"How did your parents raise you?!"
Olivia’s Dad voice boomed with anger.
"You don’t even understand the most basic decency. How can someone like you marry into our family?"
I took a deep breath.
"I'm not marrying Olivia. If you're done, please step aside."
"You—!"
Their expressions shifted instantly, clearly shocked.
The always-compliant me had finally spoken with conviction.
I didn’t spare them another glance.
Stepping around them, I walked straight toward the dressing room.
Behind me, Olivia’s Mom shouted furiously, “Uncultured brute!”
Inside the dressing room, someone was already waiting.
She wore a sleek designer gown that hugged her perfect figure, the soft lighting tracing the contours of her elegant face.
Only the dark circles under her eyes betrayed her—she hadn’t slept well.
When she saw me, she approached with her usual graceful air, a familiar sweet smile tugging at her lips.
I turned my face away. “Didn’t someone swear they’d never attend my wedding?”
She stepped in closer, her warm breath brushing against my ear.
As our eyes met, I suddenly saw the stubborn teenage girl from a decade ago.
"Alex," she whispered, "a bet is a bet—you lose, you pay."
I pressed my lips together, silent.
She instantly grew anxious. “You forgot?!”
“I don’t care,” she blurted.
“Three days from now, we’re getting married. If you don’t show up..."
She hesitated, as if trying to gather courage.
"I’ll go straight to the Alex household and steal your household registry myself!”
Before I could reply, she spun on her heels and darted out, clearly afraid I’d reject her.
I couldn’t help it—I laughed.
This fool. Of course, I remembered the bet.
Our families were close—we’d grown up together. Too familiar to be lovers, or so I thought.
Ten years ago, she’d confessed to me. I told her it was better to stay friends. She was heartbroken and challenged me to a bet. I lost.
I had just changed out of my wedding suit when Olivia sent a photo.
My belongings—thrown out like trash—were piled in front of the villa.
Most glaring among them was the hand-sewn wedding quilt from my mother, stuffed into a clear plastic bag, its vibrant red fabric practically glowing under the harsh sunlight.
“Come get this immediately.”
“If you don’t, I’ll tell Mrs. Olivia to throw it all away.”
My fingers turned cold as I stared at the screen.
Olivia knew exactly where to strike. I could leave everything else behind—but not that quilt.
“I’m coming,” I replied.
My mother had worked on that quilt for three months.
She didn’t even know how to sew, yet her fingers were pricked and bloodied.
The night before the wedding, she handed it to me with a soft smile.
“My son, be happy. For the rest of your life.”
But when I arrived at the house, the courtyard was empty.
It had only been thirty minutes since her message. I told her I was coming.
Was she really in such a hurry to erase me?
Anger surged through me. I shoved the door open and stormed inside.
And then I froze.
It felt like falling into an icy lake.
Olivia sat on the edge of the dining table.
While her brother, Danny, stood beside her, one hand gently cradling her waist, his cheek pressed lovingly against her swollen belly.
His expression was so soft it pierced straight through me.
“Olivia” Danny whispered, eyes bright. “The baby just kicked.”
A smile spread across Olivia’s face—a smile I had never seen before. Her voice turned warm, tender.
“So naughty... Just like you were as a child. If only he had your eyes.”
Danny chuckled quietly.
Olivia leaned in, dropping a kiss on his lips. Then she murmured with a hint of guilt,
“Do you really want to leave after the baby’s born? You could stay... help me raise him. A baby this small deserves to grow up with his real father.”
Danny gently pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head.
“Olivia... If I stay, what about my brother-in-law?”
The word “brother-in-law” made her visibly flinch. Her smile faltered. Darkness crept across her face.
