Chapter 3

Juan's mother, Camila, came to the hospital that afternoon. The moment she entered, she set her purse on the chair and gave me the familiar look.

She was already assigning blame, as usual.

"Vivian, your father being hospitalized is a serious matter. Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

I was wiping Dad's hands. "I did."

Camila paused, then quickly smiled. "Juan's busy with work. You need to be more understanding. There are many patients who are waiting for him to save their lives."

I didn't respond.

Dad lay on the bed, guilt in his eyes. "My apologies. We've put your family through a lot."

Camila immediately waved it off. "Never mind. We're all family."

Then, she took a red invitation sample from her purse. "I had someone redesign the wedding invitations. The mist blue one you chose before was too plain. Whitney has good taste, so she helped pick this gold foil one."

My hand stopped at Dad's fingertips. "Whitney helped pick our invitations?"

Camila nodded as if it was only natural. "Yes. She grew up with Juan. She knows his taste best."

I looked at the bright red invitation. A line of flowing script was printed on the cover.

[Until We're Old and Gray]

How ironic.

"Also," Camila continued, "for the seating arrangement on the wedding day, I had Whitney sit beside the main table due to her health. It'll be easier for Juan to look after her that way."

I looked up. "He still has to look after her on our wedding day?"

Camila's expression cooled. "Vivian, don't be so petty. Whitney has no parents. So what if Juan is taking a little extra care of her? You're about to marry into our family. You need to be more generous."

Dad coughed lightly. "Vivian, she's only worrying about the wedding."

I put the towel into the basin, and the water rippled. "Let's put the wedding on hold for now."

The ward went quiet.

Camila's smile froze. "What did you say?"

"With my dad like this, I'm not in the mood for a wedding," I said.

Camila frowned. "There are caretakers here. You can't delay the wedding because of this. The hotel, the guests, and the media have all been arranged. What will it look like if you suddenly put it on hold?"

She lowered her voice. "Besides, do you understand Juan's position? How many people in Harbor City are watching him? If you make a scene like this, what will happen to his reputation?"

I looked at her. "When my dad almost died, he was taking care of Whitney."

Camila's face darkened completely. "Vivian, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Didn't Juan come in the end?"

In the end.

Everyone loved to say that.

In the end, he came. In the end, he made it up to me. In the end, he explained.

But that night outside the emergency room, I was all alone.

Footsteps came from outside the door. Juan pushed the door open and came in. His eyes looked at all of us. "What happened?"

Camila immediately said, "Ask her yourself. She said she wanted to put the wedding on hold."

Juan looked at me, his expression calm. "Vivian, come outside and talk."

Once we were in the corridor, he closed the door. "We can't delay the wedding."

His first sentence was not to ask me why.

I leaned against the wall and said softly, "My dad needs someone to take care of him."

"I'll arrange the best caregivers," he said.

I didn't look at him. "What he needs is his daughter."

Juan rubbed his temples and said, "You're emotionally unstable right now. Don't make such decisions."

I suddenly felt tired. "Juan, I'm not your patient."

His movement paused.

"You don't need to diagnose me," I continued, "and you don't need to arrange everything for me."

He looked at me, his voice lowering. "Vivian, I didn't handle that day well, but a wedding isn't a game. You can't deny us over one accident."

One accident.

I looked at the silver hands on his watch. It was the birthday gift I gave him last year.

He said he couldn't wear anything too flashy in the operating room, so I chose the simplest one. Whitney later praised it for looking good on him once. After that, he started wearing it every day.

"If Whitney has another panic attack on our wedding day, will you leave?" I asked him.

Juan was silent.

The answer was already clear.

I smiled. "See? You can't even be bothered to lie to me."

His expression shifted. "Vivian, don't make it sound so absolute."

The ward door opened. Whitney was standing in the doorway, holding the invitation sample. "Juan, your mom said I should help look over the vows. Did I upset Vivian again?"

Juan glanced at her, his voice gentle. "It's fine. Go inside first."

I lowered my head and turned the ring on my finger. The band caught on my knuckle and wouldn't come off. It hurt a little.

Juan reached out, wanting to rub it for me, but I avoided him.

His hand stopped in the air.

Whitney watched us and lowered her eyes. "Maybe I should just leave."

Juan withdrew his hand and turned to help her. "Don't wander about."

I stood there and watched them enter the ward side by side.

Before the door closed, I heard Camila sigh. "Whitney is still the reasonable one."

I lowered my head and looked at the ring I had finally loosened. When it fell into my palm, the sound was very soft.

So soft that no one turned back.