They Caught Her Flower for Someone Else, So I Kept the Groom Fate Gave Me Chapter 05

They Caught Her Flower for Someone Else, So I Kept the Groom Fate Gave Me Chapter 05

His lips parted.

I waited for him to speak. Waited for him to take that step toward me.

But he hesitated.

He tilted his head slightly—and caught Calla’s eyes looking up at him from the steps.

“Haven…” His voice dropped. “Don’t push me like this. We don’t have to decide everything right now. Calla, she—”

“Enough.” I cut him off, brushing the dust off my jeans. “I was joking.”

I already knew the answer. There was no point waiting to hear him say it.

Behind him, Calla’s voice came out thick with tears. “Haven burned her hand—I’ll go get the first aid kit—”

Ethan grabbed her arm. His voice was low, simmering with anger. “Leave her alone. She’s the one who pushed first. What’s she playing at?”

I pushed open the bedroom door and walked inside.

Their footsteps faded down the hall.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my hand.

The burn sat right in the softest part of my palm.

It hurt. Hurt so much I’d gone numb.

Two days later.

The Maypole brides were supposed to gather at the Meeting House to receive the Maypole Blessing. Since one couple had Rejected the Match, only two brides showed up.

People crowded the entrance of the Meeting House.

My father Harold was dressed in his best. He laughed and chatted with Mayor Carver and the Elder Council, his voice booming, his eyebrows raised like it was his own daughter’s wedding.

Cora Tate, Calla’s mother, stood beside him, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

She kept leaning in to whisper something in his ear.

Hunter and Landon ran around serving drinks and handing out cigarettes, greeting everyone like they were the hosts.

Only my mother Holly stood off to the side, her eyes empty. She hadn’t said a word.

Calla wore a white lace veil, her fingers hooked around Ethan’s sleeve as she whispered that she was nervous.

He bent his head to reassure her. “Don’t be. I’m right here.”

Mayor Carver scanned the crowd, his face grave. “Three couples took part in the Choosing. One couple has Rejected the Match—the bride will be struck from the Family Registry. The remaining two couples will complete the ceremony properly.”

Landon clicked his tongue. “Haven didn’t even show up today. Guess she’s upset about Rejecting the Match.”

“Probably for the best,” he added. “She’s always been the quiet type—would’ve just stood in the corner and brought the mood down anyway.”

Hunter’s voice came light and dismissive. “She’s always been like that—hides whenever something goes wrong.”

“Honestly? I’m glad she finally had the sense to Reject it. What good is being on the Registry anyway? A woman can’t hold onto land on her own anyway, no matter how good the orchard is.”

Harold was passing out cigarettes when someone asked, “Your whole family’s here—where’s your daughter?”

He waved a hand. “She Rejected the Match. Just throwing a tantrum. She’ll get over it in a couple days.”

No one pressed. No one even glanced twice.

The ceremony began. Families and grooms stepped out of the Meeting House.

The brides knelt before the Maypole Goddess statue.

The Elder Council Head spoke: “Brides, accept the incense. Receive the Maypole Blessing.”

Calla extended her right hand and took the incense without hesitation.

Then it was the other bride’s turn. Her hand emerged from her sleeve.

Right in the softest part of her palm, a dark red scar stood out—still raw.

Ethan, who’d been leaning toward Landon to say something, caught sight of that hand.

“Wait… hold on…”