Chapter 10

For three days, the Horton brothers hadn't come home. Melissa's messages, however, kept popping up like clockwork. In the photos, Anthony gently applied ointment to her ankle, Marcelo arranged a bouquet in a vase, and Connor fed her slices of fruit. "Look, Ms. Richmond. I just twisted my ankle, but they're all over me, pampering me like I'm royalty. I don't even know how to repay them." Emelie glanced at the photos and scrolled past as if she hadn't seen anything. She was busy organizing everything related to the Horton brothers over the years. The veil they draped over her head when they played house as kids, the white dress, crystal shoes, and diamond tiara they gifted her for her coming-of-age celebration, and the love letter she never got the courage to send. Every piece of it went into the fire pit. Once she lit the flame, it gradually devoured all of it. As the contents in the pit dwindled and the fire burned brighter, Emelie felt as though the past had completely vanished into smoke and ash. When the Horton brothers returned, they arrived just in time to witness the scene. Their hearts seemed to skip a beat. "What are you doing, Emelie?" Connor's voice cracked in panic as he scrambled to find water to douse the flames. Meanwhile, Anthony and Marcelo grabbed whatever they could to put it out, but Emelie just stood there silently. She had burned it all quickly. By the time the fire was out, nothing could be salvaged. Only ash and a few charred fragments remained. Marcelo looked at her in disbelief. "Emelie, why the hell would you burn all that stuff?" "I told you already. I'm getting married. If my husband sees these, he might misunderstand, so I decided to burn them all," she replied. Her detached tone sent the Horton brothers into a frenzy. For a split second, they thought she might actually mean it. But then, they reassured themselves. No way. She'd never get married. Anthony's eyes darkened as he frowned. "Emelie, this little act of yours has gone far enough. Stop playing games before they get old." Emelie looked at them calmly and spoke in an icy tone, "Mr. Anthony, Mr. Marcelo, Mr. Connor, you're warmly invited to attend the wedding tomorrow at noon." The next day, Emelie was dressed in her wedding dress, all ready to leave. Ezra and Kaitlyn sat by her side, taking in the sight of her in her wedding dress. Kaitlyn wiped away her tears. "Emelie, if things don't go well over there, promise me that you'll come back to us. We'll always have your back." Emelie smiled and squeezed Kaitlyn's hand. Upstairs, the sound of footsteps echoed. When they looked up, they saw Anthony, Marcelo, and Connor descending the stairs. As the brothers headed for the door, Kaitlyn called out, "Stop right there! Today is Emelie's wedding day. Where do you think you're going?" Anthony's gaze lingered briefly on Emelie in her wedding dress. A flicker of awe crossed his otherwise stoic expression, but he pretended to be indifferent. "Mom, Dad, come on. Emelie's just messing around, and you're actually taking her seriously?" "What do you mean messing around? Emelie is really getting married. Can't you see?" Ezra's face flushed with anger. Marcelo remained unfazed. "We see it. We see that she's just throwing a tantrum, as usual." Connor, with an air of indifference, casually stood with his hands tucked into his pockets. "Alright, Emelie. If you're so into this little play, we'll humor you. Let's see if someone actually shows up to marry you and how good the actor you've hired really is." As time ticked by, the clock's hands finally reached noon, yet no one came. Connor let out a sigh of relief and smirked. "What happened to the great performance? You couldn't even hire someone to show up?" Marcelo also relaxed. "Alright, enough's enough. Take off the dress, Emelie. The show's over." Anthony's eyes were sharp as they bore into Emelie's. "This whole thing is because we bailed on you at city hall, isn't it? Fine. We'll go now. Pick one among the three of us." Emelie frowned. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Melissa's name lit up Anthony's phone. Her voice was a tearful mess. "Anthony, Marcelo, Connor, my mom was in a car accident! What should I do? She's all I have! If something happens to her, I don't even want to live anymore!" The brothers' faces paled instantly. "Calm down. We'll be there right away," Anthony assured her. Without a second thought, they rushed toward the door. "Stop right there!" Kaitlyn barked. "None of you are going anywhere near Melissa today! Emelie is getting married today. If you leave now, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives!" The brothers exchanged a glance, their faces filled with impatience. "Emelie belongs to us. Who'd dare marry her? Mom, Dad, quit playing along with her. Once we deal with Mel's situation, we'll come back and marry her." Before anyone could respond, they were already out the door. Ezra was so furious he smashed the cup in his hand. "They'll regret this. Mark my words!" No sooner had the three cars sped away than the sound of horns blaring filled the air outside the Horton residence. Emelie ran out, only to see a fleet of luxury cars lined up in front of the house. Bodyguards poured out of the cars, showering the air with petals from confetti cannons. Lionel stepped out and respectfully opened the car door. "Apologies for the delay, Mrs. Vaughn. Traffic was awful." "It's alright," Emelie said with a gentle smile. She turned back to Ezra and Kaitlyn with red-rimmed eyes. "Mr. and Mrs. Horton... I'll be leaving." Ezra's and Kaitlyn's eyes also welled up as they reached out to hold her hand. "You have to be happy, alright?" "I will, Mr. and Mrs. Horton." She would surely be happy. Emelie hugged them tightly, then glanced one last time at the house where she had spent so many years. With her wedding dress trailing behind her, she stepped into the car without looking back, ready to start a new chapter in her life.