Chapter 116
Mason never left.
He stayed hidden at the wedding venue, waiting for Scarlett.
When the wedding began and the officiant asked if she was willing to become her partner's spouse, he didn't get the wedding cancellation he expected from Scarlett.
Instead, he heard her say "I do" with his own ears.
At that moment, Mason knew he had been too naive.
That Scarlett had never planned to call off the wedding and leave with him.
All that talk about humiliating Joshua—when he watched her happily say "I do," all the lies fell apart.
Mason took out his phone and sent a video to Joshua.
When the officiant asked Joshua if he was willing to take Scarlett as his wife, Joshua felt his phone vibrate.
Thinking it was Ella contacting him, he immediately pulled out his phone and opened it.
But what he saw wasn't a message from Ella—it was from Mason.
And in the video was footage of Mason and Scarlett having sex.
Joshua watched calmly.
There was no humiliation or anger, only a sense of relief from being freed from long-standing constraints.
But Joshua didn't show it. When the officiant asked him again if he was willing to marry the woman before him, he refused in front of all the guests, "I'm not willing."
As soon as he said this, the venue erupted.
Scarlett's face went pale. She demanded in confusion, "Joshua, what are you saying? Why are you saying you're not willing?"
To save Scarlett some face, Joshua didn't make the video public but only showed it to her, "I really underestimated you. Do you think this wedding still needs to happen?"
Joshua ripped off the groom's boutonniere from his chest and faced all the guests again, saying firmly, "Today's wedding is canceled, and my engagement to Scarlett ends here."
Finally free, Joshua didn't want to stay in this place for another second and walked away from the wedding venue.
Only after he had disappeared did people react.
Jasper and Ava didn't know what had happened. Thinking it was Joshua's fault, they quickly got up and chased after him.
The Lewis family members who remained looked at each other, feeling deeply humiliated.
Even Scarlett on stage stood frozen for a long time.
What Joshua had just shown her was a video of her and Mason having sex.
So every time she was with Mason, Mason had recorded videos?
Mason had actually sent the video to Joshua.
Was he trying to ruin her?
Looking at the suddenly chaotic wedding scene, watching the Lewis family members crowd around her, all talking at once asking what happened, Scarlett panicked, her mind going blank.
When she spotted Mason's figure in the crowd, she knew Mason had done it on purpose.
He wanted to ruin her, to prevent her from marrying into the Thomas family.
Scarlett was furious. She ripped off her veil and, lifting her heavy wedding dress, ran toward where Mason had disappeared.
The mess that remained could only be cleaned up by the elders present.
Knowing today was Scarlett and Joshua's wedding day, Ella took Dorian to the cemetery.
Crouching in front of Aurora's grave, as she paid her respects to Aurora, her heart suddenly filled with uncontrollable grief, tears streaming down her face.
Poor Aurora, who loved Joshua so much, yet Joshua wouldn't even look at her, letting her die with endless regrets.
Ella would never forget Joshua's coldness back then.
For the rest of her life, she would never let Joshua know that both Aurora and Dorian were his children.
If she could do it over again, even if it meant going against her elders' wishes, she would never have brought the two children back to the country.
Thinking of Aurora's death, Ella was heartbroken, hugging Aurora's tombstone and crying uncontrollably.
Dorian was crying too.
But seeing Ella crying even harder than him, he could only hold back his emotions to comfort Ella.
Finding he couldn't console her, he was about to call Zachary when his phone rang.
Dorian answered, and Joshua's voice came through the phone, "Ella, where are you now? I want to see you."
Dorian recognized it was that bad guy Joshua.
Seeing Ella still crying, and knowing it was because Joshua didn't stay with Aurora that Aurora died, making Ella sad every day, crying all the time, he was angry and shouted into the phone, "You big bad guy, if it weren't for you Aurora wouldn't have died. Mom and I don't want to see you anymore. Don't ever show up again, or I'll beat you up."
Joshua heard it was Dorian's voice.
Mixed with Ella's crying on the phone, he softened his voice and asked Dorian, "Dorian, where are you and Ella now?"
Joshua didn't know why, but after not being able to marry Scarlett, the first person he wanted to see was Ella.
He wanted to tell Ella that he didn't get married.
He even felt somewhat grateful to Mason.
If it weren't for Mason's video, how could he have had an excuse to get away from Scarlett?
He just hadn't expected that Scarlett was actually with Mason.
Those two had always claimed to be siblings.
That woman Scarlett, who usually seemed so gracious and understanding, like a refined lady, turns out it was all an act.
She herself had slept with Mason, yet still made a big deal about giving him her first night, demanding he take responsibility.
Joshua found it laughable.
He was stupid too, almost getting fooled by another woman.
"It's none of your business where we are. It's all your fault. If you weren't so cold and heartless, Aurora wouldn't have died. I hate you so much, I don't want to see you anymore."
After Dorian finished shouting fiercely, he immediately hung up the phone.
He then reached out to help Ella, pleading through his tears, "Mom, please don't be so sad, okay? Aurora would be very sad seeing you like this from heaven."
Ella still couldn't control her emotions.
She missed Aurora, wanted her to come back.
But her Aurora could never come back.
Joshua put away his phone and drove straight to the outskirts.
He had heard Ella's crying.
He knew she was at Aurora's cemetery.
So he headed straight for the cemetery.