The moment Clara and I stepped out of the hotel, the noise hit us like a wave.
Cameras. Voices. Questions.
Reporters everywhere.
I froze for half a second.Of course, what did I expect.
This was the biggest wedding in the city. Hundreds of influential guests, a billionaire groom, and two powerful families.
The media had been waiting outside the entire time.
And now the bride had just walked out.
"Seraphina Vale!"
"Miss Vale!"
"Is it true the wedding has been canceled?"
"Did Dominic Blackwood call off the marriage?"
"Miss Vale, please answer a few questions!"
Clara grabbed my wrist instantly.
"Oh hell no".
Before the reporters could rush closer, Lucas Grant appeared again like a ghost from nowhere, followed by several security guards.
"Make way", Lucas ordered calmly.
The guards stepped forward, forming a wall between us and the swarm of microphones.
Cameras flashed rapidly.
"Miss Vale, what happened inside?"
"Was there a dispute between the families?"
"Is the Blackwood–Vale alliance over?"
Lucas leaned slightly toward me while we walked.
"Your car is ready".
"Thank you".
Clara whispered beside me, "I suddenly feel like we robbed a bank".
I almost laughed.
A sleek black car waited near the curb. The moment we reached it, the driver opened the door.
Clara shoved me inside first before sliding in after me.
Lucas closed the door firmly.
"Drive".
The car pulled away from the chaos.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Clara collapsed back into the seat dramatically.
"Okay".
She stared at me.
"That was the craziest thing I've ever experienced".
I looked out the window.
Reporters were still crowding the hotel entrance like ants
"I thought you might faint back there", I said.
"I almost did!", she pressed a hand to her chest.
"My heart is still racing!"
Then she studied me carefully.
"But you..."
Her voice softened.
"You look strangely calm".
I was. Too calm, maybe.
The silence inside the car gave me space to think.
Everything had happened so fast.
The wedding. Dominic.
My father. The reporters.
But underneath the chaos, there was something else inside me.
Relief.
Deep, overwhelming relief.
Clara leaned closer.
"So", she said.
"Let's talk about the biggest question".
I glanced at her.
"What question?"
"What the hell happens now?"
Good question.
Because the truth was...
I didn't know.
In my previous life, everything had already been decided. My path had been clear.
Marry Dominic.
Become Mrs. Blackwood.
Spend years chasing a man who never loved me.
Die alone on a rainy highway
But this time...
Everything had changed.
Clara tapped my arm.
"Seraphina".
"Yes?"
"You're smiling".
I blinked, I hadn't even realized.
"Am I?"
"Yes".
She tilted her head curiously.
"You just canceled your wedding, caused a social scandal, and possibly angered two powerful families".
She paused.
"And yet you look… happy".
I leaned my head back against the seat.
"I think I am".
Clara stared at me like she was trying to understand a puzzle.
"You're definitely different today".
Maybe I was.
Or maybe this was who I had always been before fear and love had twisted me into someone else.
The car slowed slightly.
"Miss Vale", the driver said politely.
"We are approaching your residence".
Clara straightened.
"Oh right".
She looked at me.
"Your father is definitely going to explode".
"I know".
"Are you ready for that?"
Not really.
But avoiding it wouldn't change anything. The car stopped in front of the large iron gates of the Vale family mansion.
The gates slowly opened.
Clara grabbed my arm before I could step out.
"Wait".
I looked at her.
"You're sure about this, right?"
"Yes".
"No regrets?"
I thought about Dominic's cold eyes. About the message he sent while I was dying.
'Stop pretending to be sick'.
My fingers tightened slightly.
"No regrets".
Clara studied my face for a moment longer.
Then she sighed.
"Alright".
She opened the door.
"Let's face the dragon".
We stepped out of the car.
The moment we entered the house, the atmosphere felt wrong.
Too quiet. Too tense.
The servants standing in the hallway looked nervous.
One of them approached carefully.
"Miss Vale… your father is waiting in the study".
Of course he was.
Clara whispered, "Moment of truth".
I walked toward the study without hesitating.
The door was already slightly open.
Inside, my father stood near the large desk, his back facing the door.
My mother sat on the sofa nearby, looking worried.
The moment I stepped inside, my father turned around.
The anger on his face was unmistakable.
"Seraphina".
His voice was sharp.
"What exactly do you think you've done today?"
Clara quietly slipped into the room behind me but stayed near the door like a witness
"I canceled the wedding", I replied calmly.
"Yes", my father snapped.
"I'm aware".
He slammed a newspaper onto the desk. Even though it had only been a short time since we left the hotel, the headline was already spreading online.
THE BLACKWOOD–VALE WEDDING COLLAPSES
My father pointed at it angrily.
"This is what you've caused!"
"I expected something like that".
"You've embarrassed this family!"
I stayed silent.
"You've damaged our reputation, destroyed an important alliance, and humiliated Dominic Blackwood in front of half the city!"
My mother spoke softly.
"Seraphina... why did you do this?"
Her voice wasn't angry.
Just confused.
I looked at her.
"Because the marriage was a mistake".
My father laughed harshly.
"A mistake?"
"Yes".
"You've wanted Dominic since you were eighteen!"
"That was before".
"Before what?"
Before I died.
Before I realized how worthless my love had been.
But I couldn't say that.
So instead, I said the simplest truth.
"Before I understood him".
My father's expression darkened.
"You're acting like a child throwing a tantrum".
"No".
"Yes!"
He stepped closer.
"You think love is enough for a marriage?"
I almost laughed.
If only he knew.
"No", I said quietly.
"Love isn't enough".
That was the lesson my first life had taught me.
My father stopped.
For a moment, something strange flickered in his eyes.Then his anger returned.
"Regardless of your feelings", he said coldly, "the consequences of your actions are very real".
"I know".
"The Blackwood family will not forget this".
"I understand".
"And neither will I".
The room fell silent.
Then he said the words I had been expecting.
"You will go to the Blackwood residence tomorrow".
My eyebrows lifted slightly.
"And do what?"
"Apologize".
My chest tightened.
"No".
My father's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"That was not a request".
"I won't do it".
"You don't have a choice".
"Yes, I do".
The tension in the room snapped like a stretched wire.
My father stared at me in disbelief.
"You are refusing?"
"Yes".
"For what reason?"
Because apologizing would mean admitting I was wrong.
And this time...
I wasn't.
"I canceled the wedding", I said calmly.
"That's already done".
"I won't apologize for making the right decision".
My father's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"You're testing my patience".
Clara suddenly spoke up from the corner.
"Maybe everyone should calm down–"
"Stay out of this", my father snapped.
Clara immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Noted".
My father turned back to me.
"You're going to regret this stubbornness".
Maybe.
But I had already experienced the worst possible ending.
Nothing he said could scare me anymore.
"I don't think so".
For several seconds, he just stared at me.
Then he said something unexpected.
"Do you know what Dominic told me before leaving the hotel?"
I blinked.
"No".
My father's expression hardened.
"He said...", he paused deliberately.
"...that he doesn't believe this situation is over".
My heartbeat skipped.
"What does that mean?"
"It means", my father said slowly, "that Dominic Blackwood does not seem like a man willing to simply walk away".
A strange chill ran down my spine.
Because I suddenly remembered something
Dominic's eyes in the lounge.
Calm. Watching. Calculating.
My father crossed his arms.
"You may have ended the wedding, Seraphina", he said directly while looking into my eyes.
"But I don't think you've ended your connection with Dominic Blackwood".
The room felt colder.
And for the first time that day..
A small thread of unease wrapped around my chest.