The Scorned Bride: His Cruel Vows

Chapter 6: Emergency

Thalia's Pov

Seth rose from his chair, clearly furious. The heavy wooden chair scraped loudly against the floor, a harsh sound that made me flinch.

“You're still asking?” Seth spat, his chest heaving as he stared down at me. “Do you know how exhausted Adrian has been these past few weeks? He came home after working sixteen hours, and somehow, within one night of marrying you, he walked out of this house looking worse than ever.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Did he... did he tell you that?” I quietly asked. My voice sounded incredibly fragile, shaking so much that I hated myself for it.

Seth scoffed, a nasty, mocking sound. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at me with pure disdain. “He doesn't have to tell us anything. We have eyes, Thalia. We saw the state he was in when he left this house.”

Dory, Adrian's younger sister, finally spoke. She hadn't looked at me until now. She elegantly patted her lips with a napkin, setting it down beside her plate with slow, deliberate precision. When her eyes met mine, the temperature in the room seemed to drop by ten degrees.

“Whatever happened between the two of you in that room is your business,” Dory said, her voice devoid of warmth. “But as his wife, your responsibility is to bring him peace, not more trouble.”

That line hit me particularly hard. ‘Bring him peace’. I closed my eyes for a second, fighting back the lump rising in my throat. I had spent years trying to do exactly that. Every single day, I walked on eggshells, swallowed my own pride, and tried to be everything they wanted just to make Adrian like me. But no matter what I did, no matter how much I gave up, it was never enough. To them, my very existence was a disturbance.

I looked at Dory and at the look they were all giving me and it made me almost laugh. “If you all really think I have that much influence over Adrian... then you don't know your own family very well.”

The room went completely dead silent and Corinne’s expression darkened instantly. The lines around her mouth tightened into a cruel sneer. She slowly stood up from her chair, drawing herself up to her full height, her gaze locking onto me.

“Watch your tone,” Corinne whispered. “Do not forget your place in this house, Thalia. You are here because we allowed it, not because you earned it. One word from me, and…”

Before the argument could continue, the dining room's doors opened. A servant rushed into the room, breathing heavily. Her face was flushed, and she was holding a ringing phone in her hand like it was a live explosive.

“Madam... Madam, please excuse the interruption,” the servant stammered, her voice trembling violently. “There's... there's a call from the airport. It's Mr. Adrian’s assistant. He says it's an emergency.”

The word emergency echoed through the tense room. Everyone immediately turned toward the phone. Seth and Dory's anger was replaced by panic. Corinne snatched the phone from the servant’s hand before the woman could even finish her sentence.

“David?” Corinne demanded, pressing the receiver tightly to her ear. “What is happening? Did the plane take off?”

We all stood frozen, watching her. I forgot about my hunger, forgot about my anger, my heart dropping straight into my stomach. A horrible, heavy weight settled in the room as we waited.

Corinne listened to the voice on the other end. Slowly, right before our eyes, the color drained from her face. Her skin turned pale. Her fingers gripped the phone so tightly that her knuckles turned stark white.

“What did you say?” Corinne whispered, her voice cracking.

Seth stepped forward, his face pale. “Mom? What is it? What happened to Adrian?”

Dory stood up too, her hands shaking as she clutched the edge of the dining table. The entire family was standing now, terrified, waiting for the verdict. My own breath caught in my throat.

After what felt like an eternity, Corinne slowly lowered the phone from her ear. She didn't hang it up; she just held it loosely at her side, her shoulders dropping as she let out a long, shaky breath.

“The plane carrying Adrian couldn't land because of the severe storm,” Corinne announced, her voice strained but steadying.

“The weather was too dangerous. They've diverted the flight to another city. He is safe. They are waiting out the storm on the tarmac.”

Everyone in the room exhaled in a collective, massive wave of relief.

Seth slid back into his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. “Thank God,” he muttered, his voice rough. “Thank God.”

Dory sank back down too, pressing a hand to her pounding heart, visibly trembling from the scare. But the relief in the room didn't last long for me. Corinne slowly turned her head, her pale face hardening once again as her eyes locked onto me. The fear she had just felt instantly morphed back into animosity, and she shot me a look filled with venom.

“See?” Corinne said, pointing a trembling, manicured finger at me. “The very first night after marrying you, something goes wrong. The weather has never diverted his flights before. You've brought nothing but bad luck into this family since the moment you stepped through that door.”

I stared at her, stunned. It was so unreasonable and unfair to blame a cross-country storm on me, but the malice in her eyes told me she genuinely believed it. Or worse, she just wanted a reason to hate me.

I couldn't do this anymore. “If you expect me to stand here and defend myself against the weather, then I won't do that.” I muttered, but made sure my voice was loud and clear, “Since I'm not wanted here, I'll excuse myself. Have a good day.”