Chapter 7
Gavin froze for a moment. It was clear he did not know anything about it.
“What do you mean it’s been put on hold? Didn’t you already send out the invitations?”
Shane lowered his head. He had not found the right time to tell Gavin about postponing the wedding, and he did not expect Bethany to bring it up first.
Bethany threw the question to Shane. “You should ask Shane about it. It was his decision.”
Gavin’s face hardened. “What could be more important than your marriage? The invitations are already out. Do you want to make this family a joke in front of everyone?”
Before Shane could speak, Yelena chimed in and said, “Dad, don’t blame Shane! He postponed the wedding to take care of me.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Gavin snapped. “You’re not a child anymore! When will you learn to behave? I don’t know what your mother’s been teaching you.”
Yelena was not Gavin’s biological daughter, but ever since Phoebe married into the Stafford family, he had treated her like his own. He adored her and rarely raised his voice at her.
Yelena could not handle it and ran out of the house crying.
“Are you happy now? Look what you’ve done!”
Shane did not hesitate to go after her.
“Did you have to yell at her like that? If something happens to Yelena, I’ll never forgive you!”
Phoebe shot Bethany a glare before walking upstairs.
“Bethany, you wait here. I’ll talk to her,” Gavin said and followed Phoebe upstairs.
Bethany had seen this many times before. It no longer surprised her.
She suddenly felt tired. This whole situation had dragged on for too long. She was sick of it.
Yelena always came between them because Shane always took her side, and Phoebe never set any limits on her child.
Yelena was her parents’ precious daughter, but Bethany was loved just as much by her parents.
She wanted to leave, but her manners would not let her walk out without saying goodbye.
She went upstairs to thank Gavin in person.
But when she reached the door, she heard his voice from inside.
“You’re so foolish! The company’s short twenty million. The bank won’t lend us another cent. The Cole family has money. Once Bethany marries into our family, they’ll invest in the company. If it goes under, how will you afford all your luxuries?
“I know Yelena likes Shane, but can’t you tell her to wait a little longer? Why does she keep causing a scene? Once the company stabilizes, I won’t stop them from being together. For now, keep her in line! I don’t want her causing trouble.”
Bethany’s face went pale. The man she once thought was kind and fatherly turned out to be just as selfish and calculating.
Was this why Shane had agreed to marry her in the first place?
Her hands felt cold. She quietly backed away and left the Stafford villa.
She did not want to stay there any longer. The thought of Shane and his family made her sick. Six years of her life had gone to waste!
When she got home, Shane arrived soon after.
He looked rushed. He went straight to the bedroom and grabbed a few clothes. Then, he noticed a suitcase by the closet.
“What’s this?”
Bethany came up with an excuse. “It’s the clothes I don’t wear anymore. I’m planning to donate them.”
Shane nodded. He did not think much of it.
“Yelena hurt herself again. She’s in the hospital. I’ll stay there for a couple of days to look after her.”
He left in a hurry. He did not even realize that half the things in the house were gone.
When the door closed behind him, Bethany felt a quiet sense of relief.
She blocked his contact, then wrote him a note.
[Shane, let’s break up. I’m marrying someone else.]
She placed the note and her key on the shoe cabinet, took her suitcase, and headed straight to the airport.
From that day on, Shane’s world no longer had Bethany in it.
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