519 Invitations Had Her Name, I Cancelled The Wedding Chapter 04

After Nathan walked Madison out, he came back to the shop.

He stood in front of my father’s portrait and was silent for a long time.

I thought he might finally apologize.

But when he spoke, his voice was full of exhaustion.

“Mr. Harper, you protected Evelyn too much.”

My fingertips went rigid.

He continued.

“She can’t handle the smallest thing.”

“The invitation had the wrong name, and she wants to cancel the wedding.”

“Madison touched a few old letters, and now she’s making everyone miserable.”

“You trusted me with her back then, but now she won’t even give me basic respect.”

I stared at him, dazed.

My father, on his deathbed, had placed my hand in Nathan’s with such solemnity.

Not so that Nathan could stand in front of my father’s portrait and accuse me of not being reasonable enough.

Nathan turned to look at me.

“If your father were here, he’d tell you not to ruin the wedding.”

I closed my eyes.

“Nathan Caldwell, I want a divorce.”

His face went completely dark.

“You’re doing this again.”

“This isn’t a threat.”

“I’ll have my attorney contact you.”

He suddenly laughed, cold and sharp.

“Fine.”

“You care about all these old things so much?”

“Then today I’ll show you what happens when you threaten me with divorce.”

My heart tightened.

“What are you going to do?”

He didn’t answer. He turned and left.

By the time I got back to the lakeside house, the study door was open.

Nathan stood at the desk, the carved stone keepsake my father had left me in his hand.

It had been my eighteenth birthday gift from my father.

The engraved face held only one word: [Evelyn.]

He looked at me, his eyes cold and unfamiliar.

“Don’t ever threaten me with divorce again.”

Then he slammed the keepsake into the floor.

The stone cracked with a soft sound.

But it hit me like a physical blow.

I rushed over, crouched on the floor, and picked up the pieces one by one.

The wound on my hand tore open again. Blood smeared across the stone.

Nathan’s throat moved.

But he didn’t lower his head.

“Today it’s just a keepsake.”

“Next time, it won’t be something so simple.”

I looked up at him.

He knew exactly what my father had left me.

He knew that after my father died, I had almost nothing left to hold on to.

And he had still smashed it with his own hands.

Madison’s voice came from the doorway.

“Nathan, I put the luggage in the car.”

“Didn’t you say you’d take me to the island to clear your head? We’ll miss the flight if we don’t go.”

Nathan avoided my gaze.

“Let’s both cool off before the wedding.”

“When I’m back, I hope you’ve thought things through.”

I held the broken keepsake pieces and said nothing.

He walked to the door and stopped again.

“Don’t go anywhere.”

“Where else would you go?”

After the door closed, only paper and stone fragments were left in the room.

I wrapped the keepsake pieces carefully, then put my father’s ruined letters into an archival folder one by one.

At three in the morning, an email arrived from the conservation institute.

Half a month earlier, I had been accepted into their conservation fellowship.

Three years. Specializing in historic documents, family letters, and marriage records.

At the time, I had declined for the wedding.

This time, I clicked confirm.

Three days later, Nathan and Madison returned from the island.

Madison pushed the door open and called out cheerfully.

“Evelyn, I brought you shells. Consider it my apology.”

No one answered.

Nathan walked quickly into the study.

On the desk lay a signed divorce settlement.