Chapter 11: Turmoil at the Wedding Scene
Tyler saw it too.
Ava walked in wearing a red strapless mermaid gown, her hair styled in an elegant bun, arm in arm with a young man.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the room became intriguing, with most people watching like they were waiting for a show.
Dennis had finished resting and walked over to us with Ivy. Before he could say anything, he also noticed Ava. Instantly, I saw his facial expression become very animated.
I heard Ivy whisper to Dennis, "Last time it was that woman who attended with Tyler..."
Before she could finish, Dennis cut her off with a look.
My heart skipped a beat.
No wonder Ivy's eyes seemed strange when I first met her - Tyler had already brought Ava to meet them before.
Ava was a few years younger than them, but with her reputation as a cellist, she was quite a celebrity at school, and most people knew who she was.
She waved to everyone like a star, greeting them one by one with an arrogant attitude, almost stealing the spotlight.
Following the crowd, Ava walked up to us with the young man. She ignored me, reached out to grab Tyler's arm, then enthusiastically greeted Dennis.
"Hi Dennis, long time no see. Congratulations on your wedding. Traffic was bad, sorry we're late."
Dennis looked a bit awkward. He glanced at Ava's male companion and said, "Thanks, thanks for the wishes. I didn't expect you to be Gage's date."
Ava's lips curved slightly. "Yeah, you and Gage were high school classmates. We've been in touch recently, and I heard your wedding was banquet-style and you needed to bring a date, so I helped Gage out."
Gage beside her looked a bit embarrassed. "I just got back from abroad and really don't know any women here. My family's theater happened to invite Ms. Davis to perform, and we discovered you were all schoolmates, so I asked Ms. Davis to accompany me."
The air was filled with awkwardness. The conversation was like a sensitive landmine, touching everyone's nerves, and the inadvertent exchange of glances made the atmosphere even more tense.
Dennis tried to smooth things over, laughing cheerfully to lighten the mood. "What a coincidence! Well, you guys go ahead and look around, there's plenty here. The ceremony will start soon."
Although the air was filled with conversation and music, the atmosphere remained strangely awkward.
Everyone's expression was like a painting - seemingly calm but containing different undertones.
Though who the real fool was, hard to say.
Ava seemed to notice my displeasure. She curved her lips, walked forward a few steps, grabbed Tyler's arm, and said coquettishly, "Tyler, I didn't know you were coming to the wedding too. If I'd known, I would have come with you."
At these words, everyone's expressions became subtle again.
I glanced at Ava's hand on his arm, then calmly looked at Tyler.
He calmly pulled his hand away, then stepped to the side and put his arm around me. "I came with my wife."
Ava's face changed slightly. She smiled without warmth. "Hi Sophia, I didn't even notice you just now. I used to accompany Tyler to events before, so sorry about that. Please don't misunderstand."
Facing all this, I tried hard to calm myself, making sure no one could see my true emotions.
I raised my eyebrow slightly, my tone flat. "Ms. Davis must be mistaken. Jasper has servants to look after him. I just don't like attending these kinds of events. Today is Dennis's birthday, and we're all classmates, so I had to come and congratulate him."
Ava's smile stiffened, then she looked at Tyler with a hint of resentment.
"I see. Tyler was being thoughtful - this time he had to bring Sophia along."
Only an idiot wouldn't catch the sarcasm in that, and I wasn't going to let Ava off easy. The thing with Jasper would never be forgiven in my book.
Dennis cleared his throat, worried something might happen. He urged everyone to sit down. "Everyone please take your seats, the ceremony is about to start."
With that, Dennis signaled to Ivy, and they each took one of us - me and Tyler - and led us away.
A few minutes later, the wedding began. The ceremony proceeded smoothly. I sat below watching the happy bride and groom on stage, unconsciously thinking back to my own wedding.
I had been just as happy back then.
But things change, people change.
Or maybe Tyler never loved me at all. Maybe he only felt grateful to me.
Near the end of the ceremony, Dennis suddenly invited Tyler and me to come up on stage together.
Tyler, sitting beside me, seemed surprised too, but he still took my hand to go up. Though I was reluctant, I had to follow along since this was Dennis's wedding.
On stage, I saw Ava looking at me from below with hateful eyes. I ignored her gaze and maintained my composure.
"Everyone knows what happened tonight. When my life was hanging by a thread, it was Tyler's wife, Sophia, who saved me. I can never repay this life-saving debt. Ivy and I will remember this kindness forever."
Then Ivy took my hand, her eyes full of admiration for me.
"Sophia was a legend at our school. For all four years of college, she was consistently in the top three of our class, mostly number one. And she's a beauty too. But in the end, Tyler managed to win her over."
The whole room burst into laughter and warm applause.
Everyone was talking.
"I had no idea Sophia was so accomplished. I thought she was just an ordinary housewife."
"She studied law and took forensic science as an elective. Plus what she did earlier - she's really something. But thinking about it, Tyler wouldn't fall for just a pretty face."
"Sophia rarely shows up, so I thought she was useless. Turns out I underestimated her."
Hearing the conversations around her, Ava looked at me with eyes so cold they burned, as if she wanted to skin me alive.
While Dennis praised me on stage, Tyler kept his arm around me, as if we were truly a loving couple.
I just kept smiling at Dennis's compliments. Later, seeing him getting more and more carried away, Ivy finally grabbed the microphone to rescue me.
"Sophia, men are never honest even when they're hung on the wall, so you need to wear him out."
I didn't understand. "What?"
Ivy looked around and whispered in my ear, "What I mean is to make him have sex with you until he's exhausted.