Chapter 4
My best friend held me tightly, her hand gently patting my back as she whispered
words of comfort.
After the IV drip, I felt better, the haze in my mind lifting and my thoughts turning to my mother. I needed to be with her.
As we stepped out of the hospital room, my best friend flashed me a confident smile.
“Don’t worry, Scarlett. In three days, you’ll be the most beautiful bride.”
Her words barely left her lips when I saw Alexander standing before us, his
expression dark and unreadable.
The moment my best friend caught sight of him, she rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “Jerk!”
I ignored her and locked eyes with Alexander, who turned his cold gaze
toward me.
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“Scarlett, my patience is running thin. This is your last warning; three days from now, I won’t be at your wedding…”
I met his gaze without flinching and replied, my voice sharp, “You’ve helped me in the past, but I’ve spent ten years by your side. Now that Madeline is back, we‘ re even. I owe you nothing.”
“As for the wedding, it doesn’t need to be you standing at the altar.”
It was the first time I had spoken to him so coldly in ten years.
A flicker of unease flashed across Alexander’s face, his heart skipping a beat. He parted his lips slightly, exhaling as if something had slipped beyond his
control.
But the man who had always held the reins of power in front of me quickly suppressed the unfamiliar stir of unease.
Impatience flared in his eyes as he seized my injured hand, the pressure causing
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fresh blood to seep through the bandages.
Only then did he seem to notice the wound.
“Your hand…”
Before I could reply, Madeline skipped out
of the examination room.
Alexander immediately released my hand and rushed to support her. “Why are you out here alone?”
As he turned away, a cold sneer curled on his lips, his words dripping with disdain.
“Scarlett, don’t push your luck. Have I been too lenient, letting you use your mother’s illness to manipulate me? Aren’t you afraid you ll really curse her to death?”
“You know I don‘ t tolerate disobedient women. And you know I have a hundred. ways to make you behave.”
I watched his retreating figure, my words. slipping from my lips in a whisper, “I don‘ t like heartless, secondhand men
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either.”
st
Just as I stepped into the hospital, a text message from an unfamiliar number flashed on my phone. [I‘ m in Finland. I’ll make it back before the wedding. Leave everything to me.]
A sense of relief washed over me.
Although the groom had changed, the wedding would still take place, and there was still so much to do.
Between coordinating with makeup artists and caring for my mother, my days had become a blur.
It wasn’t until the wedding day itself that I truly understood the weight of Alexander‘ s words. “I have a hundred ways to make you behave.”
To avoid any last–minute surprises, I arrived at the venue early to inspect the
preparations.
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But the sight before me left me stunned.
The decorations were being taken down, and the last bouquet of flowers was pulled away right before my eyes.
Panicking, I rushed to stop the worker.
“What’s going on? I’ve already paid for everything! How can you cancel now?”
The worker gave me a pitying look and sighed. “Miss, it’s not that we want to cancel, but…
“Think about whether you‘ ve angered someone. It’s not just us. I’m afraid no one in the entire city will dare handle your wedding now. We’ll refund the breach of contract fee to your account.”
A ringing buzz filled my head, and everything around me blurred into nothingness.
I slumped against the wall, feeling utterly helpless.
It was Alexander.
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But I couldn’t make sense of it.
I had already decided to leave him alone. Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted? Why couldn’t he just let me go?
I thought about that as I hurried to the bridal shop.
Inside, I saw Madeline in my custom–made wedding gown, a crown perched on her head, radiating the arrogance of a princess.
Alexander stood beside her, gazing at her with eyes full of adoration.
I turned to leave, but my gaze fell on the charm necklace around her neck, the one that belonged to Alexander.
