Chapter 176

Chapter 176

The more he thought about it, the more amused he became. He didn't waste much breath—just told Rebecca not to worry too much about it.

When Rebecca saw that her concerns failed to resonate with Everard, she actually felt a bit resentful.

"Pretty great, actually—getting to exchange vows with you on this cliffside. If either of us breaks our promises down the road, we can just push the other one off."

At the time, Everard had said it casually to comfort her, but it was hard to hide that he'd meant every word.

The ceremony officially began at ten o'clock. Presiding over Everard and Rebecca's wedding was a rather experienced local pastor.

He was already seventy years old this year. His dark, weathered skin and the deep grooves etched across his face made him look even older than he actually was.

But this pastor carried a somewhat legendary reputation. Supposedly, he'd been officiating weddings since he was twenty years old.

And not a single couple he'd married had ever separated or divorced.

Rebecca didn't know how much of that was true and how much was embellishment.

After all, the man had officiated so many weddings in his lifetime—surely he couldn't keep track of every couple's current status, right?

Rebecca watched as Everard slowly slid the ring onto her ring finger.

After hearing that vow of his—neither too soft nor too loud, yet hitting her heart like a hammer—she still hoped this legendary pastor could help her and the man she loved stay together until the end.

She didn't ask for a smooth life, only that no matter what happened, he'd be by her side.

Rebecca had stumbled into things with Everard in a daze. They'd already been together so long that the ceremony itself didn't hold that much weight for them anymore.

But the young, unmarried girls sitting in the guest section? Their eyes were full of envy.

Gavin sat in the front row, watching the sea breeze lift Rebecca's veil, sunlight spilling over her, the endless ocean stretching behind her.

When he'd handed Rebecca over to Everard, he hadn't felt much. But now, sitting quietly, watching the smile of pure happiness bloom across Rebecca's face, his eyes suddenly reddened.

Melissa wasn't someone who put much stock in ceremonies either, so sitting down here, she was basically just taking in the scenery while watching the young couple.

Of course, she couldn't help but think back to over twenty years ago, to the scene of her own wedding with Gavin.

She turned her head. At the same moment she looked toward Gavin, she realized he was looking back at her with misty eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"

Melissa frowned, not quite understanding why Gavin was silently wiping away tears.

Gavin's voice came out thick with emotion as he said quietly, "From now on, our daughter won't be mine anymore..."

Melissa mentally rolled her eyes at him.

"Look at the way she looks at Everard—like he's the only person in the entire world. Rebecca's heart won't have room for me anymore."

Melissa sighed helplessly. But instead of comforting him, she delivered another blow without hesitation: "She didn't just start looking at him like that today, you know. Her heart stopped having room for you a long time ago. You're acting like she still thinks about you."

Still, Melissa truly felt this wedding was far more solid than the last one.

After the ceremony ended, Rebecca and Everard returned to their hotel room.

While changing clothes, Everard said, "Rebecca, let's run away."

Rebecca thought Everard was joking, but then he released her, turned around, and pulled two sets of clothes out of their suitcase.

"These aren't what we're supposed to wear to the banquet tonight, are they?"

"Put this on first."

Everard glanced at the time, then urged her on.

An ominous feeling crept through Rebecca's heart. She took the outfit he'd tossed her. Her hand trembled—it was a white T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

She looked back up at Everard. He held a matching set: the same short-sleeved tee and a pair of light-colored board shorts.

"You're not seriously going through with this, are you?"

Rebecca had to admit that sometimes, Everard was absolutely insane.

Like right now—stuffing a note into Oliver's clothes, coaxing Oliver into taking an afternoon nap, then dragging her out of the hotel.

The sky had gone completely dark, but bright lights still illuminated the distant beach, making the ocean surface shimmer and sparkle.

Rebecca looked at the tall figure dressed in light-colored board shorts and a simple tee. It felt fresh. Novel.

She'd never actually seen him dress so casually before. Though at home, when he got wild, being completely naked was perfectly normal.

"Do you really think this is okay? There are so many important guests at the banquet tonight."

Rebecca's heart was torn. Running away was just too tempting an idea, but she also worried that this stunt of theirs might spiral into something they couldn't handle.

"I know what I'm doing."

Everard spoke shamelessly.

Rebecca immediately felt a headache coming on. She grabbed his arm. "Let's just go back. If you want to go out and have fun, we can do it tomorrow."

Everard stopped walking and looked at her. "You sure you want to go back?"

Rebecca hesitated again.

"Fine, then let's go back."

"Actually, let's not!"

Rebecca said quickly, looping her arm around his and tilting her face up toward him, her smile blooming wide.

Everard's eyes held laughter as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and headed toward the beach.

"We've greeted everyone we needed to greet. Met everyone we needed to meet. The banquet isn't that important."

Everard and Rebecca walked along the shoreline, leaving footprints in the sand, one after the other.

Rebecca walked backward, looking at Everard, her face glowing with a smile she couldn't wipe away.

The night sea breeze blew around them. Though there were plenty of tourists on the beach, they were scattered, making the beach feel open and spacious.

"You're just making excuses for your childish behavior!"

Rebecca called him out without mercy.

"I know what I'm doing."

The same line again. But Rebecca wasn't buying it.

"And you call that 'knowing what you're doing'? When we get back and your parents get mad, you're taking all the blame." Rebecca looked like she was seriously considering this. "I'll just say you dragged me out here! That I didn't want to come! Either way, I'm keeping my hands clean. Don't say I'm not being loyal when the time comes."

"Keeping your hands clean? And I can't even say you're being disloyal?"

Everard raised an eyebrow.

Rebecca thought about it. Yeah, maybe that was taking too much advantage of Everard.

"Okay, how about this."

She pointed toward the volleyball court ahead on the beach. "We race to that spot. If you catch me, I'll share the blame with you. If you don't catch me, you have to promise I won't get yelled at when we go back."

Everard's lips curved upward. "Deal."

The moment the word left his mouth, he'd already taken two long strides. Rebecca jumped, startled by his quick reflexes, and hurried to shout, "Wait! I didn't say start yet—Ah!"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Everard hoisted her over his shoulder!