Chapter 4
He was furious because the whole marriage deal between the Sanders and Wallen families just went up in smoke.
"Dad," I said, meeting his gaze calmly.
"I'm not the one who should be embarrassed, but the Wallen family for breaking their promise.
"It's Ethan who should be embarrassed. He'd rather be flogged ninety-nine times than go through with the engagement.
"I haven't done anything wrong."
"You..." Jonathan started, but couldn't finish.
He was totally at a loss for words.
My mom tugged at his sleeve, then looked at me, her eyes red and teary.
"Nona, what happened? How could the Wallen family do this to you?" Mary Sanders asked.
I summed up everything that happened today for them.
When I finished, the room went dead silent.
After a long moment, Jonathan finally let out a sigh.
"Forget it. Since the Wallen family doesn't want this, we're not going to force it.
"Let's call off the engagement."
His tone was full of regret for the loss of business interests.
I took a deep breath and dropped an even bigger bombshell.
"Dad, Mom, I'm getting married," I said.
"What?"
They both blurted out at the same time, shock written all over their faces.
"Who? When?"
"Callum," I replied.
"Tomorrow."
The next morning, right at nine a.m., Callum and I stood in front of the city hall, perfectly on time.
There was no fancy ceremony or blessings from guests.
We didn't even have a real wedding ring.
Like that, we just walked inside to register our marriage.
We filled in the papers and said our vows.
When the clerk handed us the marriage license, I still felt a little surreal.
Just like that, I was married.
After more than twenty years of dreaming about marriage, I never imagined it would happen so quickly, so unexpectedly, and with a man who wasn't the one I'd always pictured in my heart.
Walking out of the city hall, the sunlight outside was a bit harsh.
I glanced down at the marriage license in my hand. We even took a photo. In the photo, Callum looked gentle and refined, while I was smiling.
But that smile didn't reach my eyes at all.
"Do you regret it?"
Callum's voice sounded quietly at my side.
I shook my head.
"I don't regret it," I said.
"I just feel like it's so unfair to you."
He took my hand. His grip was warm, dry, and strong.
"As I said, this is the fairest thing that's ever happened to me," Callum replied.
"Come on, Mrs. Keller, let's celebrate."
He took me to an ordinary family-run restaurant.
The owners were an elderly couple who seemed to know Callum really well.
They welcomed us warmly, and every dish they served was exactly the kind of food I loved.
I ate, feeling completely at ease.
There were no fancy table manners, no tiptoeing around or worrying about appearances.
I could help myself to another plate of pasta without caring how I looked.
Callum just kept smiling and loading up my plate with food.
After dinner, Callum dropped me off at home.
"I have a major surgery tonight, pulling an all-nighter at the hospital. I'll pick you up tomorrow," he said.
"You... want to move in with me?" Callum asked, his ears turning a little red.
I looked at him and suddenly thought he was kind of adorable.
"Okay."
I nodded.
Meanwhile, at the Wallen family's ancestral estate, the air was so heavy that one could barely breathe.
Ethan lay face down on the bed. Even after his wounds were treated, his back was a terrifying sight.
He almost died from the ninety-nine lashes.
He stayed completely silent, refusing even the painkillers.
In those deep eyes of his, a dangerous, violent energy churned, enough to make anyone shiver.
He thought that by doing all this, he could finally get Winona out of his life for good.
Ethan figured Winona was probably holed up at home, sobbing her eyes out, just waiting for him to recover so he could toss her a bit of charity.
He'd already decided that once things calmed down, he'd go find his first love, who'd just come back from abroad.
A young assistant walked in, visibly nervous.
"M-Mr. Wallen," he stammered.
Ethan ignored him completely, his gaze still locked on the window.
Bruce Payne braced himself and handed over the tablet.
"Here's the update on the Sanders family you wanted me to track..."
"Go on," Ethan said.
His voice was hoarse and weak from his injuries, but the pressure in the room didn't let up for a second.
Bruce swallowed hard and spoke in a low voice.
"Miss Sanders... got a marriage license with Dr. Callum Keller at the city hall this morning."
As soon as Bruce finished speaking, the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Ethan's body went rigid.
He slowly turned his head, his stare sharp enough to make Bruce flinch.
"What did you just say?
"Say it again."
Bruce's legs nearly gave out from fear.
"Miss Sanders... got married. The groom is Callum Keller—"
"Impossible!" Ethan shot back.
He jerked upright, the sudden movement pulling at his wound.
He let out a muffled groan, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.