Chapter 8
The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere at the dinner table instantly froze.
Graysen quickly called out, “Mom, let’s eat first. I’m starving.”
Despite her displeasure with Caroline, Eleanor couldn’t ignore her son’s hunger. Reluctantly, she grumbled, “Fine, eat then.”
But Caroline had lost all appetite.
The table was piled with spicy dishes, and the sight of those chili peppers made her already fragile
stomach ache with a dull, familiar pain.
Eleanor kept chatting away, “Marlene, eat more. These are all your favorite dishes.”
Sure enough, Marlene’s plate was piled high with food, while Caroline’s was empty.
It felt like Marlene and Eleanor were the family, while Caroline was just an intruder, awkwardly
inserted into the scene.
Marlene’s eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction.
Graysen, after making sure Marlene was fine, finally seemed to remember Caroline and put some
dishes on her plate, urging her to eat.
Caroline bitterly smiled to herself. At least he still remembered she didn’t eat spicy food.
After enduring for what felt like an eternity, Caroline stood up to leave, saying, “Eleanor, thank you
for the meal, I’ll be leaving now.”
But Eleanor acted as if she hadn’t heard, continuing to speak with Marlene, her head tilted in deep
conversation.
Graysen, visibly uncomfortable, got up to escort her out, trying to smooth things over. “My mom just likes younger girls. You two will get along well.”
He noticed how unusually quiet Caroline was tonight, his unease growing. He quickly added, “I’ll
take you home.”
But before he could finish, Eleanor’s voice came from behind them. “Take Marlene home. She’s not
as strong as Caroline, and she lives far away.”
Caroline, who hadn’t spoken the entire time, finally lifted her eyes.
She blinked, then offered a smile that was both nonchalant and cold. “You can take her. I’ll go home
by myself.”
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Graysen standing there,
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stunned and speechless.
He couldn’t help but feel that Caroline was far away.
After a few seconds, he scoffed and shook his head.
He thought, “We are getting married in just three days. I shouldn’t overthink.”
What Graysen didn’t know was that Caroline had just made her decision. She wasn’t marrying him. She had confirmed her departure date with Kieran.
Kieran let out a deep sigh and reiterated, “If it’s about Graysen, you don’t have to go abroad. I’ll transfer you to another team, so you won’t feel awkward.”
He truly didn’t want to lose Caroline, and even at the last moment, he was still trying to convince
her.
Caroline pressed her lips together and gave him a soft smile, a subtle dimple appearing on her
cheek. “Thank you, Kieran. Wait for me. I’ll come back.”
Seeing that she wasn’t swayed, Kieran finally stopped pushing, and after their final farewell, he
hung up.
Just then, Graysen’s message came through. “We’re going to the bridal shop tomorrow afternoon
to try on the wedding dress. I’ve already taken the day off.”
A few more pictures followed: seating arrangements, invitation designs, and other details of the
wedding.
At that moment, Caroline almost couldn’t hold back and told him that she was not going through with this marriage.
But reason told her to wait.
The next afternoon, when Caroline arrived at the bridal shop, Graysen was already there. But oddly, when he saw her, his face wore a look of hesitation, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
“What’s wrong?” Caroline asked.
Graysen forced a smile and answered, “Nothing.”
Just then, the door to the fitting room opened. Someone thought the bride was already in there, so Caroline smiled and was about to greet her.
But when the bride turned around, Caroline’s smile froze.
It was none other than Marlene.
Oblivious to the tension, Marlene cheerfully greeted Caroline, “Caroline, you’re just in time! I just
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finished trying the makeup for you. What do you think? Is it pretty?”
Seeing Caroline’s silence, Marlene turned to Graysen with a grin, asking, “Graysen, do you think this makeup looks good? Does it make me look like a bride?”
Graysen, avoiding Caroline’s gaze, nodded weakly, looking guilty.
But Marlene seemed dissatisfied with his answer. She shifted the conversation with a dramatic
sigh, “Caroline, it looks great on me, but I’m not sure how it’ll look on you. After all, I’m the team’s recognized beauty. Unlike you, with your rough skin.”
She paused, as if realizing her mistake, and quickly added, “But don’t blame me. Those were Eleanor’s exact words.”
Caroline remained calm, her expression as still as stone.
The makeup artist, unnerved by the strange atmosphere, stood frozen in place, too scared to speak.
But Graysen quickly grabbed Caroline’s hand, his voice trembling as he explained, “My mom saw
that Marlene had the day off, so she asked Marlene to come help with the fitting.”
Caroline yanked her hand away, her face twisting into a frosty smile.
“This is my wedding, my makeup. Why should an outsider be the one to approve it? If you and your mom are so eager for her approval, let her take over the role of the bride. After all, it looks like she’s dying for it.”
With that, she gave the two of them a passing glance, then turned and walked out.
Caroline didn’t look back, even when Graysen called out her name loudly behind her.
Just as she got into the car, her phone rang. It was Violet, and as soon as Caroline picked up, Violet’s panicked voice flooded her ears. “Caroline, emergency mission. Get back to the team, now!”
