Chapter 2
The silence only lasted three seconds.
Then, it was like someone had dropped a bomb in the banquet hall. The whole place erupted.
Whispers surged through the crowd like a tidal wave.
Everyone's eyes flicked back and forth between me and Eric.
Shock, confusion, disbelief.
And a hint of excitement, like everyone was ready for the show.
Eric's face went from red, to pale, to ashen.
His smile didn't just freeze, it shattered into pieces.
His hand trembled as he gripped the microphone.
His lips moved, but not a single word came out.
At the main table, Marjorie was the first to react.
She shot to her feet, her chair screeching as it toppled to the floor.
"Julia!"
She screamed my name, her voice distorted by rage.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Richard sprang up, his face turning a dark, angry shade.
He pointed at me, his hand shaking.
"You crazy woman! What are you trying to pull?"
I ignored them completely.
My eyes stayed locked on Eric the whole time, the man I once thought I could spend my whole life with.
The host was practically freaking out.
He rushed over, sweating bullets, trying to grab the mic from me and desperately smooth things over.
"Everyone, it's just a joke! Julia's just having a little fun."
I slipped my wrist away, dodging his grab.
"I'm not joking," I said firmly.
My voice stayed calm.
"I'm just stating a fact and asking a reasonable question."
"Eric, answer me." I locked eyes with him.
"Where's the 4,600 dollars coming from?"
Beads of sweat popped up on Eric's forehead.
All the affection and emotion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by the humiliation of being exposed in front of everyone, and a flash of anger.
"Julia! Stop making a scene!"
He hissed through gritted teeth, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Whatever it is, we'll talk about it at home! Don't embarrass us in front of everyone!"
"Embarrass us?" I repeated, a cold laugh escaping me.
"At our wedding, you just went ahead and announced you'd use our marital money to show off your filial piety, without even asking me. So tell me, who's really making a fool of themselves here?"
"Eric, what do you take me for?"
"Am I just some accessory you can use to save face, swallowing all my grievances in silence?"
My parents came rushing onto the stage.
My mom grabbed my arm, her voice shaking, eyes brimming with tears.
"Julia, what are you doing? Please, just stop!"
My dad's face was stormy with rage as he glared at the Grant Family.
Eric's parents hurried onto the stage too.
The little stage instantly turned into a battlefield.
Marjorie stormed up to me, jabbing her finger right in my face.
"Julia! Have you no shame? What's so wrong about Eric being a good son?"
"He's not wrong," I said, my voice icy.
I shot her a cold look.
"There's nothing wrong with being filial, or being generous."
"But only if you're spending your own money."
"Not dragging me into this and using my money just to make your son look like a hero!"
"How dare you accuse me like that!" Marjorie was shaking with rage.
"What do you mean, your money? Once you're married, it's all shared! It's a wife's duty to support the household!"
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.
"So that's what you think."
"So for me, this wedding was the start of a new life, but for you, it was just a trap to set me up."
I turned to Eric.
"Is that what you think too?"
"When you planned this 'surprise', did you really think my money was yours to spend however you wanted?"
Eric was left speechless by my question.
He avoided my eyes, his gaze darting away.
I felt a chill run through me. I was done.
This wasn't just some random impulse.
This was a setup they'd been planning for ages, all to guilt-trip me.
They'd all schemed this together.
They waited for the wedding, the one place I couldn't fight back, just so they could trap me.
Too bad for them, they miscalculated.
I, Julia, was never someone anyone could mess with.
"Enough!" Richard finally snapped, his voice booming across the hall.
He finally lost it, shouting loud enough for everyone to hear.
He tried to pull rank, hoping his authority would shut down the chaos.
"Don't air our dirty laundry in public! Shut up, all of you! This is embarrassing!"
He glared at me, furious.
"Julia, apologize to your in-laws and all the guests right now! We're done here!"
"You think that's it?" I shot him a look, like he'd just cracked the world's biggest joke.
"Mr. Grant, I don't think so."
"You kicked off this mess today, so you better stick around for the grand finale."
Seeing I wasn't budging, Marjorie started making a scene.
"What evil thing I've done? Stuck with a daughter-in-law like this is just miserable! She's a total drama queen! What did the Grant Family do to deserve this?"
She plopped down on the floor, slapping her thighs and wailing like a banshee.
The whole wedding descended into utter chaos.
The guests were whispering and pointing, gossiping up a storm.
But in the middle of all this madness, I felt more clear-headed than ever.
I saw the true colors of this family laid bare before me.
Eric's cowardice and scheming.
Marjorie's greed and overbearing attitude.
Richard's hypocrisy and controlling ways.
I let out a cold laugh.
I laughed at myself for being so blind these last three years.
This wedding was just the perfect medicine for curing my blindness.
It was like a grand fireworks show, bursting open at its brightest, only to reveal the filth at its core.
Fine by me.
It's never too late to cut the loss.
I took a deep breath and turned away from them.
I raised the microphone, bowed to the stunned crowd, and spoke up.
"Everyone, may I have your attention please."
"Sorry you all had to witness this mess."
"This wedding is over."
"I'm not marrying Eric."