Chapter 5

“You people are treating us so unfairly! Everyone, come out and see how we’re being treated!”

An older woman—about sixty or so, dressed in a red floral-patterned dress—stormed out the door and sat herself right at the entrance of the estate, yelling.

“In every corner of the country, when you marry, the man’s family pays the settlement, and the woman’s family provides the dowry! It’s tradition to make sure the couple starts off well.”

“You could have said you wanted to give less, but pretending you don’t even know my Scarlett? How heartless can you be? We wouldn’t be at the point of talking about a wedding if you didn’t know her.”

“You’re ruining my daughter’s reputation, Stone family. You should be ashamed.”

“Why does my daughter deserve to be treated this way?”

“Is it because this new woman you brought home has more money, and now you’re ditching my Scarlett? That little tramp must be seducing our son-in-law!”

“Oh, Scarlett, what will you do now?”

I stood inside, watching Scarlett’s mom wailing in the yard, slapping the ground without shedding a single tear.

My head spun in disbelief.

What kind of circus is this?

Scarlett ran out and wrapped her arms around her mother, sobbing.

“Mom, stop. It’s my fault for trusting the wrong person. If Jackson wants to be with someone else, let’s just call off the wedding.”

The whole room watched them in stunned silence.

The entire room stared in disbelief at the spectacle unfolding outside.

I turned to Jackson, my mind racing. We worked together in Chicago. We weren’t living together, but we saw each other almost every day. How could he have gone on a blind date with Scarlett and made it this far without me knowing?

I looked at him closely. His jaw was clenched tight, and the veins in his hand bulged as he held mine, though not painfully.

His other hand was balled into a fist, the knuckles turning white from the tension.

What on earth was he so angry about?

Shouldn’t I be the one upset? I’m the one being treated like the “other woman” here!