Filed to story: When His Wife Can’t Forgive
Laney wrapped her arms around his neck, her smile mixing with tears. She nodded, her voice catching in her throat.
Cliff’s eyes were bright with emotion, and he sighed deeply, embracing his beloved closely.
“Thank you, Laney.”
Laney replied, “I love you, my dear.”
Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the green leaves fluttered in the summer wind, as if to celebrate their love.
Time flew. Soon, Scarlette had turned 18. Today marked the third day of her refusal to eat as a protest. She was determined to resist Alicia’s plans to marry her off to the Reed family in Banta.
The mother and daughter had been getting along well for the past eighteen years, and this act of disobedience was the most rebellious thing Scarlette had ever done. Though Alicia was seething with anger, her worry slowly dissolved her determination, and she finally gave in.
As soon as Alicia relented, Scarlette stepped out of her room, quickly glanced around, and then sat down next to Caden.
Caden showed no emotion, apparently focused on reading a financial newspaper.
“Stay away from me,” he said, worried that if he spoke to her, Alicia might scold him as well.
Scarlette acted as if she hadn’t heard, determinedly remaining by his side.
“Dad, quit your act. You’ve got the newspaper upside down.”
Caden paused and then flipped the newspaper around.
Scarlette smirked.
“Just kidding. It wasn’t upside down.”
Caden gave her a cold look and set the newspaper aside.
“What are you doing here? Your mom has been worried sick these past few days, unable to sleep properly. Don’t you think you should go comfort her?”
Scarlette pouted, her voice soft but defiant as she whispered, “No, she’s the one mistreating me.”
“She’s in charge here. Whatever she does isn’t mistreatment, got it?”
“Dad, please go for me.”
Scarlette tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft.
“Dad, I’m begging you.”
Caden exhaled deeply, feeling trapped. He couldn’t bear to see either of them upset. Thus, he stood and made his way toward Alicia.
“Honey.”
Alicia answered sharply, “Go away.”
“Oh.”
Since Scarlette had fasted for three days, Alicia instructed Caden to prepare Scarlette’s favorite meals.
As Caden cooked, Alicia stood by and observed, commenting, “She ate that just yesterday. Make something different.”
Caden stopped. He looked at his wife and attempted to defend himself, but a smile escaped despite his best efforts.
“You notice everything.”
That evening, when Scarlette locked herself in her room, Caden quietly passed food to her through the door.
Through the window, both father and daughter were certain their secret plan had gone undetected, but Alicia had witnessed it all. She, too, couldn’t endure the thought of Scarlette going hungry for so long.
Caden said plainly, “Let’s drop it, honey. Marriage is a serious matter, and we should honor Scarlette’s feelings.”
Alicia, of course, had a deep respect for Scarlette’s feelings.
Years earlier, the Reed family had expressed a desire for Scarlette to marry their son, Kenji Reed. Ellis had gone to great lengths to demonstrate his sincerity, nearly overwhelming the Ward family with wealth.
A few years back, when Caden’s stomach condition flared up again, it was Jaida who had been there to save his life.
Caden and Alicia recognized that these debts could be settled in other ways, but when Scarlette was ten, meeting Kenji for the first time, she had been talking about marrying him since then.
However, as soon as Scarlette started college, she fell for the campus heartthrob and no longer wished to marry Kenji.
Alicia said firmly, “Is a promise just a joke to you? Ellis is a proud and strong man, yet he bent over backward for his son. It would be one thing if we hadn’t agreed initially, but backing out after setting an engagement is not acceptable.”
Caden understood his wife’s concern. However, when faced with the choice of offending the Reed family or upsetting Scarlette, he would always choose to stand by Scarlette.
Caden declared, “I’ll deal with the Reed family and take Scarlette to apologize personally. If Ellis is fine with it, that’s great. If not, I’m ready to face their displeasure.”
Alicia frowned, worry in her eyes, but when she glanced at the carefree Scarlette, she sighed helplessly.
“Go ahead and formally break off the engagement.”
Though spoiled by her parents, Scarlette was sensible about serious matters. Aware she was at fault this time, she agreed to go to Banta without complaint and even dressed carefully to appear demure and refined, hoping to make a positive impression on Ellis and Jaida.
Scarlette braced for a difficult discussion, but to her surprise, Ellis and Jaida were understanding.
