3: 3
"Mom, where are the guests?"
I stared at the empty reception hall, the cold, deserted space, and my mind went blank.
My mother turned slowly, elegant in a dark green silk gown with the full set of emerald jewelry.
The look she gave me was pure disappointment.
"Rose Winfield! I truly regret spoiling you, raising you into such a temperamental little princess!"
"Ronnie made one small mistake, and you slapped him and threw a fit about calling off the wedding! You had no regard at all for the Winfield name or the Harding name!"
"What a wonderful daughter you are. Wonderful!"
She finished and swayed, nearly fainting from anger.
I rushed over to hold her up.
But she shoved me away in disgust. "Go to the Hardings this instant and apologize to Ronnie, or I don't have a daughter."
It hurt to hear, but I wasn't panicked.
My parents had doted on me my whole life. They just didn't know how far Ronnie had gone to make me this angry. Once I explained, everything would be fine.
"Where's Dad?"
I looked around the hall and didn't see my father anywhere, and I asked, confused.
My mother kept her eyes shut, unwilling to look at me.
She urged me weakly, "Go, hurry. Get Ronnie to forgive you, and let the wedding go ahead."
"I am not apologizing! Ronnie is the one in the wrong. If anyone's asking, he should be the one begging me!"
My stubbornness flared, and I refused flatly.
I never expected it to trigger her heart palpitations on the spot.
Her lips went a dark purple, her face gray.
I quickly called the driver to rush her to the hospital.
I kept watch outside the emergency room the whole night, and only at daybreak was she out of danger and moved to the ICU.
Through the glass I saw her on a ventilator, unconscious, and the pain twisted in me like a blade.
I blamed myself. If I hadn't talked back, she wouldn't have collapsed.
Tears gathered in my eyes without my noticing.
Just as they were about to fall, I heard Ronnie's voice. "Rosie."
I turned and saw him holding a fruit basket, his expression a little awkward. "I heard Mrs. Winfield was ill. I came to check on her."
Ronnie was the boy I'd grown up with, my partner, my lover. Seeing him, I instinctively wanted to lean on someone, and I opened my arms. "Ronnie..."
Christina's head poked out from behind him. "Rose, I came too. You don't mind, do you?"
The sight of her brought it all back, how Ronnie had spoken so harshly to defend her, how he'd shielded her and fought with me.
My voice was hoarse as I snapped, "Get out!"
"Neither my mother nor I want to see you."
Christina pouted, wounded. "Fine, then. Just give me the heirloom token the Hardings gave you, the one that marks their daughter-in-law, and I'll leave right away."
I wondered if too many sleepless hours had dulled my brain. "You want what?"
Christina shrank behind Ronnie, frightened, fingers clutching at his clothes.
He patted her hand to soothe her. "Don't be scared. I'm here."
Then he looked at me. "Rosie, the graduation gift my mother gave you represents your standing as the Harding daughter-in-law. Now that you've broken off the engagement and won't marry me, I'm asking you to give it back."
"I've decided to marry Christina. It should go to its rightful owner."
My eyes went wide. "Ronnie, do you even hear yourself?"
"Our marriage was arranged by the elders of both families!"
"It's not something you or I can just call off!"
A flicker of impatience crossed his handsome face. "I know. But weren't you the one threatening to die rather than marry me? The guests left yesterday. The wedding was canceled."
"Your father handed over a Winfield plot of land worth a billion dollars to make amends, and the Hardings agreed to let it go. Give the token back, and we're even."
"What did you say?"
The barrage of news left me dizzy and unsteady, and I had to catch myself against the wall.
Then I heard Christina say brightly, "Ronnie, is Rose pretending to forget yesterday on purpose, so she can keep clinging to you and marry you anyway?"
"How does she have so much nerve!"
That marveling tone, as if I were some rare specimen.
I was so angry I wanted to tear her mouth off.
But as my hand came up, Ronnie caught it.
He stripped the clear jade bracelet straight off my wrist and warned me coldly.
"Rose, don't hold on to what was never yours!"
He flung my arm away hard.
I lost my footing and my forehead struck the stainless steel bench in the corridor, the lifted edge of the metal cutting the skin open.
I groaned in pain, and through my blurring vision I saw Ronnie hold the bracelet up high to tease Christina, refusing to give it to her until she kissed him.
The two of them flirting back and forth, sweet and lively as could be.
