“Isn’t this Ms. Waller, the one who’s been chasing after Gabe for over a decade?” one of them sneered. “Didn’t she even kill someone for him? Spent three years in prison, just got out recently.”
“She really did time, huh? And now she thinks she can push the Prince Family into marrying her? Doesn’t she care about ruining their reputation for generations?”
“Exactly. Trash is trash. And to pull this stunt on Gabe and Ellie’s wedding day? Absolutely disgusting.”
“She really did time, huh? And now she has the audacity to try and force the Prince Family to marry her? Does she even care how it’ll stain the family’s legacy for generations?”
Their jeers pierced through the room like knives, each word cutting deeper than the last. My chest tightened, like a soggy wad of cotton was suffocating me from the inside.
Three years ago, it was Gabriel who begged me incessantly, swearing he’d marry me the moment I got out of prison. He wore me down, pleading until I finally relented and agreed to take the blame for him.
Even when he broke off our engagement after my release, I didn’t say a word. I turned away quietly and accepted the marriage my family arranged for me.
And now? How had the story twisted so much that I’d become the one shamelessly forcing him to marry me?
With the wedding about to start, I had no patience for an argument.
Pulling free from Gabriel’s grip, I swallowed my anger and calmly said, “Gabriel, I had no idea today was your wedding to Ellie. Besides, who you marry or whether you marry at all has nothing to do with me. Because today, I’m getting married too.”
The crowd around us erupted with laughter, loud and mocking, as if I’d just told the punchline to the most ridiculous joke.
Gabriel caught on quickly, smirking as he joined in with a derisive chuckle.
“You? Getting married? Don’t make me laugh. Who would want you?”
He sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “A woman like you—fresh out of prison—I wouldn’t even take you as a bedwarmer. You’d bring nothing but bad luck.”
His words cut like a blade, stripping away any semblance of dignity. Emboldened by his cruelty, his friends chimed in with their own jeers.
“A bedwarmer? Not a bad idea! Gabe, if you’re done with her, let the rest of us have a turn!”
“A murderous ex-con? Now that’s a thrill! She’s probably a wild one in bed!”