Chapter 4

After taking a seat, David asked, "Are you tired? You were traveling for over three weeks. Why did you not go home to rest instead of running over here?"

"I wanted to finish inspecting the new house early," I said, looping my arm through his. "Dad, take a look. Do you think I chose a curtain color that is too light?"

David followed my gaze, replying, "The color is fine. The only issue is placing that freezer in the living room. It blocks the natural light and takes up entirely too much space."

Andrew's uncle, Aden Grant, chimed in with a chuckle. "Young people love stocking up on food. They will definitely need a large freezer once they have children."

The mention of children caused Lily's expression to darken further.

I slowly sliced a pie, uttering, "Speaking of children, I actually wanted to ask Andrew for his opinion."

"Did you two not plan on waiting a few years?" Lillian said, looking slightly surprised. "You mentioned wanting to enjoy your time alone a few days ago."

"That is true," I replied as I stared at the freezer. "But plans are always subject to change."

Olivia could no longer sit still, asking, "Emily, what exactly is the meaning of all this tonight? Did you really gather all these people here to discuss when to have a baby?"

"Of course not," I said and distributed the sliced dessert to everyone. "I actually wanted to make an announcement."

All eyes turned to me.

Lily gripped her fingers tightly.

"My wedding with Andrew is officially on hold," I said.

The moment the words left my mouth, the Grants were left completely stunned.

Lillian stood up abruptly, asking, "Emily, what is going on?"

Aden frowned, retorting, "The wedding date is set, and some invitations have already been sent. Putting it on hold now is entirely inappropriate."

"Exactly," Olivia shrieked, her voice pitching higher. "Emily, you cannot use the wedding as a threat merely because my brother missed a few phone calls. He works incredibly hard to build a career. Can you stop being so unreasonable?"

"Unreasonable?" I said, looking up at her. "I paid five hundred thousand dollars for the down payment and over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the renovations and furniture. All of that money came from me.

"The wedding deposits, the bridal gown, the catering, and the honeymoon were also arranged by me. How is postponing my own wedding considered unreasonable?"

Olivia flushed deeply, unable to formulate a response.

Lily cut in right away. "Emily, you did spend the money, but Andrew never said he would not pay you back. Marriage is not an accounting ledger. A woman who calculates every single penny will eventually ruin her own relationship."

Lillian sneered, "Lily, that is an incredibly absurd statement. My daughter spends her own money to fund this wedding, yet you are claiming she is the one who should not keep score?"

"Lillian, that's not what I meant," Lily replied.

"Then what did you mean?" Lilian pressed.

The tension in the living room pulled tight.

Right at that moment, the front door unlocked.

Andrew stood in the entryway.

He wore a crisp white dress shirt. His forehead was slick with sweat, yet he forced an expression of complete calm.

"Dad, Mom, Mr. and Mrs. Summers, what brings everyone here?" he asked.

Looking as if she had found her savior, Olivia rushed over to him, exclaiming, "Andrew, Emily said she is postponing the wedding."

Andrew's gaze fell on me.

That look in his eyes was complicated.

It held a mix of guilt, warning, and a threatening plea for me to stop making a scene.

He walked up to me and lowered his voice. "Emily, let us go into the bedroom and talk."

"If you have something to say, say it in front of everyone," I shot back.

"You really have to do this?" he hissed.

"Yes," I said, staring at the large damp patches on the knees of his black trousers.

The space inside the freezer was cramped.

He must have been kneeling for quite some time.

Summer was probably leaning against his chest right now, waiting for him to send everyone away.

Taking a deep breath, Andrew suddenly reached out to grab my arm and shouted, "Enough already."

I slapped his hand away, yelling, "Andrew, do not touch me after you have been touching someone else."

Those words dropped like a bomb in the middle of the living room.

Every single person turned to stare at Andrew simultaneously.