The Wedding House He Built for Her, Not for Me Chapter 04

The Wedding House He Built for Her, Not for Me Chapter 04

[Bride’s Preference Profile: Valerie Hayes.]

I slipped the folder back where I found it, my fingertips lingering on the cover for a brief second.

Garrett walked over, noting my distraction. “What are you looking at?”

I looked up at him. “Why does our wedding itinerary reference Valerie’s preferences?”

He glanced down at the folder, his expression remaining entirely unbothered. “The planning agency got lazy and reused a template from an old proposal she worked on. I’ll have them fix it.”

Valerie chimed in immediately, saying, “I sent over some mood boards earlier to help out, so the coordinators probably got confused. Please don’t be angry, Clara.”

I looked past her, straight at Garrett. “Is it really just a confusion?”

His patience finally snapped. “What else would it be? Clara Lennox, are you at the point where just seeing Valerie’s name makes you feel like the entire world owes you something?”

I didn’t argue.

That afternoon, I drove out to the corporate warehouse by myself.

It took the manager a long time to dig through the back before he finally carried the magnolia painting out to me. “Mr. Fowler’s assistant told us we didn’t need to keep it, but we didn’t want to throw it away, so we just left it back here.”

The canvas had a deep crease running through it, and my mother’s signature in the corner was slightly smudged from the friction.

I pulled out a tissue and began meticulously wiping away the dust, layer by layer.

My phone chimed with a text from Garrett.

[Mrs. Taylor is coming over to the townhouse for dinner tonight. Be there, and don’t bring your attitude.]

I typed back a single word: [Okay.]

The dinner was set up at the new townhouse.

By the time I arrived, a dining table had already been beautifully arranged right beneath the sunflower canvas. Valerie was holding an elderly woman’s arm, laughing and acting like the perfect, sweet daughter.

When Mrs. Taylor spotted Garrett, her eyes lit up with joy. “Garrett, sweetheart! This place is absolutely beautiful. It feels just as cozy as Valerie’s old apartment.”

Garrett didn’t say a word to correct her.

Standing at the threshold, my hands paused as I took off my coat.

Valerie was the first to notice me, her perfect smile freezing for a split second. “Clara, you’re here.”

Mrs. Taylor blinked in confusion. “And who is this?”

Garrett finally cleared his throat and said, “Mrs. Taylor, this is Clara.”

He didn’t mention that I was his fiancée.

Mrs. Taylor’s gaze darted between the three of us, a look of realization quickly washing over her face before she nodded with a polite smile. “Oh, a friend! Come in, come in, take a seat.”

Garrett leaned down, his voice a harsh whisper against my ear. “Her health is fragile, and she can’t handle any sudden stress. Don’t say anything reckless tonight.”

“What qualifies as reckless?” I asked.

He stared at me coldly. “Don’t mention the wedding, and don’t bring up our relationship. I’ll explain everything to you after she leaves.”

I let out a soft, silent laugh. “Garrett Fowler, you made me come all the way out here just to play the role of a houseguest in my own home?”

“It’s just for one dinner,” he hissed.

Valerie walked over, her eyes full of performative guilt, though her voice remained perfectly clear. “Clara, Mrs. Taylor practically raised Garrett and me when we were younger. She always believed we would end up together, and I’m just terrified the truth will break her heart.”

“So I’m the one who needs to be understanding,” I summarized.

Garrett cut in seamlessly, “It’s for the best if you can see it that way.”

Throughout the dinner, Mrs. Taylor kept piling food onto Valerie’s plate.

“Valerie has loved this since she was a little girl. You still remember that, don’t you, Garrett?”

Garrett meticulously picked the bones out of a piece of fish and placed it into Valerie’s bowl. “Of course I remember.”

Mrs. Taylor clapped her hands together, beaming. “Garrett always knew how to take care of you. Seeing the two of you like this puts my mind at ease.”

Valerie blushed, stealing a quick glance at me before murmuring, “Mrs. Taylor, please stop.”

Garrett kept his head down, sipping his water without offering a single word of denial.

I sat at the very edge of the table, bathed in the dim, muted glow of the bedside lamp they had moved to the living room, which made the entire spread look utterly grey and unappetizing.

Suddenly, Mrs. Taylor turned her attention to me. “Young lady, do you have a boyfriend?”

The dining table instantly went dead silent.

Garrett raised his head, his eyes burning with a blatant, heavy warning.

I set my silverware down flat on the table. “I used to.”

Garrett’s brow furrowed into a deep, angry line.

Failing to catch the underlying tension, Mrs. Taylor asked cheerfully, “And what about now?”

“I’m about to be single,” I said.