Gracelynn had prepared so many dishes; it must have been hard work for her. "Let's raise a glass in her honor," someone suggested, handing me a full glass of whiskey.
Russell joined in, egging me on. "Come on, down it! Drinking with the Warren brothers is a rare opportunity—consider yourself lucky."
I stared at him incredulously. "Have you forgotten that I'm allergic to alcohol?"
He brushed off my concern with a dismissive wave. "Oh, don't be such a wimp. Just drink it. How often do you hear about someone dying from an allergy? You can just take some medicine after."
Frustrated, I set the glass on the table and made to leave.
Russell blocked my path. "What's this supposed to mean?"
Sunny, clutching his arm, looked upset. "Let it go. Gracelynn has been cold toward me since I showed up. Maybe I should just stop coming, so I don't ruin the mood."
The Warren brothers tried to defuse the situation. "It's just one drink, no big deal. If she doesn't want to drink, she shouldn't have to."
But Russell was relentless. He grabbed the glass and, with his other hand, roughly forced the whiskey down my throat.
I choked and fell to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
Even Leonard couldn't stand by any longer. He reached out to help me.
Russell, unfazed, picked up another glass and shoved it toward my mouth. "Are you trying to humiliate me in front of everyone? Drink this right now!"
Tears streamed down my face as I glared at him. "No!"
Sunny let out a theatrical gasp and clung to Russell. "Russell, the way Gracelynn looked at me was terrifying. I'll have nightmares for sure. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up the drink."
Russell soothed her, "Don't worry, I'll stay with you tonight. You didn't do anything wrong. It's her who should apologize."
He grabbed my hair and tried to force my head down. "Say sorry to Sunny!"
I resisted, crying out, "Russell, I'm your fiancée! How can you do this to me?"
He slapped me across the face. "If you want to be my wife, you'd better learn to obey, got it?"
A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, and the alcohol reaction kicked in; my entire body started itching like crazy. Writhing in discomfort, I curled up on the ground, groaning.
Leonard rushed over, his voice urgent, "She looks really sick. We need to get her to the hospital."
My consciousness began to fade. Before everything went dark, I heard Russell snort, "If you want to take her, go ahead. She's just putting on an act, and you actually believe her?"
And then everything went black.
