"I was afraid I'd look too shabby and embarrass you." My mother sighed.
One corner of her shawl had been soaked in red wine. Even so, she carefully dabbed at the stain with a tissue.
When she realized it wouldn't come clean, she quietly folded the stained corner inward, hiding it from view.
My father reached into his jacket and pulled out a red envelope.
The wine had soaked through it, leaving it wrinkled and limp. He spent a long moment gently smoothing it with his fingers before speaking in a quiet voice.
"This is the gift your mother and I prepared for your tea ceremony."
"We wanted to present it properly to our son-in-law."
"But... it ended up like this."
He forced an embarrassed smile.
"Sweetheart... I hope you won't mind."
My tears hit the floor before I even realized I was crying.
They had spent months preparing for this wedding.
They worried they wouldn't be dressed well enough.
They worried they might overlook some wedding etiquette.
Most of all, they worried I'd lose face in front of the Larson family.
And what had Derrick given them in return?
Wine and whipped cream splattered all over them. The laughter of an entire banquet hall. And a cramped storage room filled with cleaning supplies!
Just then, my phone buzzed and a message from Derrick popped up.
[Come out once you've cleaned up. Mariz was only joking with your parents. Don't overreact. It's just a small misunderstanding.]
I stared at those words, then, unexpectedly, I laughed.
So this was something that could simply be brushed aside.
To him, my parents' humiliation, the blood dripping from my father's hand, my mother's ruined dress... They were all just small matters that could be forgotten with a few casual words.
I wiped away my tears and helped my parents sit down.
"Dad. Mom. Wait here for me."
Then I turned and walked out of the storage room.
At the end of the hallway, the wedding planner was anxiously waiting.
"Ms. Donna, are we still following the schedule?"
I looked toward the dazzling lights spilling from the banquet hall.
At the end of the red carpet, Derrick was gently comforting Mariz, speaking to her in a soft voice.
I looked away as I answered, "Yes. We'll continue."
The planner visibly relaxed.
Then I calmly added, "But we're changing the program. We're skipping the tea ceremony."
"The next item... will be the cancellation of the engagement."
-
When I returned to the storage room, my father was sitting beside a stack of cardboard boxes. The cut on his knee was still bleeding.
The moment he saw me, he immediately tried to stand.
"Donna... are they rushing us outside? Your mother and I will be ready in a minute."
I gently pressed him back down. "Don't move."
My mother looked up at me. Her eyes were swollen and red, yet she still managed a smile. "Don't worry. This dress can still be worn after I clean it."
She glanced at the wine stain spreading across the hem before hurriedly hiding the damaged side behind her back.
"When I go onstage later, I'll stand farther away. Don't worry. The cameras won't catch it."
My throat tightened. Even now... All they could think about was how not to embarrass me.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from the doorway.
Derrick stood outside the storage room, frowning at the mess inside. "You're still not done? The auspicious hour is almost here."
"If Uncle and Auntie aren't in any condition... then maybe they shouldn't go onstage."
He paused, sounding as though he were making a reasonable suggestion. "And... Auntie doesn't look very presentable for the cameras."
The smile on my mother's face froze. For a split second, she instinctively looked down at her torn and stained dress.
It was as if she had only just realized how miserable she looked.
My father hurried to agree. "Y-Yes, that's fine. We don't have to go onstage. As long as your wedding goes smoothly."
I looked at Derrick. The man standing before me suddenly felt like a complete stranger.
Once, he had promised that after we got married, he would honor my parents as if they were his own.
But now, after they had been humiliated and injured, the only thing he cared about was whether they would look good on camera.
A moment later, Mariz arrived as well.
