Chapter 5: The Ceremony and the Goodbye

“Good, good. Since she was little, she’s been prettier than my Colton—so likable!”

My stepmom, always quick with words, kept praising:

“Colton really takes after you and Mr. Blake, picked up the best features. Every family with a daughter in town wants to marry him!”

“Who knows how cute their kids will be!”

Mrs. Blake was truly kind-hearted.

She’d forgotten all about how I used to rough up her son.

Her eyes were full of longing for future grandkids.

On the other side, Colton grinned mischievously.

He poked my arm with his car key.

“Hey, why aren’t you using that move today?”

“Scared? Don’t dare talk back?”

“Heh, just wait. Seven days left, and I’ll come get you.”

My hand inside my sleeve was about to snap from clenching my fist.

But thinking of the official order,

I could only endure.

The wedding day arrived in a blink.

Stepmom stuffed all eighteen guides into my suitcase.

“I told you to read them before, but you wouldn’t. Now it’s too late to cram.”

“These are all special editions. The tips inside could decide your fate, so pay attention!”

I replied impatiently that I knew.

Just thinking about marrying Colton made me irritable.

Stepmom brushed my hair, tears silently streaming down her face.

I sighed helplessly.

“I wasn’t really scolding you earlier, I’m just in a bad mood.”

She wiped her tears and said she understood.

She just couldn’t bear to part with me.

Her words made my heart ache too.

I didn’t have a mom.

No matter how much dad loved me, he was a man—never as attentive as a woman.

When I first got my period, I thought I was dying.

I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat or drink.

It was stepmom who climbed in through the window and quietly tidied my bed.

I asked her in a trembling voice, was I going to die from all this bleeding?

I still remember her gentle smile.

“Don’t be afraid, this isn’t dying—this means our girl is growing up.”

To me, she was like a mother, a sister, and a confidante.

I suddenly felt lucky to be marrying Colton.

It’s just next door, so close.

If I miss home, I can just hop the fence.

After a whole day’s fuss, with a shout of “the ceremony is complete,”

Colton and I were officially married.

He was dragged out by friends to drink.

I found my suitcase in the bedroom.

Inside, besides a stack of gift cards, were the eighteen romance guides.

Looking at them, my heart sank to the bottom.

At this point, I was no longer just myself.

I also represented the Carter family.

The marriage was ordered by the mayor—there couldn’t be a single mistake.