Chapter 302: Don't Be Upset

"Why should I listen to something that makes me unhappy?" Andrew asks.

The nurse finishes treating his back, and she begins to wrap his wounds with clean, soft cotton. Before she can finish, Andrew jumps to his feet and snatches the pen from Avery's hands. He walks across the room and throws it out the window. His face is pale with pain, but he moves quickly.

Andrew slams the window shut, and Avery sighs with relief. She's glad that she won't cause Andrew unnecessary pain, but she's even happier that Evan's cruel plan has failed. She glances at Evan and sees that he's scowling at the window. 

"Since you were so thoughtful in bringing me a gift, I'd like to give you something in return," Andrew says.

He snaps his fingers, and a bodyguard rushes over. He whispers instructions to the guard, and the guard runs into the bedroom. He comes back carrying a creamy white envelope. He passes it to Andrew, who gives it to Evan with a small, ironic bow. 

Evan tears the envelope open and pulls out a matching piece of paper. From across the coffee table, Avery can see white, sparkling flowers and delicate black calligraphy. Evan's handshakes as he reads the writing.

"I really hope you'll take some time out of your busy schedule," Andrew says. "We'd love to see you at our wedding next month."

Avery stares at the paper in horror. I should have known it was a wedding invitation the moment I saw it, she thinks. But Andrew never talked to me about choosing a date. I don't even know when my wedding is. She glares at Andrew, but he's too busy smiling at Evan to notice.

"When were you planning on telling me?" she asks Andrew.

"Don't be upset, Honey," Andrew says. "I didn't want to worry you with all the details. But I respected your wishes, and I consulted with several fortune-tellers and astrologists, and they all promised me that this is the best possible day for us to get married." 

She wants to grab the paper from Evan, crumple it into a ball and shove it into Andrew's mouth. Instead, she smiles sweetly at Andrew and snatches the invitation away from Evan. She reads it once and then returns it to him; his hand trembles slightly as he takes it from her.

"I thought you hated marriage, Avery," Evan says. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"I only hated our marriage," she says, hating herself for the cruelty. "After I married you, I was kidnapped, framed for all sorts of things, tortured, and locked away in dark rooms. There were multiple attempts on my life, and I lived every day in fear. You couldn't protect me. You couldn't even persuade your grandfather to honor your wishes. What would I want with a man like you when I can have a proper marriage with Andrew?"

Evan smiles, but his eyes are cold and dark—he looks unhinged. He stands and shoves the invitation into his pocket. Avery wishes she hadn't been so harsh, but it's too late to take it back.

"I wouldn't miss this wedding for the world," Evan says. "And, of course, I'll make sure to bring a gift for the happy couple."

He marches out of the room, and Robert runs after him. As soon as the door shuts, the tension seems to leave. Avery collapses into high-back with complete exhaustion. Andrew kneels next to her and takes her hand in his. He traces calming circles around her palm with his fingers.

"Your hands are so cold, honey," he says. "Are you all right? Are you sure you're not in shock?"

"Don't touch me," she snaps. "Why would you plan the wedding without even telling me?"

"Are you angry?" Andrew asks. "I swear I meant to show you the invitations first. I wanted it to be a nice surprise for you. But then Evan brought the pen, and I felt the need to give him something in return."

"We can play-act in front of Evan, but there's no need for that now that he's gone," she says. "I know you just wanted to upset him, but that was a low blow."

"Trust me, and the arrangements are perfect," Andrew says. "You'll be happy with it all, I promise."

"I doubt it," Avery snaps.

Andrew smiles and says, "Okay, you can review my plans and change everything you don't like. You can even design the dress and the rings. I want to give you the wedding of your dreams. I want everyone to be so busy talking about the wedding of the century, and they completely forget that it's your second marriage."

"Second marriage?" she asks. "What are you trying to say? Do you think there's something wrong with that? Are you ashamed of me?"

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"I didn't mean anything by that," Andrew says, looking stricken. "I just know that some people like to gossip. As far as I'm concerned, you're only mine."

"Just stop talking," she snaps.

Andrew smiles slyly and then clutches his chest. He staggers across the room and sits down on the sofa. He wrinkles his face as if he's in terrible pain, and his entire body goes tense.

"Oh, my heart," he groans. "Avery, you're hurting me."

Though she knows he's faking, she calls the doctor anyway. The doctor rushes back into the room, and she points at Andrew with a shaking finger. The doctor crouches down next to him and listens to his heart. He raises his eyebrows and then looks again.

"Your heart is wonderful, Mr. Clifford," the doctor says. "You do not have another attack."

"Really?" Andrew asks with a warning look, "Better check again."

The doctor takes Andrew's pulse and says, "Oh my mistake, Mr. Clifford, your blood pressure is definitely a bit high."

Andrew waves the doctor away and looks at Avery out of the corner of his eyes. She sighs. If he's going to use his heart as an excuse every time I try to argue, the next six months are going to be a living hell, she thinks.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Andrew says. "I never meant to hurt your feelings."

Before Avery can answer, there's a knock at the door. Jessica stomps into the room. She's wearing high red heels, a sparkling red dress, and her lips and fingernails are the exact same shade of scarlet. She looks like a fire. A bodyguard follows her closely, wearing a cool unreadable expression.

"Oh, Andrew, my dear brother," Jessica says. "Are you okay? I heard you were looking for me?"

"Save your concern, Jessica," Andrew says. "I know you're the one who made the chandelier fall. You're the reason I just had more than thirty shards of glass pulled from my back."

Jessica looks down at her shoes and whispers, "It's more complicated than that."

"Oh?" Andrew asks. "Tell me, who were you trying to kill?

"I wasn't trying to kill anyone," she says miserably, picking at her nail polish. "I thought the chandelier would still be connected to a wire. It would fall, but the wire would stop it from hitting anyone."

"So, was Avery your target?" Andrew asks.

Jessica says nothing, but she continues to peel the polish off her ring finger. Andrew steps in front of her and grabs her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look into his face. She glares at him and pouts her lips.

"Apologies," Andrew shouts.

Avery shivers—she's never heard Andrew sound harsh before. If I were Jessica, I'd be terrified, she thinks.

"I don't want to apologize to her," Jessica says. "She's just using you for her own evil intentions."

"Who said she has evil intentions?" Andrew asks. "Maybe I'm the one with evil intentions."

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