By this point, there was nothing more to discuss. I turned to look at Julian, whose face had become an unreadable mask of rage.
"I haven’t even married into your family yet, and you all are already giving me looks like that. What kind of humiliation and mistreatment can I expect once I’m actually married to you? If you don’t respect my sister, it means you don’t respect me. Marriage should be built on mutual respect and equality, don’t you understand that?"
I studied law, so when faced with a situation, I always calm myself first and weigh the pros and cons. Julian, after years of being with me, knew that I was on the verge of exploding.
It’s always been like this with me—I get calmer the angrier I am.
People often try to read my emotions based on my facial expressions. Seeing me like this, they usually assume I'm not angry, but what they don’t know is that inside, I already hate them so much I could picture stabbing them with a knife.
"Clara... Let’s talk later. Let’s sit down tonight and resolve this calmly, okay?"
Julian, trying to be patient, continued, "Today is our special day. Don't let these things spoil it. Besides, Dorian’s drunk today. Just think of him as a fool, spouting nonsense. Once he sobers up, I’ll make sure he apologizes to you."
"Have you ever heard the phrase 'truth comes out when drunk'? The words he said reflect what he really thinks deep down."
I took a deep breath, glancing over at Rosalind, who was lying beside me, tears still on her face from feeling wronged.
"You all go back for now. We’ll talk about the engagement later. I think both sides need to calm down and think carefully about whether this relationship should continue. After all, if we can’t even show each other basic respect, then we’re not fit to talk about a future together."
I’ve always lived by one principle: it’s better to leave regrets in love than to leave hidden dangers in marriage.
If he doesn’t respect me before we’re even married, how could I expect him to treat me well afterward?
After all, I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him, not just a day or two. Once we’re married, his family will care even less about me. Right now, they’re just trying to be polite, afraid I might back out, but after marriage, I won’t even have the chance to cry.
A voice in my head kept repeating, urging me to run, but it was quickly followed by flashes of the years I’d spent with Julian, memories of us supporting each other.
Rosalind grabbed my hand, wiping away her tears as she spoke with determination. "Clara, you're right. People like them don’t respect you at all. Why should you marry into that family?"
"Can you just shut up?"
Dorian suddenly jumped up, shouting loudly and knocking over a table.
"I was just joking around with you, why are you crying? If you’re upset, then just yell back or hit me. No need to keep crying and playing the victim, looking pathetic like that. It's disgusting."
Before he could even finish, I swiftly stood up and slapped him hard across the face in front of everyone.
"My sister doesn’t need you to lecture or insult her. You all can leave now. This engagement party is over."
Everyone froze, not expecting me to slap Dorian right there in front of them, especially not with the force I used. The sting in my palm made my hand tremble, but I didn’t feel the slightest regret.
There was nothing wrong with what I did. For him to say something like that meant he’d always been raised like this. If his family’s education was lacking, I was more than happy to teach him a lesson.
Just listening to the things he said was enough to know how vile he was. People like him, even after leaving school, would only become a menace to society.
