A Clean Break

Gabriel would say, "This is my fiancée, Melanie Chandler, the youngest jewelry designer in Holmfirth. Her works have won countless international awards, and even the royal family has requested her to design their wedding jewelry.

"Appointments with her won't be available until next year! Actually, it's not until the year after that! Because we're having a grand wedding next year. We'll be sure to invite everyone."

The love he gave me was so perfect, yet it had this fatal flaw that made everything come crashing down.

I went to a hotel alone and cried my heart out.

I kept telling myself that I was just betrayed and deceived. It wasn't the end of the world.

The wedding hadn't even started yet. There was still time. I could leave this place that brought me heartbreak and distance myself from those two traitors.

But why should I leave? They were the ones in the wrong. I would make them pay!

And what I should reflect on was not my sincerity but my lack of sharp judgment. I was not at fault. I was a good person.

The next day was the wedding rehearsal, so I returned to the apartment early.

When Gabriel came to pick me up, I had already composed myself, but he still noticed my puffy eyes.

"Why are your eyes so red?" he asked, leaning down and gently kissing my eyelids.

I forced myself to hold back the disgust and said, "I miss my parents."

Gabriel smiled softly and squatted down to help me change shoes. "They must be happy for you, watching from above."

As I stared at the top of Gabriel's head, my mind was filled with thousands of unspoken words.

If he couldn't stay faithful, why did he choose me? He knew I hated betrayal more than anything. Did he ever think about how much it would hurt me if I found out he was sneaking around with Yvette?

But I held back all those words.

Gabriel had always proclaimed he was going to give me a wedding that would shock the entire city. I was going to turn that grand wedding into a ridiculous farce. And Gabriel would be the saddest clown in the middle of it all.

The rehearsal went on until evening.

Before we left, I told Gabriel and Yvette to wait for me in the parking lot.

I asked for the wedding planner, Courtney Price. This wedding, worth millions of dollars, was led by me and executed by Courtney.

After our conversation, she looked troubled. She wanted to say something but held back. I pretended not to notice.

I knew my demands were unreasonable. This last-minute change would create a huge workload. But I had dealt with brides who were even more willful than me.

Now that I was the bride, why shouldn't I be allowed to be willful just this once?

When I got to the car, the driver, Roberto Sloan, was missing. Gabriel sat in the front passenger seat, and Yvette was in the back.

The air was thick with suffocating silence.

I looked at Yvette's flushed cheek and let out a cold laugh.

Every time I saw this scene in the past, I thought they were just arguing again. Now I know they were sneaking around behind my back.

How foolish I had been.

I sat in the back seat and closed my eyes wearily. "Where's Roberto?"

"He's in the restroom. I'll call him right away," Gabriel answered.

I simply hummed in acknowledgment.

Gabriel turned around and handed me a thermal flask. The fragrance of coffee filled the air.

"Are you tired?" he asked gently.

Then he ordered Yvette, "Yvette, switch to the front seat."

"No need." I opened my eyes and grabbed Yvette's hand, turning to her with a smile. "I still have a lot to talk to Yvette about."

Gabriel frowned in displeasure. "What could you possibly need to say that I can't hear?"

I smiled even wider. "It's just some idle gossip. If you hear it, you'll probably say Yvette's trying to sow discord between us again."

Gabriel snorted. "Yvette, no matter how much you oppose it, I'm marrying Melanie. You'll have to show me some respect in the future."

Yvette seemed to sense something. Unlike usual, she didn't retort. Her expression stiffened, and she looked at me diffidently.