Jamison held Ivy’s hand, his stride never faltering. Bathed in warm sunlight, his striking features betrayed little emotion. His tone was cold and distant. “You and your husband are both alive and well. Why should Micah’s fate have anything to do with me?”

The message was clear: if Micah really couldn’t cope, that was for his parents to worry about. He refused to be guilt-tripped into responsibility as the uncle.

Beside him, Ivy frowned slightly, her heart tightening. She worried about him, yet found his calm, almost ruthless logic both startling and admirable.

A few steps behind, the Windsor family members heard Jamison’s reply and their faces darkened in unison. They remembered what Ivy had warned them before – that trying to use her to get close to Jamison was pointless. He was even more cold-blooded and unyielding than her.

Now, seeing it with their own eyes, they realized she hadn’t been exaggerating. He didn’t care about family ties at all.

The Windsors exchanged uneasy glances; though no one spoke, they all shared the same thought – any plans to win Jamison over had just crumbled.

Carla, Jamison’s sister, was left speechless by her brother’s blunt words. Her usual composure and poise faltered. It took her a moment to find her voice. “He’s like this because of you! We’ve done everything we can as his parents – what else are we supposed to do?”

Jamison ignored her and continued up the steps. Thad, the eldest, took a neutral stance. He’d always felt a lingering guilt toward his much younger brother because of what happened years ago.

Now, seeing his brother finally find true love, Thad genuinely wished him happiness. Whether or not Ivy came from the “right” family or could help the business didn’t matter to him in the least. After all, he was the one carrying the Ludwig family banner. Their roots were solid; there was no need for Jamison to secure the family’s future with some strategic marriage. Jamison deserved to spend his life with a woman he truly loved – as long as he was happy, that was enough.

But right now, his nephew was taking things far too hard.

When Thad saw Carla nearly driven to a heart attack by Jamison’s attitude, he hurried up the steps to catch his brother. In a low voice, he confided, “Micah hasn’t eaten since yesterday. No matter how we try to persuade him, he won’t listen. He’s as stubborn as ever.”

Jamison’s brow arched. He looked at Thad, genuinely surprised. “He’s really that determined?”

“Yes. He’s gone a full day and night without food or water. He’s just lying in bed.”

Ivy was taken aback. “What is Micah trying to do? Is he trying to end his own life?” She hadn’t gone home with Jamison that night and had no idea what had been said – how far things had escalated. But not eating or drinking for a whole day? That shocked her.

“He said if you two insist on getting married, he’ll starve himself,” Thad explained.

“Starve himself?” Ivy gave a bitter laugh. “He must be seriously unwell. He was the one who betrayed me first, and now he’s playing the part of a heartbroken martyr? I have no patience for that kind of act,” she scoffed, feeling no sympathy whatsoever.

Jamison glanced at her and murmured, “Let him do what he wants. Ignore him.”

Hand in hand, the two of them stepped toward the courthouse entrance.

“Ivy!” Carla suddenly rushed up and grabbed Ivy’s arm. Knowing she couldn’t change her brother’s mind, Carla turned to Ivy instead, her voice almost pleading. “Ivy, sweetheart… I know this isn’t a fair request, and I know Micah wronged you first, but I’m desperate. He’s my only child – I can’t stand to see him do this to himself. Could you – could you just postpone the wedding? Just give him some time to process all of this, to come to terms with it…”