was short, but with the clan's help, the wedding came together quickly.

While we were getting the wedding chamber ready, a mocking voice rang out.

"Seriously, Tori? You're really that desperate to marry me? You even got the wedding gown ready."

I ignored him.

Then Mindy jumped up and down, practically squealing.

"Ooh, that dress is gorgeous! I want to try it on!"

My brow furrowed, and I threw myself in front of the gown, blocking her.

"No."

Mindy's temper flared instantly. She pointed at me, crying and carrying on.

Keith couldn't stand it and cut in, scolding me.

"Why are you being so harsh? It's just a dress. It's not like Mindy's going to ruin it. What's the big deal if she tries it on?"

I looked at him calmly, more amused than angry.

"Just a dress? This is the wedding gown my mother embroidered by hand before she died. Even I've never worn it. And you think she should just try it on?"

Keith froze and said nothing more.

Seeing that, Mindy cried even harder.

"Keith! I just wanted to try it on! Didn't you say Tori and I are going to be as close as family once you get married? So why does she keep drawing lines between us?

"The way I see it, she's never really thought of me as family at all. If you're all going to treat me like this, I might as well just go die."

Watching her cry so pitifully, Keith gritted his teeth and lunged forward to grab the dress.

But at that moment, Noah appeared out of nowhere and snatched the gown away first.

Keith, with nothing left to grab, lost his balance and hit the floor, crying out in pain.

"You! The two of you!"

His face went red with fury.

"Tori! You just let your little guard dog attack me like that? Fine! Don't blame me if I decide not to marry you after all!"

That same threat, again.

Something in me snapped, and I shot back.

"Then don't. It's not like you were ever the groom anyway."

Keith's pupils shrank. A beat later, something clicked, and he sneered.

"You're not going to marry me? Who else is there for you to marry? Don't tell me you've already forgotten what happened back then."

A jolt ran through me, and my fists clenched on their own.

A few years earlier, when Keith and I were still deeply in love, I'd gone to visit him at the hospital where he worked.

He wasn't at his desk.

A coworker told me he'd gone into surgery.

So I waited outside the operating room, and waited, until a body covered in a white sheet was finally wheeled out.

In that instant, every happy memory we'd shared came flooding back, and I collapsed over the gurney sobbing, inconsolable.

It wasn't until Keith walked up to me, laughing, that I realized he'd only been in there helping his mentor.

Someone in the crowd had filmed the whole thing, and it ended up online.

I got branded with the nickname "the Weeping Widow," and for a long time I couldn't leave the house without a mask on.

Keith clicked his tongue and sneered.

"After that went viral, the whole world knew exactly how obsessed Tori is with me. Who else would ever want you besides me?"

I looked at him evenly, and this time, not even a ripple stirred inside me.

It was only now that I understood: the love I'd given him without holding anything back was the very thing he'd used to hurt me.

How pathetic.

Beside me, Noah's fists clenched, and the air around him turned ice-cold.

He stepped forward like he was about to say something, but I held him back.

There was no point wasting words on someone like that.

But Mindy must have thought I was backing down again, because she smirked and rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of hair.

"Hmph. Fine, it's just a ratty old dress. Who cares if I don't wear it.

"Although, that embroidered pattern on it is kind of pretty. Why don't you just cut it off and give it to me? I'll put in a good word with Keith for you.

"He always listens to me, you know."

She picked up a pair of scissors and strutted over, all smug, grabbing the corner of the gown and raising the blade to cut.

I fixed her with a cold stare and said calmly, "Just so you know, there are cameras in this room. My mother was the most celebrated embroiderer in the country before she died. A piece of her work is worth a fortune. If you damage it, I'll call the police myself and sue you for everything you own."

The room went dead silent.

Maybe it was the first time anyone had seen me stand my ground like that, because Keith looked genuinely stunned.

Mindy glanced between the two of us, furious, then dropped the scissors, spun around, and ran off in tears.

Only then did Keith snap out of his daze. He saw Mindy gone and, out of habit, opened his mouth to threaten me again. But faced with my cold stare, he couldn't get a single word out. After a moment of visible conflict, he turned and walked away.