Chapter 3

The day before the wedding, I went to the carpenter's shop and the department store to pick up the wedding gifts my parents had spent months putting together.

They had poured their hearts into every piece. Those gifts were meant to be carried out on the wedding day to make a good showing, and today was the day I was supposed to take them home.

I went to the department store first with the receipt. The stock clerk scratched his head and told me everything had already been taken a few days ago and that I needed to talk to the manager.

The manager looked uncomfortable before explaining that Charles had come with another woman. He said I was too busy and had sent him to collect the items for me.

I went straight to the carpenter's shop next, and the workers told me the exact same story.

They even complained about the woman who came with him, saying she nitpicked everything—this wasn't right, that needed changing.

Of all times, Charles chose to pick up the gifts now and hid it from me, and his shamelessness showed in full.

Not to mention how long I had waited for these pieces.

My parents had been saving ever since they started discussing my wedding, just so they could give me a proper set of wedding gifts.

They even cut down the decades-old trees in our family's yard to make the furniture.

And now Charles thought he could waltz in with his little homewrecker and take everything as if it were free. Not a chance.

I stormed over to Charles' place. He had the nerve to touch his nose, point lazily inside, and say, "Everything's right there. You can take it now. I did hear you ran into some trouble though. Sounds like the factory might need to step in for you."

It was a threat—barefaced and pathetic.

I held back my anger, not for his dignity, but because I didn't want to stoop to his level.

But Charles completely misread me. "Grace, I know you're upset. But you grew up having everything. Emily didn't. I don't want her to feel slighted."

He shrugged. "We're going to replace everything after we get married anyway. There's no need to make such a big deal out of it."

So now her lack of anything was somehow my fault?

His logic would've been funny if it weren't so disgusting.

Fine. If he wanted "dignity", I would give them both exactly that.

Seeing me finally smile, Charles even told me to make sure I came to his wedding tomorrow.

I stared at him for a long moment, wondering how I had never realized how shameless and clueless he was.

I didn't want to waste another second on him. "I'm getting married tomorrow. I don't have time to attend a stranger's wedding," I said flatly.

Charles completely ignored the invitation I had sent him earlier. He thought I was throwing a tantrum and laughed, "Sure. Wishing you a long and happy marriage."

On the way home, I was still worrying about what to do without the wedding gifts the next day. As soon as I stepped inside, the brand-new furniture hit my eyes.

Nathan had sent everything over—furniture, appliances, even the small things I hadn't had time to think about.

Looking at the yard full of wedding gifts, my chest warmed.

I sat down to catch my breath and started thinking about the "dignity" I would return to Charles and Emily the next day.

The next morning, Nathan came to pick me up.

When I stepped out surrounded by people, Charles' place was bustling too.

I ran into Emily, who was dressed to the nines. She clung tightly to Charles' waist, smiling like she had already won.

She wrapped both arms around Charles' waist, wearing that smug, triumphant smile. "Grace," she said, "thanks for the wedding gifts."

Then she gave Nathan a dismissive look and added, "Poor you, having to marry a man who can't even use his hands."

I smiled back and told her to worry about herself first. My brother and the police were already waiting at the restaurant, just as planned.

Today, Emily would finally get the attention she craved and the "dignity" she deserved.

She had been the one who inserted herself into my relationship, who took every chance to embarrass me, and who still smugly stole my wedding gifts.

She thought I would swallow it quietly for the sake of appearances.

But this time, she had miscalculated.

Nathan moved fast, and in the blink of an eye, we arrived at the new house.

His coworkers were already there, along with a few of his relatives.

Before the ceremony, his mischievous little sister tried to put on a show, pretending to "warn" me not to bully her brother. But the next second, she switched to a bright smile, looped her arm through mine, and shook it playfully.

"You're so pretty. Way better than that so-called factory beauty," she said. "My brother is probably obsessed with you already."

My face heated instantly. I turned and stole a quick glance at Nathan.

Did he like me? Today was only the third time we had ever met.

He had the kind of quiet sharpness that none of the engineers I had met carried.

He seemed calm, composed, and impossible to overlook—completely different from Charles, who was loud and showy.

Nathan took me to the newly decorated bedroom and told me to relax and rest for a while.

I asked him to sit too and wanted to check his injured arm.

As soon as I reached out, Nathan stepped back, almost shy, and quickly removed the bandage himself.

The hand that was supposed to have been amputated was still there. A long, angry scar ran across it, but it was whole.

I stared, stunned, unable to look away. I reached out and touched it again just to be sure.

Nathan let out a soft laugh and gently pushed me to sit down. "It wasn't that serious. It was just a way to keep trouble away."

I had been worried about hurting his pride.

All along it turned out I was the only one left in the dark.

But this surprise? I liked it.

I couldn't wait to see Emily's face when she found out. She had chased Nathan for ages, acting shamelessly just to get close to him.