Their colleagues who were present knew Priscilla’s words were the opposite of what really happened. None of them dared to say anything though. The ever-so-mighty Mr. Wang was present.
The Old CEO was also present, and the other high-ups in the company who were friends with Mr. Wang.
They were also shocked beyond measure when Priscilla appeared as the bride instead of Annie.
They were informed at the last minute that the venue had been changed. What they weren’t informed was that the bride had also been changed.
A few of Mrs. Ju’an’s friends who had seen Annie before also knew what the true situation was. Yet, none of them dared to say a word. They could only watch everything in wonder and shock, with a hint of pity towards the girl.
“You are making a scene here, Annie. Unless you wish for me to expose all your lies, you better leave now.”
Jason didn’t need to chase her out. The shock had numbed Annie’s heart and she didn’t want to stand there any longer.
She was done looking at those hypocritical faces. She had reached the point where she no longer held onto the belief that those who demonstrated affection would remain steadfast in their empathy.
“Jason, I’m disappointed.” The words left her lips as if they weighed nothing.
She let go of the flower bouquet in her hand then turned to her mother who was so mad that her eyes turned red. “Ma, let’s go home.”
As the girl left the scene, most of the onlookers shook their heads. If she was in the wrong, she would have thrown a tantrum and made a huge scene, right?
But the girl kept her cool. She swallowed the hurt and left silently. Was she perhaps the wronged one?
Surely, the world would never lack bad people whose sole aim was to oppress the weak. She was beautiful. However, what use was beauty without a humble background?
“Brother, I thought I was the black sheep of the family. Who knew you were a slow poison?” Layla couldn’t hold back her tears.
“Hey, be silent,” her father chidded softly.
Mr. Ju’an never said a word from where he sat. Also, he had been the one restraining his daughter from making a scene.
Otherwise, Layla would have flipped the wedding upside down from the moment Priscilla appeared as the bride instead of Annie.
“This is not fair!” Unable to take it anymore, Layla stood up and shouted. “Even if Annie has done something wrong, you shouldn’t have resorted to this. Don’t you know this is the greatest form of humiliation for a girl!?”
“Watch your tone, Layla. You don’t know what you’re saying,” Mrs. Ju’an warned.
“Argh! Damnit! I’m out of here!” Layla stormed into the house, wiping her tears furiously.
…
That night, Annie sat on her bed staring at the window.
The cold breeze lifted the curtains, blowing into her room. The moonlight bathed her face, also illuminating the small book in her hands.
Through the transparent curtains, her eyes were fixed on the moon. Like always, her attention wasn’t really on the moon. The far-off look in her eyes made it seem as if she was staring past the huge globe.
What was she thinking about?
Nothing.
Her numbed heart from earlier hadn’t awoken back to life. The events didn’t even replay in her mind. She just sat like a statue.
“Oh, Dear.” Mrs. Lin walked into the room and turned on the light. “I thought you were already asleep.”
The woman had woken up to drink some water. She couldn’t sleep well because of what happened today. Then she thought about the girl and decided to check on her. She didn’t expect to find her still awake.
“You can cry if you want to.” She sat beside her on the bed. “No one is asking you to be strong, Annie.”
Mrs. Lin was surprised that her daughter didn’t shed a single tear. What kind of resolve did she have?
Even she couldn’t stop herself from crying in secret. She not only was devastated because of what they did to her daughter. This event happened to bring back memories of what she felt when her husband left.
“What’s the use in crying?” Annie rested her head on the woman’s shoulder. “Haven’t we gone through more difficult things in the past?”
“Nothing is more challenging than having your heart broken,” Mrs. Lin whispered. “Annie, just cry and let it out. I’ll be here to comfort you.”
When had the girl ever even cried? As she grew up, she became colder. Sometimes, her resolve even scared the woman.
‘My heart is already in pieces, Ma. How can it ever be broken?’ Annie stared at her, but she didn’t voice out those words.
After sitting in silence for a while, Mrs. Lin sighed heavily then stood up. She closed the window and drew the curtains, then left the room.
Annie sat properly on the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. She looked down at the small book in her hands, fighting the urge to open it.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Her eyes were wide open, the sleep never came.
Her hands finally wandered to the bedside table and she picked up the pen.
[Uncle Lin, your disappearance brought bad luck. Are the misfortunes really your fault? What if I’m the real bad luck? This family has suffered a lot, how can I continue to bear this heavy weight? Come back soon or give us a hint. If you’re in trouble, let us know.]
Her fingers seemed to have developed a mind of their own. They went on scribbling more words on the book, her hand never getting tired.
Slowly, the moon dimmed and the sky became bright. With her back against the headboard, she stayed in the same position till the wee hours of the morning.
When the pen fell out of her hands, the ink had already run out. Finally weighed down by exhaustion, she shuffled to a proper position and rested her head on the pillow.
The knots in her heart had loosened up somehow. Her heart had become light.