Lisa's words made Michael's anger flare even more. He looked at me with a dark expression.
Seeing that I had no intention of changing my mind, he still kept his voice low as he said, "Sarah, I know you're upset right now, but we can't let all these people see our family become a laughingstock.
"Go back and calm down. I'll explain the situation to them, and Lisa will help complete the ceremony properly for you. Stop making a scene."
He sighed slightly, took my hand, and patted it. "Sarah, you're the woman I want to marry. We're definitely going to get married."
Lisa smoothly linked her arm through Michael's. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and there was a mocking glint in her eyes. They continued toasting and thanking the guests as if nothing had happened, as though what had just occurred was merely an insignificant little episode.
I looked around the venue, taking in the wedding scene I had carefully planned, then looked at the groom, who was supposed to join hands with me for life. I lowered my eyes, gently touched my stomach, then turned and left the hall.
My best friend Emma Hartwell spotted me in the hotel garden. Her steps halted abruptly, then she quickly walked to my side and asked, "Why are you out here? Do you need the wedding rings?"
Emma was busy running her own design studio and had a lot on her plate, so I asked her to keep our rings safe for me. She looked at me with worry written all over her face.
I shook my head. "There's no need to bring them. Just come back to my room with me."
On the way back to my room, I told her what had happened. After hearing everything, she turned red with anger and immediately wanted to storm back to the hall to give Michael a piece of her mind.
I stopped her. After all, we had been in love for five years. Even if we were breaking up, I didn't want things to get too ugly.
Emma looked at me with heartbreak in her eyes, cursing angrily, "When Michael proposed to you, he promised he would love and protect you for life and that you'd grow old together.
"But now? He's protecting someone else and letting you suffer instead. He's absolutely worthless!"
A dense, throbbing pain spread through my chest, making me feel so awful I couldn't speak. Five years ago, when my parents were still alive, Michael and I fell in love. Later, he took over the family business and became the company's leader.
He immediately proposed to me, saying, "Sarah, thank you for staying by my side during my difficult times. Will you marry me? I'll definitely give you the best life possible."
That night, I was filled with joy as we held each other tightly. But now, wearing my exquisite wedding dress with his child in my belly, I could only leave our wedding venue on our wedding day. All the while, I carried a heart full of regret.
The sweet, warm memories of our time together kept surfacing in my mind, making my heart ache terribly. But no matter what, I knew in my heart that he and I could never go back to how things used to be.
Tomorrow, I planned to go to the hospital to terminate this pregnancy.
That night, I lay quietly in bed, feeling the faint movements in my belly. I was trying to fall asleep so I could treasure this last night with my child. In my half-asleep state, my slightly swollen legs suddenly felt relieved, as if someone was massaging them.
I struggled to open my drowsy eyes. That's when I saw Michael. He smelled of alcohol, and he was kneeling beside the bed, gently massaging my legs just like he used to.
Seeing that I was awake, he stood up and moved in front of me. He brushed the stray hair from my face and leaned close to my ear to apologize. "Sarah, I'm sorry.
"It's all my fault. I didn't make sure someone watched Danny properly at our wedding today, and that caused such chaos. To prevent those wealthy guests at our wedding from seeing our family become a laughingstock, I even let Lisa complete the ceremony in your place to cover things up.
"I know what I did was wrong... I'm sorry."
