Chapter 431
“Manners?” Catherine chuckled. She looked at Vincent’s furious mother and said, “Say, I don’t have parents. But your son has parents. Then, why did he act immorally? Why did he betray me?”
Her questions silenced the commotions. The guests exchanged glances in confusion.
“What is she saying?”
“What does she mean by Vincent acting immorally? Is he that kind of person?”
“Did she just say Vincent betrayed her? Interesting! That’s not what we heard.”
Everyone whispered and Catherine and others could hear them loud and clear.
.....
Vincent’s face turned pale when he heard Catherine’s questions.
‘What does she think she is doing? Is she planning on taking revenge?’ he thought. Fearing the worst outcome, his throat became dry.
“Catherine, what do you think you’re doing? I know you’re upset but it is all your fault. Because of you, everything happened. That’s why I had to choose Betty. Our wedding ceremony is done.
“Now she’s my lawful wife. Even if you have regrets, you cannot do anything. She will be my wife for the rest of my life. Please for the sake of our first relationship, just leave peacefully. Don’t ruin our wedding.”
He spoke in a roundabout way. They were in front of guests. He knew she didn’t do anything wrong. But he had to take care of his image in front of all the customers and relatives.
That’s why he spoke vaguely so that no one could understand the real reason behind the change of bride before the wedding.
Catherine looked at him helplessly. Even though she liked Sebastian, it didn’t mean she didn’t love Vincent.
Vincent was her first love, first crush and first dream.
She dreamed of having a family with him.
That’s why when he spoke like that it broke her heart. The pain in her heart made her breathless.
‘Is this the guy I fell in love with? How did he change so much? He was the coolest guy I’ve ever known. Now, look at him. He looks like a worthless guy who cheated on his fiancée and made another woman pregnant or so she said.’
Catherine realized that it was time for her to let him go. She wanted to hold him dearly but he made the wrong decision
Now that he became someone else’s husband, he did not belong to her anymore.
After being hurt by him like that, she did not want to keep him in her heart any longer.
She said, “Vincent, how can you blame me? Do you think I wanted to make trouble for you? I did not want to come. Even though you were sending apology letters, I did not bother to read them because I knew it was over for us.”
The guests were stunned when they heard her.
“Did she just say that he sent her apology letters?”
“I heard she cheated on Vincent. Then why is he sending her apology letters?”
“I think there is something wrong with the overall story. Maybe Catherine didn’t cheat on Vincent. It could be another way around.”
“How could that be? We all saw how Vincent cared for her.”
“Whatever. An orphan is an orphan. Whenever they go, they will only cause problems. It must be her. Now she is jealous and wants to destroy Vincent’s reputation.”
“After cheating on Vincent, she was unable to marry him. That’s why she wanted to take revenge. This is all her game. ”
“As I thought, a working woman is complicated and dangerous.”
The conversations among the guests took two sides. They even started an argument and then divided into two groups.
Some took Catherine’s side and another took Vincent’s side. However, most of them took Vincent’s side.”
Vincent could care less what Catherine had to say. But he had to stop her at any cost. He didn’t like that some guests were supporting Catherine.
“If you know that everything is over between us, then why have you come?” he asked her. “You know the last thing we want in our holy ceremony is your presence.”
Catherine sneered. “You are right. Holy ceremony. But in this holy ceremony why did people badmouth me? What have I done to receive such treatment? Do you care to explain?”
Vincent was sweating profusely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that you are bothering us. Your presence is unwelcome. Please leave.”
“Don’t worry about it. I will leave,” Catherine assured him. “But before that, I have to regain my reputation. I have not hurt you. I haven’t hurt your family either. I haven’t hurt anyone in my life.
“I was recognized everywhere because of my hard work and merit. I never had any problem getting any job just because I was an orphan. I never had any problem getting friends just because I was an orphan or a working lady.
“Yes, I earn money. I work hard to earn it. I am proud of my achievement. People praise me for my hard work and intelligence.
“I studied day and night, I worked endlessly just to come to this position. Do you think I could get a job at a place like that without having a tiny bit of brain in my head?
“Now you have to tell me why I am being looked down on by your guests because I work and I am an orphan.”
She didn’t want to cry. However, tears brimmed in her eyes. She choked while she was talking. Her throat tightened and it hurt.
A woman’s tears are a dangerous thing. It can even make a strong piece of wood soft.
It was the same for Catherine. Her tears moved people’s hearts.
Those who were talking badly of her lowered their heads in shame.
They knew nothing about her but they kept talking as if she sold her body to work.
“I have no idea what you’re saying,” Vincent firmly denied her claim. “You need to ask them who were trying to ruin your reputation”
“Yes, you’re right. I need to ask them.” Catherine looked around and asked the guests, “Why were you looking down on me because I was an orphan and I work? Men work too. Why is it normal that men use their connection to get a job but for women it isn’t?
“I knew I heard people say that men sold their bodies to get a job. But when women work hard to get a job, people say that they sold their bodies. Do we, women, have nothing else other than our bodies?
“Despite people lashing out on us, looking down on us, we work hard and don’t give up. We eat the same meal as the boys. We grow up in the same environment as the boys.
“Then why is it that men are always superior and women are looked down on? Why can you not treat us equally? Whenever something bad happens between a couple, why do people’s fingers point at the woman?
“Can you never think that there must be something wrong with the guy? Even if you know that there is something wrong with the guy then why does he not get punished? Why don’t you blame the guy? Why do you let him go?
“And when it is the woman’s fault, you people come to bite her. She never did you any wrong. But you don’t let her go as if she is your sworn enemy. You use your heinous words against her and kill her with it.
“You don’t even bother to find out why the woman chose the road of action. You don’t even feel guilty for what you say about her.
“A person’s word is the sharpest weapon. Once you throw it, you can never take it back. Don’t you think you should use that sharp weapon carefully? If you use a sharp weapon carelessly, you will get injured.”
“And now with your lecture!” Vincent’s mother lashed out.
‘What is this bitch here for? How dare she try ruining my son’s wedding? Did she think that just because she came here and used some words to manipulate people she could ruin our reputation?’
‘No one knows what actually happened. As long as we say it’s her fault then people will think it is her fault. She can do nothing about it. But before she says something, I have to get rid of her from this place right now.’
She strode forward and grabbed Catherine’s arm tightly. “My son already said that you are not welcome. So, you have to leave right now. Because of our past relationship, I wanted to give you a face. But you don’t bother to respect your elders anymore.”
Catherine winced when she felt her nails digging into her arm. Her eyebrows creased in pain.
“Respect?” She looked at Vincent’s mother. “What kind of respect do you want? Did you forget how you talked to me in the restaurant a few days ago?”