Our Wedding Turned Into Their Battlefield

At my wedding to Percy Fritz, his sworn enemy, Carlene Skinner, suddenly bursts in. She wrecks the place and shoves me to the ground in the process. Then, she points at Percy and yells, "You ruined my blind date, so I'm going to ruin your wedding!" Percy's temper flares, and he snaps back, "That's because you interrupted my date!" "I still haven't settled the score with you for stealing my client!" The two of them just keep going at each other in the middle of the wedding. Blood runs down my forehead as I call out Percy's name, but he doesn't even notice. As I watch them argue until their faces are red, my hands turn cold and start to tremble. I pick up the microphone that has rolled to my feet and finally cut their argument short. "Percy, I'm calling off the wedding." Chapter 1 Percy Fritz flinched. A few seconds later, he finally looked in my direction. When his gaze landed on my bleeding forehead, he stumbled toward me. "Ines, are you okay?" I turned my head and swept my eyes over the mess around us. Only a few close friends were left standing in the corner. My hands clenched into tight fists. The wedding I had dreamed about for years had been destroyed in minutes. "It's all my fault," Percy said. "I shouldn't have let that crazy woman in. Don't be angry. In a few days, we'll hold the wedd—" "Who are you calling a crazy woman?" Carlene Skinner's shrill voice cut in from behind us. "I did this to get back at you. I swear to God, I'll ruin every wedding you try to hold." "Why you little—" Percy's temper flared up again in an instant. He turned back to argue with Carlene again, but I held on tightly to the hem of his shirt. Gritting my teeth, I poured all my emotions into what I said next. "If you keep fighting with her, we're done." Percy immediately backed down. In the end, he ordered the security guards to throw Carlene out. Her bitter curses echoed from outside. "As long as I'm here, I won't let you have a moment's peace!" Percy finally ignored her. He bent down and scooped me up in his arms. "Ines, I'm sorry you had to go through that. Let's get you to the hospital and have that looked at." After a round of examinations, I fell into a deep sleep in the hospital room. I was eventually woken up by a heated argument. Percy stood by the door, arguing with whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Carlene, if you ever try to wreck my wedding again, I swear I'll make you pay! You still dare to provoke me? Just you wait!" He hung up and was about to rush out, but I grabbed his wrist. "If you go, she'll just hit back again," I said. "Tit for tat. The two of you will be at each other's throats forever. Just let today go." I didn't know what kind of mood I was in when I said those words. In the three years I had been with Percy, I had suffered no small amount of torment from this pair of sworn enemies. Carlene had once swapped the birthday present Percy prepared for me with a gag gift. Percy had made me wait two hours in the freezing cold when he came to pick me up, all because he fought her over a parking spot on the way. I had tried to talk him out of it, tried to put up with it, and even tried to understand the ten years of complicated history between them. But in the end, even my wedding had been reduced to collateral damage. Even in their quarrels, I could sense something twisted in what they felt. That was why I was afraid that once Percy got his revenge, I would spend the rest of my life being dragged into their feud. Percy sighed and placed his hand over mine. "Okay, I'll listen to you. I won't go. I'll stay right here with you." As we left the hospital, Percy held my hand the entire way back. Every word he spoke was a gentle, cautious attempt to soothe me. But the moment we reached our front door, I froze. The security door was slightly ajar. The instant I opened it, the chaotic scene hit me like a wave. The mess all over the floor made my breathing stop abruptly. My mom's memorial portrait had been viciously thrown down in the entryway, a shoe print smeared across the black-and-white photo. I collapsed onto the floor amid the shattered glass, reaching out to grab the scattered frame. Chapter 2 However, the first thing I touched was a soft, sagging photo album. The moment I opened it, I found the photos inside had been cut to shreds. Not a single one was intact. Written on the last page of the photo album in a signature pen were the words, "Percy, you can't beat me!" The words made my vision blur with anger and resentment. At the end of the message, she had drawn a crude smiley face. Shreds of paper fell through the gaps between my fingers, and a sharp ring filled my ears. After Mom was gone, these photos were all I had left of her. "It has to be Carlene again!" Percy shouted, staring at the mess on the floor. He was blind to the fact that I was falling