4: 4
Lucas circled me once, frowning, then stopped at my side and said coldly,
"You think copying Tessa's style makes you grown up? You're just a cheap imitation."
His words sent heat rushing to my face.
I bit down hard on my lip and swallowed the knot rising in my throat.
Tessa gave Lucas's shoulder a playful little slap, laughing sweetly.
"What are you saying? She looks lovely. She's just not used to it yet."
"Selly, I've been trying to reach you all this time and you keep ignoring me. So you and Lucas won't be getting married, but I'd hate for it to spoil what we have. I'm your tutor, after all."
I gave a soft snort and lifted my hand, pointing at the gown on her.
"That white gown you're wearing is mine. Take it off."
Tessa's brows drew together, then she burst out laughing.
"Selly, are you joking? This gown belongs to the future Mrs. Gentry. Yours?"
My face stayed calm, none of the old rashness in me now.
Lucas's face went dark, his voice ice-cold.
"You want to marry me that badly?"
Then he sighed, resigned, as if giving in.
"Fine. Tomorrow we'll go to the hospital and have your IQ tested. If it's high enough, we'll get married."
"I can't have a mentally deficient wife."
I raised my eyes to his, unable to hold back the laugh inside me.
If he had ever bothered to pay me the slightest attention, he'd have seen my mind was no different from anyone else's, and had been for a long time.
"Lucas, who said I wanted to marry you?"
Clearly he didn't believe it. He and Tessa exchanged a smiling glance.
Tessa peeled off the gown right in front of me.
"All right, all right, it's your right to marry whoever you want. I'll give you back the gown right now. Go marry your man."
Lucas snorted, took off his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders.
"Selma, if you want to marry me, do more math problems, read more, and bring your intelligence up as soon as you can."
"I'm not asking you to be brilliant. Just be like Tessa, that's all."
With that, he took Tessa's hand and walked out, stepping over my gown as he went.
I pulled my mouth into a mocking smile.
I wasn't the one marrying him. Why did he have so much to say about it?
...
On the wedding day, Lucas and Tessa were stopped at the hotel entrance. The receptionist politely told him he wasn't on the guest list.
In the middle of the argument, Mrs. Gilbert stepped in and smoothed it over.
Guilt welled up in him. He began to reflect on all the things he'd said to Selly lately, things he shouldn't have said.
But he really had been furious at the time. All Tessa had done was make a wish over her cake, and Selly had bought troll accounts to trash Tessa all over the internet.
He could tolerate Selly being slow, but he couldn't just overlook her willfulness.
Well, never mind. He hadn't spoken to her in over half a month. The girl must know she'd been wrong by now.
Once the wedding was over, he'd go coax her. And if she wouldn't forgive him, then he'd propose.
By then, they'd hold their wedding here too. Selly was sure to love it.
Just then the doors of the hall opened, and a beam of light fell on the bride, blurring her features.
Still, her figure looked a lot like Selly's.
The instant he saw the face clearly, his expression changed completely.
