Chapter 4

I smiled and walked toward the classroom. Just before entering, I instinctively looked back to see Ulysses with an ugly expression while Rachel hugged his arm, constantly acting cute.

Ha! I sneered and walked into the classroom without looking back.

The coming-of-age ceremony started on time. All the students' parents came. Naturally, my family and Rachel's family came too.

The students went on stage one by one, saying words of gratitude to their parents.

When it was Rachel's turn, she thanked her parents as usual, then knelt on one knee facing me, holding a ring in her hand, and loudly said:

"Emmanuel, will you marry me?"

The whole venue was shocked! Her parents smiled happily.

My parents were also smiling. Only Grandfather Andre remained expressionless.

I looked at Ulysses again. He was also smiling broadly, extending his middle finger toward me, his eyes provocative.

I smiled and, under everyone's gaze, walked onto the stage step by step.

Rachel looked at me expectantly.

I was silent for a moment, then reached out to grab the ring from her hand, turned, and threw it forcefully at Ulysses. Then I loudly said:

"I won't marry Rachel, because she and Ulysses are the real pair. Let's give them our blessings."

After speaking, I was the first to clap. I turned back to look at Rachel, still kneeling on the ground, and said softly:

"Surprise. Do you like it?"

The whole venue fell into deathly silence. Her parents' smiles froze on their faces.

My parents looked at me in shock. Grandfather gripped his cane tightly.

Rachel's face first went pale, then flushed red.

She stood up abruptly and shouted angrily, "Emmanuel, are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy. I just did something you wanted to do but didn't dare to."

I looked at Rachel, my eyes calm.

I used to think I could never leave her, but only after truly letting go did I realize—

There's never been anyone who truly can't live without someone else.

Everyone has parents, friends, and family. We never live for just one person.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Rachel trembled with anger, pointing at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "I abandoned a woman's modesty and proposed to you in front of the entire school, and this is how you humiliate me in return."

"Emmanuel, how can you face me? How can you face our twenty years together? How can you face my parents?"

By the end, she pointed sharply at her parents below the stage, tears falling like broken kite strings.

"Dad, Mom, I've embarrassed you."

"Rachel!"

Rachel's mother Russell let out a shrill scream and rushed to the stage to hug Rachel.

Rachel's father Peter's face was iron-blue as he angrily questioned my parents. "This is your good son?"

My parents opened their mouths but couldn't say a word in rebuttal.

I spoke, my voice flat.

"Uncle Peter, don't make things difficult for my parents. They don't know anything."

"Then it's you!" Russell held Rachel tightly, turning to look at me. The kindness that used to be in her eyes had completely turned to fury.

"What has Rachel done to wrong you that you would subject her to such humiliation?"

"The engagement was made by both our families together. If you've had a change of heart and fallen for someone else, the families could sit down together and cancel the engagement amicably."

"You and Rachel have twenty years of history together. Is this how you treat her? Humiliating her in front of the entire school?"

"She's a girl! Do you want her to die?"

The surrounding classmates who didn't know the truth also pointed fingers at me.

"That's too much."

"Yeah, if you've had a change of heart and want to break the engagement, you can talk about it properly. How can you use such an extreme method?"

"Rachel is so pitiful to have fallen for someone like this."