Chapter 4 Yes, I Ruined Her Wedding

Selena's POV

Luca stormed toward me, his sleeves rolled up, fury etched into every line of his face. A few guests still lingered near the doors, whispering behind their hands, their eyes gleaming like they were watching a street brawl.

"How dare you cause a scene at your sister's wedding?" he snarled, voice low and dangerous, veins bulging in his neck.

I blinked, trying to see past the sting in my eyes. My dress was soaked. My skin clammy, chilled, and burning from humiliation.

"Oh, I caused a scene? Really?" My voice cracked with disbelief. "Me?"

"I know you didn't want to come," he snapped, stepping closer. "But couldn't you have just stayed quiet?"

I laughed, a hollow, broken sound. "I was quiet. Until someone poured freezing liquid on me. You know I'm allergic to cold."

"That was an accident," he barked. "Some people said you tripped her. That you did it on purpose to ruin the moment. God, Selena, what the hell has prison turned you into?"

I stared him straight in the eyes. "That's not the question you should be asking, Luca." My voice wavered, but I pushed through. "You should be asking what this family turned me into."

His mouth opened, but I didn't let him speak.

"I'm done. For real this time. When I get back to that shack you call a room, I'm packing up and leaving. I don't want anything from any of you. Not from you, not from Mom, and definitely not from Olivia. Don't call. Don't look for me. I mean it."

He looked at me like I'd grown another head. Like he couldn't recognize the girl standing in front of him.

"She's... fighting back?" he muttered.

Then louder: "You've caused enough trouble. I'm taking you home."

I didn't move. My legs felt heavy, like they were bolted to the marble floor.

"Selena," he barked. "What are you waiting for? Want to cause another scene?"

There was something sharper in his voice now, crueler. Luca had never outright hit me, but I remembered the slammed doors, the bruises that took too long to fade, the shoves that made my vision blur.

Still... where else could I go?

So I followed.

The car ride was suffocating. He gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The silence between us was thick, heavier than shouting.

Ten minutes later, he slammed on the brakes in front of the house. Before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, he was at my door, yanking it open and dragging me out by the arm.

"Luca, what the hell are you..."

He didn't answer. He pulled me toward the poultry shack like I was a dog that had outlived its usefulness. My arm throbbed where his fingers dug in.

Without warning, he shoved me inside.

I stumbled and landed hard on my knees. Pain flared in my chest, and the cold concrete scraped the skin off my legs.

"I should just lock you in here. Isn't that what you want?"

"This room doesn't even have a window," I said, trying to stand. "If you lock me in here, I'll suffocate."

He swallowed, as if trying to get a grip on his rage. "Fine. But stay in here. Don't cause more trouble. After the wedding, we'll decide what to do with you."

"I might be gone before the wedding ends."

He laughed, cold and sharp. "And go where? You don't know anyone in Eastbridge. You're an ex-con who barely finished college. Who would hire you? If you leave, don't come crawling back. The Ashfords won't take you in again."

As he turned to leave, his phone rang. He hesitated, then answered.

I watched him, my chest aching. I didn't want to think of him as my brother anymore, but it was hard to erase the memories. The good ones. The laughs, the childhood mischief. But those were gone, buried beneath betrayal.

"What?" he barked into the phone. Then he turned back to me, face pale, colder than before.

"What is it?" I asked, shifting onto the tiny cot, wincing from the pain in my leg.

"Olivia fainted," he said through gritted teeth. "Because of the scene you caused. The wedding's been postponed. They had to take her to the hospital."

I blinked, stunned. Then I grinned. "You're joking, right? Who faints over a scene?"

He marched toward me, towering, furious. "She loves you, Selena. You meant so much to her. Seeing you cause a scene, distracting the guests, embarrassing the family, made her collapse. Even the Harringtons walked out in disgust. This is your fault. You did this deliberately."

I almost laughed. It was so absurd it didn't even sting anymore.

Forced to attend a wedding I never agreed to. Drenched in ice-cold liquid, knowing full well my body couldn't handle it. Olivia had always known I was allergic-pneumonia ever since I came back from prison, constant hospital visits. The Ashfords all knew.

She did it on purpose. Every move was calculated.

And now they blamed me for her collapsing?

Once upon a time, I'd have cried. I used to cry until I couldn't see, until my eyes were raw. But that girl was gone.

Luca reached for me, fury in his hands, but before he could touch me, the door burst open.

Mrs. Ashford marched in, flanked by my second brother, Theo. Both looked like they were ready to erupt.

She stormed up and slapped me hard across the face.

"You ungrateful, dirty child," she hissed. "You ruined our glorious day. You ruined Olivia's wedding! Are you happy now?"

My cheek burned, but that wasn't what hurt.

It was the fact that this woman-this mother I once loved, had turned into a stranger. I gave up everything for her. I once lied to the press to protect her from corruption allegations that would've destroyed the family business.

And now?

She looked at me like I was a stain she couldn't scrub off.

I smiled. A slow, bitter smile.

"Yes. I ruined her wedding," I said softly. "She should've known better than to steal someone else's man."