At that instant, Evie's face was drained of all emotion. Those few sentences from Lucas completely broke her world into a million pieces, and it made her feel almost blown away by the wind.
The hall plunged into pandemonium as Lucas's horrific response caught everyone off guard. Evie, on the other hand, couldn't help blinking in mystery as his last two sentences struck her almost to the point of suffocation. She should have noticed Lucas' strange and distant behavior throughout their conversation last night about their wedding today, but she brushed it off as pre-wedding jitters.
At this point, her eyes widened as she just came to realize that something was totally wrong.
"What a cruel joke! Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Lucas' grandfather, Elder Ye, bellowed in confusion. He turned over to his side, looking at Evie's father, who wore a similarly perplexed expression.
Evie moved her gaze to the crowd. She shivered in fear as the paparazzi kept on recording and seriously taking too many snapshots of this humiliating scene. The camera flashes blinded her, making her feel like she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare. It looked like she was living in a horror movie, with the paparazzi playing the role of relentless predators.
The hall was in chaos, with people murmuring. Evie's father looked like he had been punched in the gut, his face pale with shock. Lucas' grandfather, Elder Ye, was still bellowing in confusion, demanding answers that no one seemed to have.
"What do you mean by saying 'you can't do this', Lucas? Is there any problem with you, or do you mind if we take a break first before rescheduling the ceremony later or another day?" Evie urged.
Lucas was serious, "I said I can't do this, Evie. Believe me, I meant no harm with my word and I didn't even know you were going to show up here today?"
Evie almost burst into laughter upon hearing Lucas' response.
Hilarious! Is he trying to say that he had never expected me to show up to my wedding or what?
"So you mean I was never expected to be here?" Evie gave no room for response. She continued, "Do you even realize what you've just said? It's our wedding for heaven's sake, Lucas! Our wedding!" she continued, trying not to act like she was forcing him all of a sudden.
"Evie, seriously," Lucas implored, "I think of you as a very beautiful and kind-hearted woman, but I'm sorry things had to turn out this way."
Finding it hard to understand what Lucas was insinuating, Evie replied. "We've been together for eight years without any major misunderstandings." Her voice now trembled slightly, "So…why now, Lucas? Please, I need an answer."
Lucas' face contorted into a savage grin, his eyes blazing with anger. He clenched his fist tightly. "Stop pretending like you weren't told about my mind-changing decision concerning the wedding early this morning." His voice was low and menacing as he spoke slowly through a grimace.
Evie's eyes widened. Her face was pale with disbelief. "What are you talking about?" She asked. Her voice was shaking, "I wasn't told anything…"
Lucas' grin grew wider, his eyes flashed sharply. "Don't try to act dumb, Evie," he sneered. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You're just trying to make me feel guilty for no real reason."
Evie took a quick step back whilst staring at Lucas as if he had already become a monster. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lucas," she said with utmost sincerity. "But I do know that I love you, and I thought we were both happy together."
Lucas' expression softened slightly, but his voice remained cold. "I thought I made it clear to your family and the priest that I have decided to cancel the marriage. Were you not told that!?" Evie couldn't breathe. She couldn't think again. All she could do now was to stand there, staring at Lucas in shock and horror like a lost puppy.
"I never heard anything from anyone?" Evie countered in frustration.
Lucas' eyes flickered, and for a moment, Evie thought she saw a glimmer of guilt. But then his expression hardened, and he shook his head roughly, turning to face the priest and then gradually moved his face to Evie's father, who had a questioning look on his face.
".....I thought you were joking with your words. Mr. Qin." The priest explained in a deep mist of confusion.
Evie's father chimed, "We never knew you had been serious about it!"
Evie turned to look at her father and two sisters, whose expressions were also filled with daze. They were having a hard time believing this drama was real, as they previously thought Lucas was just mouthing his way out to bring up some funny jokes.
'What the hell is all this? I don't get why this is happening so suddenly, like a movie.'
Evie was looking at Lucas, who now stared at her coldly.
He turned to face the priest, who shivered like a drenched chicken, clearly because Lucas' gaze on him had now become more terrifying.
"What do you take me for? Do I look like a joker to you?" Lucas roared in exasperation, striding towards the priest, who stumbled backward, falling several times.
"But Mr. Qin, it was only an hour before the wedding was set to begin when you—"
"Quiet!" Lucas exclaimed, cutting the old priest off. He watched him shiver in consternation.
"You have to think about making things right, and better stop this foolishness, Lucas." Elder Ye snapped.
Upon hearing this, Lucas burst into laughter, his voice sounding similar to the devil's. For a moment, he paused, glaring daggers at his grandfather, who was taken aback by his grandson's unusual behavior.
"Please, Grandpa, it would be much better if you could keep your dirty mouth shut. You were the one who caused all this and forced Evie on me for your selfish benefits."
The murmurs and incredulous gasps of the wedding guests filled the hall, their faces turning towards the commotion.
Elder Ye's eyes widened as he slammed his hand on his seat, his face paling with embarrassment under the stares of everyone present.
"How dare you!" He thundered, his face reddening. "I did it all for your own good, dummy!"
Lucas' laughter echoed again, this time with a deep hint of mockery. "Really! My own good? You call forcing me into a marriage with a woman I don't want 'my own good'? You're nothing but a selfish, manipulative old man who only cares about nothing but his own personal interests!"
Elder Ye's face turned purple with rage, but before he could respond, Lucas continued, his voice dripping with venom. "And as for my good, I will never let you tarnish it with your own greed and selfishness. I'll have nothing to do with you again, not anymore."
Tired of the commotion at hand, Evie cleared her throat to get Lucas' attention before speaking, "Why didn't you come tell me directly about your plans to cancel our marriage, Lucas? Don't you realize what all this has caused me?"
"I'm very sorry, Evie, I wish I had thought about it earl…" He was about to complete his words with 'earlier' before Evie interrupted coldly,
"Fine, if that's it, then maybe it's best if we just call off the wedding."
Lucas's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and for a moment, his expression hardened, and he nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "Maybe that's for the best."
As if realizing something she was supposed to have noticed a while before, Evie stared at Lucas in a daze.
"Since you'd already concluded with my family and the priest about the marriage cancellation an hour ago, then why did you have to show up here at the wedding, dressed in your groom attire?" She questioned, raising a brow.
Finding Evie's question intriguing, Lucas smirked.
He then answered. "Now that you know I've changed my mind about us getting married," he continued in a low, smooth voice, "I suppose I should confess that my heart has always longed for someone else." Lucas paused, his gaze locking with Evie's, as he savored the tension that suddenly filled the air.
At that exact moment, the doors of the wedding hall swung wide, revealing a breathtaking figure.
Clad in an exquisite white wedding gown, she stepped forward with the sound of her seven-inch heels clicking loudly on the floor. A wave of shocked gasps followed her as every eye in the room became fixed on her.