Chapter 3
When Gavin looked over at me, his face changed dramatically. “What are you doing here? I don’t think my mom invited you today!”
Without waiting for me to answer, he rushed over and grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door.
I was still on crutches from my leg injury, and his force almost made me stumble. I struggled to shake his hand off. “Don’t drag me. I can walk on my
own.”
Gavin’s voice was colder than usual. “Vera, I don’t know what your intention is by showing up today, but no one told you to come to my mom’s birthday.”
“If you’re here to make some kind of statement and steal the spotlight from Lilia, you’re not welcome here!”
I was stunned and shocked by his words. “What are you talking about? You were the one who asked me to come.”
Gavin opened his mouth but hesitated for a moment, his face betraying a hint of guilt.
“I don’t remember. Who knows if you’re lying,” he muttered.
Pearl came rushing out and said to me, “Vera, Lilia’s been feeling a bit down lately. I asked Gavin to bring her out for a meal. Could you leave for now? It might upset her if she sees you.”
They both seemed to have forgotten everything they had said to me before.
But, fine. If they didn’t want me here, then I had no reason to stay.
I nodded, about to leave, but then Lilia came out.
She actually stopped me, “Pearl, Gavin, you’re overreacting. I’m not that petty.”
“Vera’s injured, and it’s not easy for her to come all the way here on crutches. She shouldn’t leave! Let’s just eat together!”
I pretended not to notice the smugness in her eyes and said indifferently, “No, thank you. I appreciate the offer.”
But Gavin stepped in front of me, blocking my way. “You’re staying.”
“If Lilia doesn’t mind you showing up uninvited and is even offering you a way out, can’t you at least be considerate and not make things worse?”
“If you leave now, our wedding is canceled. Don’t forget, you already quit your job to come back for me. If you walk away now, you’ll have nothing!”
I froze.
Gavin had chased after me for ten years, and I never intended to be with him.
Until that one day, when a truck sped toward us on the road, and he didn’t hesitate to push me out of the way, standing in front of me.
Before the ambulance took him away, he held my hand tightly. “As long as I can save you, I would give my life for it. I just hope you’ll give me a chance in the next life.”
That act of love moved me deeply. I quit my research job abroad and, without thinking twice, came back to marry him.
But now, that very love, the reason I came back for him, had become something he used against me.
I took a deep breath. “Fine, cancel it if you want.”
Then, without hesitation, I walked out.
I didn’t notice the flash of confusion in Gavin’s eyes.
That night, I packed my things, planning to leave the next morning for the airport.
But to my surprise, Gavin came home in the middle of the night.
He stood frozen in the doorway when he saw the emptiness in the house. “Where’s our photo wall? What happened to the pictures I took of you on our trips?”
answered casually, “They fell and broke. I threw them out.”
Gavin came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. “Why aren’t you looking at me? Are you angry?”
He sighed. “Seriously, why can’t you just swallow your pride for once? Half the family was there when I finally introduced Lilia. Then you had to barge in
and make it weird.”
Chapter 3
“If you’d just left the gift and walked out, none of this would have happened.”
Suddenly, I felt him grab my hand, slipping something onto my ring finger.
It was a lady’s ring, but not the one I had before.
“Stop throwing a tantrum. I’ll keep my promise to you. We’ll have our wedding tomorrow. Lilia will never show up to bother us again. Please, just be there tomorrow, on time, okay?”
He leaned in, about to kiss me on the cheek, but I pulled back.
Gavin’s face shifted, just as Lilia’s ringtone echoed through the room.
He immediately stood up, rushing out to take the call.
In no time, he hurried back to me. “I have to go out for a bit. Don’t forget, tomorrow, be on time for the wedding!”
The door slammed shut, and another sleepless night began.
I had no intention of attending the wedding, but after some thought, I decided to go, just to return the ring to Gavin.
But when I arrived at the venue, I was stunned.
The bride wasn’t me. It was Lilia.
The massive poster read “Lilia,” and she stood there in a white wedding dress, holding a bouquet, greeting the guests with a bright smile.
When she saw me, she immediately smiled, “Vera, did you really think this wedding was for you?”
“Gavin promised me we’d have our wedding today. But when I said I wanted you to witness it, he called you here.”
“You should thank me, or else you wouldn’t even be allowed in.”
Then, she flashed a knowing smile. My heart raced, but it was already too late.
She threw the thorny rose in her hand right at my face. The thorns sliced into my skin, and blood started dripping down, staining everything red.
Gavin, seeing this, rushed over, shoving me aside.
He looked at me with sheer disappointment and anger. “Vera! I invited you here to attend our wedding, and this is how you treat Lilia?”
“I already gave you the ring. What more do you want?”
9
“I was even thinking of getting a marriage document with you, but now, you’ve ruined that too!”
With a dark expression, he pulled Lilia away, and through the crimson haze, I saw her smug grin.
Holding my bleeding face, I stumbled for a while before finally standing up. With trembling hands, I placed a letter and the ring at the doorstep.
Then, without a second glance, I turned and headed for the airport.
Meanwhile, Gavin and Lilia were already standing there.
Gavin slowly slid the ring onto Lilia’s finger, asking, “Will you marry me?”
Lilia, smiling, was about to speak when suddenly, someone burst into the venue.
A bodyguard rushed in, holding a letter and the ring in his hands.
“Mr. Locke, something’s wrong! Miss Maris has left! She booked a flight abroad, and the plane is about to take off! Forget the wedding, you need to catch
her now!”
