Chapter 2

What was supposed to be our wedding, I was now just a mere guest.

The butt of everyone’s jokes.

Serena wanted me to take off my suit for Victor to wear. It was a blatant act of humiliation.

But I had no choice but to agree, because my mother’s life was still in Victor’s hands.

So, under the gaze of thousands of mocking eyes, enduring the humiliation and the insults of being a fool, I took off my suit, piece by painful piece.

“Ugh, he’s so useless. He’s a disgrace to all men.”

“What a pathetic loser, can’t he live without a woman, for crying out loud?”

These words pierced my ears. My heart felt a bitter ache and a profound helplessness.

Serena had once saved my mother’s life, and I had promised her then that I would marry no one but her.

For the sake of that single promise, I had waited for her every time she ran away from our wedding, only to stand by.

But this time, I wouldn't wait for her anymore.

Serena walked over, picked up the discarded groom’s suit from the floor, her face tinged with guilt.

“Alex, don’t worry. Once I’ve calmed Victor down and his emotions stabilize, we’ll hold our wedding.”

“Just bear with it this time! You know, he acts like a child when he has an episode. Let’s just treat our wedding as a joke.”

My mother looked at me, her eyes filled with sorrow.

The knife at her throat had pierced her skin, drawing a thin line of blood.

“Alex, stop taking it off…”

I pulled off my pants and threw them at Serena.

“Enough?”

I looked at Victor as I said it.

He was staring at me with a perfectly normal gaze, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

“As long as I’m here, you’ll never marry her. She’s mine.”

Before I could reply, Serena was already smiling, soothing him with a doting tone.

“Yes, I’m yours. Always. Come on, put on the groom’s suit.”

Only then did Victor seem satisfied.

When he looked at me again, his eyes were full of blatant provocation.

My clenched fists audibly cracked.

I had tried to convince Serena before: if he’s truly ill, why not send him to a proper psychiatric facility for treatment?

She claimed she couldn’t bear to leave him alone there; he had no family left, and he was already so pitiful.

She even accused me of being heartless and calculating.

Every argument we had was because of Victor.

I was genuinely exhausted. I didn’t want to be entangled with them anymore.

If she wanted to care for him, she could care for him all she wanted.

But the people in the room had started openly laughing, pointing and gossiping about us, enjoying the spectacle.

My mother, overwhelmed with guilt, began to weep, but Victor still hadn't released her.

Just then, a group of doctors in white coats rushed in through the door.

“Heard there’s a mentally ill person causing trouble and threatening lives here?”