Chapter 3

Leaving those words behind, I turned and walked out of the banquet hall. Garrison called after me anxiously, but I didn't look back. On the way, he called me countless times and sent me countless messages. I didn't reply to a single one. Until he sent one saying, "It's about your dad's treatment plan. Answer the phone." I clenched my fists and finally replied, "I'll be at the rehab center tomorrow. We'll talk in person." When I arrived the next day, he was already wiping my dad's body down with a towel. He was still wearing the same shirt from yesterday, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "Dad, Vesper and I have it all figured out. Once you're discharged, we'll go file our marriage license paperwork and hold the wedding. For our sake, you have to get better quickly." My dad lay on the bed, completely unresponsive. But he just kept rambling on. "You need to get better so you can drink at our wedding, so you can live a good life with us..." In that moment, a bitter ache pierced my heart. I turned my head, just wanting to escape. But he grabbed my hand, his tone as gentle as ever. "Why are you running? Dad hasn't even had his shave yet. The razor is on the table..." After saying that, he smiled and continued, "Dad, look how lazy Vesper is getting. She's trying to run off without shaving you. When you wake up, think about how you're going to punish her." It made me think back to before the accident, back before I was recognized and brought into the Wentworth family. My dad would joke with me, saying that when he got old and his hands trembled too much to shave, he would have me do it for him. Tears fell uncontrollably. My chest ached so much I couldn't catch my breath. I didn't know if I was hurting over Garrison's betrayal or over my dad's unconscious state. While I was dazed, someone gently wiped my face, and the razor was taken from my palm. Garrison sighed and pulled me to the foot of the bed. "The consulting specialists are already here, and your dad's rehab plan has been finalized. The foundation is covering the part that insurance won't pay. You should be happy. Why are you still crying?" I snapped my head up and glared at him, suppressing my voice to ask, "I already promised to step aside. You don't have to act anymore." Garrison didn't argue. He pressed on my shoulders and pulled me into his arms. "I watched you grow up over these ten years. We were together almost every day. Can you really let me go?" Whether I could let him go or not, it didn't matter. I would never be the woman who broke up someone else's family. Seeing my cold silence, he lowered his head, his eyes staring intently at me. "Vesper, whether you believe it or not, I never wanted to separate from you." The grip he had on my hands was so strong I couldn't break free no matter how hard I tried. "You used to rely on me so much, but the older you got, the more independent you became. Only Giselle followed behind me all day long." "At that Wentworth family dinner, you were on shift at the hospital. I drank too much and mistook her for you. She didn't push me away. Instead, she hugged me tight..." "Over the years, she followed you around, keeping her head down, and suffered a lot of grievances. More importantly—she's different from you. That night, I mistook her for you, and she didn't correct me—she went along with it. She said she had been waiting for that day for a long time. I owed her an answer, and I could only pay her back with that position." I closed my eyes, my heart twisting in pain. But not a single tear would fall. Back when the Stratton family was under investigation, those people came knocking. I was the one who stepped up and shielded him. I lied so he wouldn't feel guilty. He always thought I got beaten up by a few debt-collecting thugs in the hospital parking lot. But I never expected that everything I endured for him would end up being his reason for changing his heart. I gritted my teeth and slapped him hard across the face. After the crisp smack, I pointed a trembling finger at the door. "Get out. I don't want to see you." He slowly turned his head and offered the other side of his face to me, his eyes still as gentle as ever. "Vesper, even though she is my wife in name, you are still the most important person to me." "She has that marriage certificate, but you have my love, and you have me by your side. I will only give you more than her, never less." "Most importantly, I'm the only one who can save your dad. I had them set up that rehab plan, and the foundation is covering the part insurance won't pay. With just one word from me, he can be moved into a private room at that center next week..."