We discharged Josephine that same day.

Excessive treatment would only worsen her suffering, so I respected her wishes. But the thought of Grandma leaving us at any moment made it hard to breathe.

To fulfill Josephine's wish, I discussed having a quick wedding ceremony with Vincent, and for once, he agreed without hesitation.

Nobody told Josephine about Toby's disappearance, fearing it would upset her. I couldn't tell her that Vincent and I might be divorcing, either.

Honestly, I wasn't in the mood for a wedding right now, but I couldn't let Josephine leave this world with regrets.

Though rushed, Vincent spent a fortune to book the best hotel in Harborbrook for a lawn wedding.

On the wedding day, I was dressed in a stunning gown, but I couldn't bring myself to smile at my reflection in the mirror.

At the venue, the well-wishes of guests felt surreal.

Josephine, supported by my mother, looked at me with affection, praising how beautiful I looked.

My mother's gaze, however, was cold. I forced a smile. I should be used to this by now, right?

"Where's Toby? I don't see him," Josephine asked weakly between coughs.

I froze, unsure how to respond.

Just then, Ryan appeared, looking sharp in his suit, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Ryan actually came? Doesn't he usually avoid these events?" people whispered.

"Uncle Ryan!" I waved, and he gave me a gentle smile.

Even Ryan showed up, but the groom, Vincent, was nowhere to be seen.

With Josephine asking about Toby, I had to make up a poor excuse about school business.

Josephine's expression darkened, and I felt a wave of panic—was she starting to suspect something?

Half an hour later, the ceremony was supposed to start, but the groom still hadn't arrived.

Looking around, I noticed Claire was missing too, and my heart skipped a beat.

Seeing the lavish wedding setup and hearing the whispers of guests, I felt like my heart being twisted into knots.

This whole wedding was nothing but a facade.

Touching my belly, thinking of the baby inside, I tried to calm myself.

I asked my mother to keep an eye on Grandma, then walked off to a quiet corner to call Vincent.

No answer.

After several failed attempts, I nearly threw my phone in frustration.

Left with no choice, I called Vincent's assistant.

Luke nervously spoke, "Ma'am, Ms. Claire May is attempting suicide today, so Mr. Hudson—"

Luke stuttered through his explanation, but I pieced it together.

My sister chose TODAY to attempt suicide? So, Vincent ditched our wedding to be with her?

How ridiculous—someone like Claire, who valued her life so much, trying to end it all?

"Luke, you can reach Vincent, right? Tell him to come here, NOW!" I slammed the phone down, my chest heaving with anger.

Back at the venue, the guests were gossiping about Vincent's delay.

Josephine clearly sensed something was wrong, clutching my hand, her eyes full of questions.

"Gabby, why isn't Vincent here yet? What's going on?"

"Grandma, he's just stuck in traffic!" I quickly lied.

"I'll call Vincent myself!" Josephine pulled out her phone, her hands shaking as she dialed.

"Grandma!" I rushed to stop her, but it was too late.

To my surprise, someone answered.

But it wasn't Vincent.

I heard Claire's tearful voice, "Vincent, why are you marrying Gabby? Why can't I be the bride? I know you're hurting because Toby's missing. If you want kids, we can have one together, okay?"

Claire's voice was loud enough for me, Grandma, and Mom to hear clearly.

My heart felt like it had been struck by lightning. I nearly collapsed.

Mom looked furious, and Grandma, her face filled with anger, demanded, "Vincent, Claire, what are you doing?"

The call abruptly ended. Josephine started coughing violently, nearly collapsing. "What's this about Toby being missing?"

"Grandma! You heard wrong, that's not true!" I was beside myself, struggling to comfort her while barely holding it together myself.

"I'll go find Vincent," Ryan said coldly, stepping forward.

Before he could take more than a few steps, someone shouted, "The groom's here!"

I looked up to see Vincent rushing in, dressed in his suit.

And right behind him was Claire.

My heart shattered as rage burned through me.

"Vincent, what's going on between you and Claire?" Josephine stumbled forward, "Where's Toby?"

Vincent shifted uncomfortably while Claire avoiding eye contact and said, "Grandma, didn't you know Toby's missing—?"

"No! Impossible!" Josephine clutched her chest and fell back, suddenly coughing up blood!

"Oh God!" I gasped, running toward her.

Just as I was about to reach her, gunshots rang out!

I froze in shock—where did the gunfire come from?

Before I could process it, I saw bullets flying towards us!

I stared in horror as the bullets...seemed to be aimed at me.

‘Was someone trying to kill me? On my wedding day?’

"Shooter! Run!" People screamed in panic.

Chaos erupted instantly. Everything became a blur, except for one clear image—Vincent grabbing Claire and shielding her with his body!

I felt like I'd been hit over the head, the world spinning around me.

The bullet was heading straight for me, and in my dazed state, I had no time to react!

Baby, my baby!

I clutched my belly, instinctively trying to protect my baby.

Everything went dark, but I caught a glimpse of a dark figure lunging toward me!

The smell of blood filled the air as pain overwhelmed me, and I slipped into darkness.