Later that night, I took a taxi home by myself.
The driver noticed how pale I was and asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, but I just shook my head.
Back then, I still believed that Mariz was new to the company, with no one to look after her.
I thought it was only natural for Derrick to take a little extra care of her.
Now, looking back, it wasn't that he wasn't capable of being thoughtful. His kindness had simply never been reserved for me or for my family.
-
As I walked back into the hall, Derrick looked up at me.
"Are your parents finished?" His gaze shifted past me, and he frowned slightly. "Why haven't they changed yet?"
My mother was wearing the black hotel uniform over her torn dress, standing stiffly as though she didn't know where to put her hands.
My father stood beside her, supporting her with one arm. His wounded palm was wrapped haphazardly in tissues that had already turned crimson with blood.
Derrick acted as though he didn't notice. Instead, he turned to a staff member.
"Move Uncle and Auntie's seats farther back. It's not appropriate for them to sit at the head table anymore."
The color drained from my mother's face.
Before she could say anything, my father nodded repeatedly. "Of course. We're fine sitting anywhere."
A staff member hurried over with an updated seating chart.
My parents were moved to the very last table in the corner of the banquet hall. Beside them were stacks of spare chairs and tangled audio cables.
Every guest who passed had to frown and step around them. As though they weren't the bride's parents. As though they were nothing more than an inconvenience that had been shoved into a forgotten corner.
I looked at the seating chart and quietly asked, "Why were their seats changed?"
Derrick frowned as though the answer was obvious.
"Look at the state of their clothes. If they stay at the head table, they'll end up in the photos."
"The media is here today. I'm thinking about everyone."
Thinking about everyone.
Everyone... Except my parents.
My father quickly grabbed my arm. "Donna, the corner is fine. It's quieter there."
My mother forced a smile as well. "That's right. This way we won't accidentally ruin your wedding photos."
My chest tightened painfully. She hadn't done a single thing wrong. Yet she had already learned to make herself invisible.
Hearing those words, it reminded me of last winter.
When my mother was hospitalized for a minor surgery, I called Derrick and asked if he could come to the hospital with me.
He said he had an important meeting and couldn't leave the office. So I handled everything alone.
Running from counter to counter, paying the bills, picking up medication, and signing every consent form.
By the time I got home that evening, painful blisters had formed on both of my feet.
The next day, I saw a photo on Mariz's social media.
In the hospital corridor, Derrick was sitting beside her, and a cup of hot soy milk rested in his hand.
The caption read: [Someone was worried I'd be scared of getting my wisdom tooth pulled, so he insisted on staying with me until it was over.]
When I confronted him about it, he answered without the slightest hesitation. "Mariz has no family in this city. Your mother had you."
I had stayed silent for a long time after hearing that. In the end, I convinced myself that he was simply too soft-hearted.
But now I finally understood. He wasn't soft-hearted. He had simply decided that Mariz's tears mattered more than mine, and more than my family's.
...
The emcee approached Derrick with the ceremony schedule for a final confirmation.
When my father spotted his own name on the program, he seemed to remember something.
He hurriedly reached into the inside pocket of his suit and carefully pulled out a folded sheet of paper.
It had been creased with painstaking care. But one corner had been stained and blurred by the red wine from earlier.
"I... prepared a speech." He smiled awkwardly. "If it's still needed... I can say just a few words."
His voice grew quieter with every sentence. As though even he knew that someone like him no longer belonged on the stage.
Just then, Mariz reached over and took the speech from his hands.
