Looking at Nathaniel’s twisted face and hearing his roar, even the bus ticket agent froze.
After snapping out of it, she glared at him coldly. “Who are you? Whoever’s on this bus has nothing to do with you!”
“How can that be? The one sitting inside is my-”
Halfway through the sentence, he suddenly stopped. It hit him that I had nothing to do with him anymore.
I was only his sister–in–law now. He had no right to demand answers about where I was going
Just then, Catherine came running up from behind, grabbing his hand. “What’s wrong? Did you see someone?”
He clutched at her like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline, pushing her forward. “Catherine, hurry and ask them if the person
who just got on the bus was Bella!”
Her excitement from moments ago froze instantly on her face. She shoved him away and said angrily, “Nathaniel, it’s our
wedding day today! Why do you care where Bella goes or what she does?
“Gather yourself! I’m your bride now!”
He stood there stunned, unable to say anything.
The bus ticket agent let out a sharp snort, clearly fed up with him. “So you’re just a two–timer.”
Relatives and friends quickly stepped in, apologizing to the bus ticket agent, then dragged him out of the station to continue the
wedding.
When they noticed how gloomy he looked, one of his friends tried to comfort him. “Maybe you made a mistake. It’s Catherine’s
wedding day. How could Bella, of all people, not show up?”
Those words pulled his attention back. He muttered to himself, like he was trying to hypnotize his own heart.
“You’re right. Today is Catherine’s and my wedding. As the sister, Bella has to be here.”
Even as he said it, he couldn’t convince himself.
When he mentioned the word “wedding“, his voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.
The wedding banquet was held at a famous restaurant. Both families‘ relatives and friends arrived one after another. But until the
very end of the reception, I never appeared.
Panic churned inside him, but he couldn’t slip away.
Guests kept crowding around, dragging him off to drink. After going from table to table to toast and drink with different people, he finally spotted my mother and couldn’t hold back anymore. “Amethyst, it’s my wedding day with Catherine. Why haven’t I
seen Bella anywhere?”
1/3
Chapter 5
+25 Bonus
My mother looked at him calmly, then sighed. “Since you’ve already married Catherine, you need to rein in thoughts you
shouldn’t be having.”
She then pulled an envelope of cash that had been prepared in advance from her coat. “This is a wedding gift from Bella. She told
me to hand it to you.”
His face drained of color, his legs nearly giving way beneath him. Knowing he wouldn’t get any more answers from my mother, a
shadow of frustration and restless unease settled over him.
He endured the reception until the very end. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. Ignoring Catherine’s protests, he bolted for
Briarwood Manor. This time, he didn’t even bother knocking.
He shoved the shabby front door open. But when he saw the place completely empty, it was like the air left his body.
In a daze, he wandered the rooms, as if he could still smell my lingering scent.
There was a movie ticket on the table. The moment he saw the time and hall number printed on it, his pupils shrank in shock.
So, seeing me there hadn’t been his imagination.
Realizing we’d passed each other so closely tore at his chest with an unspeakable pain.
In my past life, I had to plead endlessly every time for him to watch a movie with me. And when he finally gave in, it was alwa with irritation, like he was doing me a favor.
Staggering out of Briarwood Manor, he went home in a daze.
Catherine sat stiffly on the couch, glaring at him. “The wedding just ended. Where did you run off to?”
A strange heaviness settled over him.
I used to be the one doting on him, taking care of every little detail after we got married, and in all 40 years of our marriage, I
never once confronted him.
His eyes fell on the marriage agreement still lying on the table. Suddenly, he remembered the promise we’d made as children. Back then, the agreement had his name written alongside mine.
But now, my name had been changed to Catherine’s.
It felt like a weight pressing hard on his chest, choking him into silence.
