Chapter 6

Evelyn stopped, her back to everyone, her gaze instantly turning icy. "First you vanish on your wedding day, now you come back throwing a tantrum, even raising your hand? Evelyn, you're really outdoing yourself," George snapped, his face twisted with rage, eyes burning with fury. Edward and Grace's faces darkened the moment George said that. Amelia Bennett quickly got to her feet and tugged at George's arm. "Don't be so mad, maybe Evelyn has her reasons…" "Evelyn, where were you today? And why do you look like such a mess? Do you think making a scene at your wedding is some kind of game? You can't be this reckless." One simple sentence threw all the blame right on Evelyn. That line basically screamed to the Andrews that Evelyn ran from the wedding on purpose and, judging by how she looked, might not even be pure anymore—it was a straight-up hit to both families' pride. Sure enough, Edward and Grace both looked furious. Even Nathaniel had a flicker of disgust in his eyes. When Evelyn turned around, she locked eyes with Nathaniel—and saw nothing but contempt. She let out a dry laugh and said, "Then let's not get married. That way, I'm saving you all even more embarrassment." "You…" George clutched his chest, his face a storm cloud. He looked like he was about to explode. Edward angrily swiped his sleeve. "Ridiculous! What do you think marriage is? A joke?" "Evelyn, please don't say things you'll regret," Nathaniel said, frowning as he walked toward her, his tone heavy with meaning. "Just explain what happened today. The wedding can still…" Evelyn sneered. "Soon as I stepped back in here, everyone had their verdict ready—blaming me left and right. All I did was give you exactly what you wanted. Still not good enough?" Nathaniel froze in place, her words cutting deep, his expression unreadable. "I'm calling off the engagement. It's not like I'm the only daughter in this family," Evelyn said firmly. Her eyes slid to Emily, who had been sitting quietly in the corner. Now, Evelyn's gaze held open mockery. Emily jumped to her feet, keeping her head down, the excitement on her face barely hidden. "Evelyn…" Edward, Grace, and even Nathaniel looked more and more shocked, as if they just couldn't believe her attitude—like, seriously? Grace was so furious she nearly fainted from holding in her breath. Edward didn't look much better. "Evelyn." Nathaniel's voice dropped a few degrees. In the past, one look of disappointment and Evelyn would rush to comfort him. He figured this time would be the same. It wasn't. Evelyn still wore that mocking smile. "Why, I can't even back out of this marriage now?" Nathaniel: … The whole room felt like it'd frozen over. "Wow… seems like I picked a bad time to drop in. Did I just crash the party?" A teasing voice cut through the tension, drawing every eye in the room. A tall figure stood with the light behind him, casting his face in shadow. Evelyn recognized the voice—it was Julian Everett. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise. What was he doing here? Nathaniel's brows furrowed. When Julian stepped forward into the light, a storm flickered in Nathaniel's eyes. George and Amelia were stunned. Even Edward and Grace were momentarily caught off guard. Hands in his pockets, Julian strolled over to Evelyn, throwing Nathaniel a side glance full of mockery. To Julian, the scene in front of him was pretty clear—everyone siding with Nathaniel, ganging up on Evelyn. Then his eyes fell on Evelyn again, noticing how disheveled she looked. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly. Without a word, Julian slipped off his coat and gently draped it over her shoulders. "Are you hurt anywhere?"