Chapter 3

The wedding ceremony started at exactly 10:08.

At 10:12, Edward finally showed up at the back door of the ballroom.

He was dressed in a black suit, his hair a bit messy, with faint dark circles under his eyes.

When I saw him from a distance, my heart loosened for a second, only to tighten right after. He missed a cufflink.

The other one had appeared in Grace's photo last night.

The emcee was livening up the atmosphere on stage, and every seat in the guest area was filled.

Edward walked over and took my hand.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "Something happened on the way."

I looked at him. "How's Grace?"

His fingers stiffened. "She had some contractions last night. I took her to the hospital to be monitored, and she only stabilized this morning."

I nodded. "So, you came straight from the hospital?"

He stayed silent.

The emcee called out, "Let's welcome the bride and groom!"

When my dad handed my hand to Edward, he pressed Edward's hand firmly. "Edward, take good care of Olivia from now on."

Edward swallowed hard. "I will, sir."

As I stood there listening, I suddenly felt like an outsider.

The red carpet stretched on forever. Every step we took, the big screen flashed another photo of Edward and me.

Outside the university, graduation day, our first trip together, his proposal, me in a wedding dress, us setting up our new place. Every single photo showed me grinning ear to ear.

I really believed that after seven years, we got here because we were solid, unbreakable.

When we reached the center of the stage, Edward's phone buzzed. He didn't even look at it.

It buzzed again. I felt his grip on my hand tighten.

The emcee smiled and said, "Next, let's hear the groom's vows to his bride."

The microphone was handed to Edward. He looked at me, his eyes heavy with exhaustion and a hint of guilt. "Olivia, you've been with me for seven years, ever since college."

Just then, his phone buzzed for the third time.

Someone in the crowd chuckled quietly. "Looks like the groom's got a lot on his plate."

Edward's hand holding the microphone froze for a moment.

I saw Ryan Shaw, the best man, hurry over from the side, holding out his phone to Edward, his face full of urgency.

Edward glanced down at the screen. Just one look, and all the color drained from his face.

The emcee kept smiling, trying to smooth things over. "Looks like the groom's friends are as excited as he is today."

I looked at Edward. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer me. He turned to leave the stage.

I grabbed his wrist. "Edward."

He turned back to me, his gaze frantic. "Grace is bleeding. The doctor needs a family member to sign off right now."

I stood there, my ears ringing.

The crowd went dead silent.

I heard my mom gasp.

My dad held onto the back of his chair as he stood up, his face pale.

Monica Lane, Andrew's mother, rushed over from the first line. "Edward, are you crazy? It's your wedding day!"

Edward closed his eyes. "Mom, Grace is carrying my brother's child."

Monica froze.

The whispers around us surged like a wave.

"What widow?"

"The one who's pregnant?"

"Is she the one everyone's been talking about online?"

I looked at Edward, my voice trembling. "This is my wedding, too."

His eyes were bloodshot, like he was barely holding it together. "Olivia, I'll be back soon."

He'd said the same thing last night.

I asked, "What if I don't let you go?"

He froze for a second.

I gripped his wrist, my fingers digging in. "Edward, if you walk off this stage today, I'll take it as you're choosing to be her child's father."

The crowd went dead silent.

Edward looked at me, his lips parted like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

I could see he understood. And in that moment, I knew he'd already made his choice.

His hand slowly pulled away from mine. "I'm sorry."

Then he turned and strode off the stage.

The hem of his suit brushed against the red carpet, his back clearly visible against the backdrop of our photo on the big screen.

In the photo, he had his arm around me, wearing that gentle smile.

But in real life, he was leaving me behind, step by step.

The ballroom erupted into chaos.

My mom grabbed me, tears streaming down her face. "Olivia"

My dad looked shockingly pale, his chest rising and falling hard.

Monica was trembling with rage as she yelled toward the door, "Edward, get back here!"

He didn't even look back.

The emcee stood frozen on stage, awkwardly clutching the mic, not sure what to do.

I looked down at the wedding ring on my finger. Edward had slipped it on me before the ceremony started.

The ring was a little too tight, and I had to struggle to get it off, leaving a red indentation on my finger.

Everyone was staring at me.

I placed the ring on the tray the emcee was holding.

The ring hit the tray with a soft clink. It was a quiet sound, but it felt like something inside me had shattered.

I lifted the hem of my wedding dress and walked off the stage.

Monica rushed after me, tears streaming down her face. "Olivia, I'm so sorry. I'll have someone bring him back right now. Don't worry. The wedding can still go on"

I looked at her. "Monica, there's no need."

She froze. "What do you mean?"

I didn't answer.

I walked over to my parents and steadied my dad. "Dad, let's go to the hospital first."

My dad gritted his teeth. "I'm fine."

"You look terrible," I said.

My mom's shoulders were shaking with sobs, but she still tried to fix my veil for me. "Don't be scared, sweetheart. Mom and Dad are right here."

I nodded. "I'm not scared."

Still, I couldn't stop shivering. Even though the ballroom was warm, my fingers were so cold they felt numb.