Chapter 491

Jennifer couldn't contain her emotions. She nearly destroyed everything in sight, as if shattering objects would somehow alleviate her pain. She had meticulously planned everything, even using her pregnancy as an excuse when people saw Michael. This was meant to be a beautiful wedding, but Gordon ruined it all.

Donald saw her losing control and quickly pulled her away. The guests exchanged glances and began whispering. Backstage, Donald desperately tried to calm Jennifer, urging her to fix her dress and rejoin the ceremony.

“No one will care about what just happened. They’ll just think Gordon’s crazy,” he said. But Jennifer refused. Even if she fixed her dress, people would only laugh at her.

Donald had no choice but to leave her alone. As soon as he did, Jennifer swept everything off the table. Evelyn approached, attempting to reason with her. “What’s done is done. The most important thing now is to calm the guests and keep the wedding going.”

Teresa interjected, “You can still salvage this if you go out now.”

Jennifer glared at Teresa. “You brought Mike here just to watch me fall apart, didn’t you? Now the wedding is a mess, and I look pathetic. Are you happy now?”

Teresa’s temper flared. “You think your nephew ruined your wedding? I brought him for the food and made sure he stayed out of your way. Your husband asked me to sing for you, and I shouldn't have said yes!”

“I never begged you to sing. Just get out.”

“Honestly, you don’t appreciate anything, do you? If it weren’t to save your face, I wouldn’t even bother showing up. Everyone’s already going out of their way for you. What more do you want?”

“Enough, both of you,” Evelyn said, halting their argument.

Teresa left without another word. She wanted nothing to do with the chaos. Outside, the guests awaited the bride. The ceremony was only halfway through; the vows hadn't even been exchanged, and the bride was hiding backstage.

Cathy and Werner urged Donald to retrieve Jennifer. “What’s done is done,” they said. “The most important thing now is to fix it, not just hide.”

But Donald considered Jennifer’s temper and her recent announcement of her pregnancy. He didn't want to make things harder for her.

So Donald said, “Sorry, everyone. The bride isn’t feeling well, so we have to end the wedding here today.”

Everyone was shocked. The Lynn family members, Jennifer and Donald's friends, coworkers, and classmates—so many people were there, witnessing this disaster.

After apologizing, Donald left the stage, leaving Cathy and Werner to see everyone out.

Jennifer sat quietly in the room. She couldn't accept it—her wedding, the one she had planned so carefully, was ruined forever. Nothing was going right for her lately. She almost lost her job because of a medical problem, and even her wedding was a total mess.

With a loud crash, another glass shattered on the floor—her way of releasing her anger. The sound made Sanford jump. He pressed his lips together and walked over.

Jennifer shot Sanford a cold look. “Did you come to see me fall apart too?”

Sanford let out a helpless sigh. “The guests have all left. Don’t beat yourself up. No one’s going to keep talking about it.”

Jennifer let out a bitter laugh. “Everyone’s going to talk about me and laugh at me. I’m the joke now.”

Sanford said, “Why do you care so much about what other people think?”

“You don’t get it.” Jennifer shook her head, still holding her forehead. Sanford understood her perfectly. They had been in college together—he knew how much of a perfectionist Jennifer was. If anyone pointed out even a tiny mistake in her thesis, she’d obsessively fix it repeatedly, as if she couldn't accept making mistakes. Or maybe, she just couldn't accept being anything less than perfect.

Sanford wanted to comfort her, but seeing her still in her wedding dress, the hand he raised to pat her shoulder dropped. In the end, he just walked away.

By the time Jennifer snapped out of it, she saw a cup of lemon water on the table. Donald returned. He froze momentarily at the mess on the floor, stepped around it, and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

“It’s not your fault. I know,” Jennifer said, resting her head on Donald’s shoulder.

Donald sighed. “Let’s just call it a day and go home, okay?”

“Call it a day?” Jennifer retorted, her voice cold. “Your family is nothing but trouble. Irene ruined my wedding. I’m not letting this go.”

Donald said, “My parents have already gone to the hospital. I promise, they’ll handle this.”

After Gordon was taken to the hospital, they gave him a sedative, and he finally fell asleep. Jonathan stood by the bed, looking at Gordon, and turned to Irene. “Why did you bring Grandpa to Donald’s wedding?”

“Ask Heidi. She was the one who brought him,” Irene snapped.

Heidi said, “Your grandpa wanted to see Irene, but she said she couldn’t leave the wedding. She told me to bring him so he could have a nice meal there. How is this my fault?”

Irene explained to Jonathan, “I was worried Hayden would be upset if I wasn’t there for the photos, so I thought I’d just bring him. The doctor said he’s been more stable lately, so I thought it would be okay.”

No one would have guessed that Gordon, who usually seemed fine, would suddenly lose it when he saw Jennifer onstage. He lunged at her, grabbed her wrist, and started shouting that the bracelet was Fiona’s. For his age, he moved surprisingly fast. By the time Irene and Heidi reacted, Gordon had already yanked the bracelet off Jennifer’s wrist and held it tight.

Knocked out by the sedative, Gordon was still gripping that green bracelet, refusing to let go. Jonathan’s eyes darkened. “So, what’s the story behind this bracelet?”