“Arranged marriages aren’t ideal. The children are grown now, and we should honor their decisions,” Jaida said, sighing yet smiling. Scarlette sat quietly next to her, grateful for the understanding.
Whispering, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Reed,” Scarlette’s voice trembled slightly. Jaida gently patted her head and reassured her, “Don’t worry. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Just as the meeting was about to end, Kenji arrived.
The two sons of the Reed family had inherited their father’s appearance and mannerisms, with Kenji, the younger son, standing out even more among his peers in his early twenties. He had inherited his mother’s talent and was already making a name for himself in the research field.
Kenji stood before the elders, expressing regret for his late arrival with both humility and elegance.
Scarlette gazed at Kenji, her thoughts drifting back to their first encounter years earlier. This man, three years her senior, had stood tall above her, his striking appearance having once made her constantly speak of marrying him.
But how did Kenji react at that time? He hadn’t responded. Instead, he had simply twisted his lips in disdain. Yes, disdain.
When Scarlette was a young girl, she hadn’t fully understood the meaning of his response, thinking he was simply reserved. Now, as an adult, she wished she could create a time machine, return to that year, and give this arrogant jerk a firm kick.
“Kenji, this is Scarlette,” Jaida said with a warm smile.
“It’s been years since you two last played together, hasn’t it?”
Kenji turned his gaze toward Scarlette.
Scarlette held back her complaints and flashed a charming smile.
“Kenji.”
From the very beginning, Kenji harbored nothing but disdain for Scarlette. The arranged marriage had planted the first seeds of resentment, but that was merely the beginning.
Unlike the demure young ladies of their social circle, who carried themselves with quiet grace, Scarlette was full of energy, her voice constantly chirping away like an untamed magpie. Her lack of social graces only made matters worse.
Kenji still remembered the incident at that child’s birthday party-Scarlette had swept in wearing an outfit so magnificent that it reduced the birthday girl to tears. Scarlette wore her triumph like a crown, unbothered by the tears she had caused.
Every single thing about Scarlette seemed precision-engineered to scrape against Kenji’s nerves. Even now, as she sat there wearing a smile as sweet as fresh cream cake, her eyes sparkled with what he knew to be pure artifice.
Kenji couldn’t bring himself to return even a fraction of that sweetness, managing only the barest nod of acknowledgment.
To Scarlette, this was just another example of his insufferable arrogance.
Once the formalities concluded, Ellis extended a courteous dinner invitation to Caden’s family, as protocol demanded.
It wasn’t until they were safely ensconced in their car that Jaida finally let her carefully maintained facade crumble.
“Such a wonderful young woman, and now we’ll lose her to another family,” she sighed heavily. When Scarlette had casually mentioned her college romance, Jaida had felt her carefully constructed plans crashing down around her. Kenji cast a sideways glance at his mother.
“Indeed, the cancellation of the engagement should warrant a celebration.”
Jaida was speechless.
Later that evening, Kenji’s phone buzzed with an invitation from a friend to christen a newly opened bar. Riding high on the wave of his newfound freedom, he readily accepted.
By the time Kenji arrived, twilight had painted the sky in deep purples. He’d shed his daytime propriety along with two buttons of his crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal well-defined arms. The bar’s intimate lighting caught the angles of his face, transforming his usual reserved demeanor into something more dangerous and alluring. While his companions reveled in increasingly boisterous celebration, Kenji remained on an island of calm, nursing his drink in contemplative silence.
Just then, a well-dressed man approached, curiosity evident in his tone.
“Kenji, I heard the Ward family paid a visit today. Were they there to set the engagement date?”
A scoff escaped Kenji’s lips.
“To call off the engagement.”
“That’s fantastic news!” The man’s eyes widened with genuine delight.
“You’re finally free!”
Kenji set down his glass, savoring a ghost of a smile that played across his features. But his moment of satisfaction evaporated instantly as his keen eyes caught a familiar silhouette framed in the doorway.
There stood Scarlette, her face alight with childlike wonder as she drank in the atmosphere, radiating an innocence that seemed wildly out of place in such an establishment.
Kenji’s brow furrowed as recognition settled in. Why hadn’t Scarlette returned to Warrington? What business did she have here at this hour? Troubled, Kenji pulled out his phone to call home.
“Scarlette mentioned she’s taken a liking to Banta, so she’s extending her stay by a few days,” Jaida explained.
“But what’s she doing in such an establishment?”