Not All That’s Broken Can Be Fixed Chapter 08
I kept my feelings for Abigail hidden for a long time, not daring to return her affection. She spent three years pursuing me before I finally gave in. She spun around me in pure excitement the moment I agreed, overcome with a childlike joy.
It was then that the makeup artist knocked on the door and said, “You may change into your attire now,
Mr. Fuller.”
I had just put on my suit when a butterfly settled on my shoulder. I choked up instantly, my eyes blurring with tears. “Is that you, Dad?”
Raven appeared behind me without my noticing, gently taking my hand. “I’m sure it’s your father, coming specifically to offer us his blessing.”
She then spoke earnestly to the butterfly, saying, “You can rest assured that I’ll take good care of Christian, Dad.”
She had just finished saying that when the butterfly circled around us several times before flying out the
window.
watched through blurry, tearful eyes as it disappeared into the distance before Raven patted my shoulder comfortingly and said, “It’s our big day, so we should be happy about it, Christian. It seems like the guests are almost all here.”
I asked in a trembling voice, “Is she here?”
“C-Christian…” Raven’s expression hardened as she nodded. She looked on the verge of saying something after calling out my name, but stopped herself.
I cut her off, saying, “I’ll settle this score myself, Raven.”
Raven offered a relieved smile, saying, “I know, Christian. I’m just worried you’ll end up hurting yourself.”
Abigail bolted upright from her seat in the audience the moment I made my entrance, holding Raven’s hand. “What are you doing here, Christian?”
She rushed up to me and tried to grab my hand, yelling, “How can you marry another woman when you’re clearly married to me? Did she coerce you into this? Come with me right now, Christian!”
I chuckled softly and calmly withdrew my hand from hers. “It’s been a long time, Ms. Southall.”
Abigail widened her eyes in disbelief. “W-What did you just call me?”
I smiled faintly and repeated myself. “Ms. Southall.”
I interrupted her with a mocking smile before she could even respond, saying, “Congratulations on your new marriage and on having two husbands, Ms. Southall. You’re so busy, yet you still took the time to attend my wedding with Raven. It’s truly an honor to have you here, Ms. Southall.”
Raven stepped in front to protect me and said calmly, “I must ask you to step aside, Ms. Southall-our wedding ceremony is about to get underway.”
It wasn’t long before Raven’s bodyguards stepped forward and escorted Abigail back to her seat.
Abigail kept her eyes locked on me, muttering, “It was just a fake marriage with Ethan and Owen. How can you just marry someone else, Christian?”
I sneered and asked, “Didn’t you personally sign the divorce agreement, Ms. Southall? I’m sure you’ve already received the approved divorce agreement, too. You and I have been over for a long time, and even if there is anything left between us, it’s a relentless, lifelong grudge.
“You shouldn’t be so full of yourself. Did you truly believe I was incapable of marrying anyone but you?”
Abigail desperately broke free from the bodyguards and tried to rush onto the stage.
It was then that Abigail’s parents, Trent Southall and Dahlia Smith, suddenly appeared and grabbed hold of her. “You can’t cause a scene here, Abigail-it’s the Sherman family’s wedding banquet. You should wait until it ends to discuss this further. We can’t afford to offend the Sherman family.”
In the end, Abigail could only watch helplessly as I put the wedding ring on Raven’s finger. She watched the two of us exchange a kiss on the stage, her eyes filled with unwillingness and desperation.
I felt completely vindicated in my heart, though it was still far from enough.
Raven planned a six-month honeymoon for us after the wedding.
I felt a bit exasperated-while other people only took a month, she went ahead and arranged half a year.
Raven smiled warmly, saying, “I just want to go out and unwind with you. I mean, you’ve always wanted to travel and see the world, haven’t you?”
I instantly choked up. Dad always worried about me when he was still alive, telling me not to spend all my time trapped in the Southall family and constantly nagging me to get out more. Abigail was always busy, though. I was unwilling to leave her side, just as I was unable to leave Dad’s.
Throughout those days of diligently managing the Southall residence and serving as their son-in-law, I had long since cast aside my former dreams.
It moved me deeply that Raven still remembered my childhood dream.
