Chapter 5

Three days later, I still showed up to the dinner.

An ugly beginning deserved a clean, dignified ending.

When I arrived at the private dining room, it was completely empty.

Right then, my phone buzzed. It was Marcus, and he immediately started yelling the moment I picked up.

"Catherine! How old are you? Still playing games and showing up late? If you can’t even manage your time, how can I trust you with a manager position?"

I opened the text notification on my phone.

It was a new address.

How hilarious. The venue had been changed, and I, the bride, was the last to know.

When I finally arrived at the upscale restaurant, Chloe was sitting in my designated seat, making both sets of parents laugh hysterically with her sweet banter.

The moment I walked in, the warm atmosphere turned ice-cold.

Chloe immediately made a show of standing up to give me my seat, but Marcus’s mother grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "Chloe, sweetie, stay right there."

She then turned her icy glare toward me. "If some people hadn't used cheap, manipulative tricks, the title of Mrs. Christian would belong to Chloe right now."

"You're in your twenties, yet you expect your elders to sit around and wait for you."

"You haven't even officially moved into the Christian estate, and you're already throwing your weight around like you own the place. Who do you think you are?"

My parents sat there, offering nothing but awkward, tight smiles.

Marcus shot me a warning glare, his eyes practically screaming threats.

"On such an important day, you're the only one who's late. Aren't you embarrassed?"

I let out a long sigh, ignored the comments, and sat down at an empty seat. My heart was already dead.

Looking at the table, every single dish was covered in heavy, spicy Mexican chili oil.

Marcus picked up a fork, stabbed a piece of spicy meat, and put it on my plate. He leaned close to my ear. "Stop sulking. Everyone is watching. Smile."

Without a second thought, I scraped the meat directly into the trash bin.

The smile on Marcus's face froze.

"I can't eat spicy food."

My stomach had been ruined by stress ulcers over the years; spicy food was practically poison to my system.

Years ago, when I had accidentally taken a bite of a spicy pepper, Marcus had panicked, rushing me to the ER for a full gastrointestinal scan.

Since then, he had always personally checked every menu to make sure my food was bland.

Chloe noticed my action and her face fell. "The elders are all sitting right here, Catherine. Who are you putting on this dramatic show for?"

Marcus looked at Chloe, then back at me. He stabbed another piece of spicy food, his voice dropping to a cold, commanding whisper. "Eat it. Behave."

I set my fork down with a quiet clack. "Enjoy your dinner."

"I only came here to say one thing: I won't be attending the wedding. Marcus and I are completely over."

With that, I stood up and walked out.

Behind me, Marcus's mother exploded into furious screeching, while my parents frantically rambled out awkward apologies.

I drove straight back to my apartment, grabbed my pre-packed suitcases, and headed to the airport.

Back at the restaurant, it took Marcus nearly an hour to soothe his mother’s anger, promising her that I would never act out like this again.

But remembering the absolute finality in my eyes before I walked out, a sudden, cold dread crept into his chest. He pulled out his phone and shot me a text:

Catherine, stop this childish nonsense. Come back and apologize right now.

I didn't reply.

For the next few days, I didn't send him a single text or call.

He didn't think much of it, assuming I was just experiencing cold feet and being shy before the big day.

After all, I had chased him for seven years. He was convinced I could never survive without him.

He figured this time would be no different.

On the morning of the wedding, Marcus got up early, carefully grooming himself. He couldn't wait to see me walk down the aisle.

But the moment his car pulled up to the luxury hotel venue, his face went completely pale.