Chapter 4

When I got to the hospital, Mrs. Stephens was already inside the ward.

The nurse had tried to stop her.

"Mr. Fox just finished his cardiac evaluation. He can't be upset."

But Mrs. Stephens only held her phone closer.

"His daughter's caused a scene like this—shouldn't her own father know about it?"

On the hospital bed, my dad's face was frighteningly pale.

Mrs. Stephens sneered.

"It's all on video, and you're still covering for her?"

"She's got the reputation of shoving a pregnant woman now, and Skyline Live suspended her. Besides Bernard, who else can cover for her?"

I rushed in.

"Shut up!"

When my father saw the bandages all over my hands and the blood on my sleeve, his eyes went red at once.

"Marilyn, did they hurt you?"

I hadn't cried while I was cursed at, blamed, and pinned down bleeding outside, but one sentence from him and my tears spilled over instantly.

Mrs. Stephens was still going.

"The wedding goes ahead tomorrow as planned. She walks onstage with a smile, and the rumors die down on their own."

My father whipped his head toward her.

"If my daughter doesn't want to marry, then she doesn't marry!"

He said it and started to get out of bed, then suddenly clutched his chest, his face draining white.

"Dad!"

His forehead struck the bed rail, and blood ran down from his temple.

Doctors and nurses rushed in.

"Family, step back!"

I knelt on the floor, and the wound on my hand tore open again.

"Doctor, please save my dad!"

When the red light over the intensive care unit came on, Bernard arrived.

He saw my blood and panicked for only a moment before he said quietly,

"Marilyn, Uncle Walter is already like this. All the more reason the wedding tomorrow can't be canceled."

"If you stand beside me, everyone will think the video was just a misunderstanding."

"After the wedding, I'll help you get your job back, and I'll arrange the best doctors for Uncle Walter too."

I looked at him and suddenly he felt like a terrifying stranger.

I asked,

"If my dad really dies, are you going to make me finish broadcasting the wedding first?"

He said nothing.

His silence was the answer.

I pried his hands off me.

"Fine. The wedding goes ahead tomorrow."

His eyes brightened for a moment.

"I knew you wouldn't be that unreasonable."

At four in the morning, the doctor said my dad was out of danger for now, but still needed observation.

I used my verified account to submit a "Dispute Review Application," uploading the private-message ID, the server-room recording, and the ward video all together, then sent them to my uncle.

He only replied with one line:

"Do whatever you want to do. Uncle Nathan's here."

Before I left, the caregiver and the head of cardiology were already stationed outside the ward.

At seven that morning, I put on my wedding dress.

The red carpet, the media, the friends and family, the partners—everyone was there.

Bernard stood at the far end of the stage, gentle and dignified in his white suit.

He took my hand and murmured,

"Marilyn, thank you."

I smiled.

This was the last time I would ever act alongside him.

The emcee announced the exchange of rings.

Bernard knelt on one knee, his voice full of tenderness.

"Marilyn, it's been eight years."

"From today on, I'll protect you and never let you suffer the slightest wrong."

Comments flooded the screen.

"So moving!"

"Yesterday's stuff must have been a misunderstanding."

I looked down at him.

Yesterday, it had been this same face.

He'd said it was only a hand injury, said the wedding couldn't be canceled, said that since my dad was in the ICU, all the more reason for me to stand onstage.

I reached out my hand.

He let out a breath of relief, picked up the ring, and was about to slide it onto my ring finger.

The banquet hall lights suddenly went dark.

The applause cut off all at once.

The big screen at the back of the stage flickered without warning.

The ring in Bernard's hand fell to the floor.

The next second, Bernard heard the sound of his own rehearsal broadcast coming from the big screen.

He whipped his head around.