apart right next to him. "I didn't even hold the wedding against her, and here she is picking a fight with me first!" He turned toward the door. "Ines, don't stop me. This time I'm really going to give her a lesson she'll never forget!" I reached out to grab him, but my hand closed on empty air. I jerked my head around in time to see the front door slammed against the wall. It was so loud that it left my ears ringing. I sat on the floor holding the ruined album for as long as Percy was gone. Only when my fingers had gone numb from the cold did I dazedly pull out my phone. Carlene had just posted on Instagram. It was a gloating selfie with a caption that cut deep. "Someone lost to me again today. Once a loser, always a loser." I was staring blankly at the caption when Percy's call came in. "Ines, I just remembered I was supposed to help you plan for the wedding today. But Carlene really went too far! I went to her place because I wanted to get back at her for you. I'm coming home right now—" "Don't bother." I cut him off, swallowing the hurt. "Percy, let's just break up. You and Carlene have seriously messed up my life." Despite myself, the last word still came out with a catch in my throat. Percy and Carlene had been at each other's throats for years, from fighting over rankings back in school to competing for resources once they started working. Eventually, even my affairs became something they had to get involved in. They'd fight tooth and nail every time, leaving me forgotten on the sidelines. On our dates, they'd argue over who got which seat to the point of flipping the table. I could only stand there awkwardly, cleaning up the mess. And when Carlene ruined the surprise Percy had prepared for my birthday, I ended up having to comfort him in his fit of anger. After putting up with it for so long, even the things I cherished the most were torn to shreds. Percy was panicking on the other end of the phone. "Ines, don't cry. I'm sorry. Just wait—I'm going back right now." Less than ten minutes later, the door was flung open. Panting, Percy came in and pulled me into his arms. "Ines, I really know I was wrong now. Can we not break up? I swear I'm cutting Carlene out for good." I looked up at his guilty and anxious face. He was always like this. No matter how far he was, he would always rush back at the first moment to comfort me. Except for the thing with him and Carlene, he was a great partner in every other way. However, it was precisely this that hurt me the most. I gently pushed him away and was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low, quiet voice. "If you really want to cut her off, I have a way. Percy, let's press charges. She broke into our home and destroyed our property." Percy was stunned for a moment. "Press charges?" I stared at his shocked face. "Don't you hate Carlene? Don't you want her to get locked up for a few months to teach her a lesson?" As I spoke, I stood up and walked toward the door without hesitation. "Let's go right now." No sooner had I touched the doorknob than Percy pressed my hand down. "You're right. We definitely have to press charges." He placed his hand on my shoulder, his voice gentle. "But you must be exhausted. There's no need for you to make a trip to the law firm. "Have you forgotten that my good buddy Tristan is a lawyer? Just leave this to me. I'll definitely make Carlene pay." Upon hearing that, some of the tightness in my chest finally began to ease. Chapter 3 "Alright," I said, nodding. Percy beamed with joy. After planting a kiss on my cheek, he took my hand. "How about we go plan for the wedding now? The one that got ruined doesn't count. This time I'll throw you an even bigger and better one to make up for everything." Perhaps because I had been wound so tightly just moments before, the exhaustion now came flooding over me all at once. And I didn't take in a single word of what Percy said after that. That evening, he slid his phone toward me. "Ines, look. I've already removed Carlene from everything. She won't bother us anymore." His tone was bright, with an earnestness in his words that seemed to be seeking praise. After that, Carlene truly never appeared again. Meanwhile, Percy was even more attentive to me than before, as if he were dead set on making it up to me. It was also during this time that I found out I was pregnant. The day Percy learned I was pregnant, his hand was trembling as he held the lab result. Before I could even react, he scooped me up and spun me around. "We need to move the wedding up! Ines, I'm not going to make you wait any longer." My heart gradually settled down as well, and I stopped thinking about his toxic rivalry with Carlene. But while I was cleaning the room one day, I found a shredded shirt in Percy's closet, and lying in the trash can was a project contract scribbled all over beyond recognition. With unease gnawing at me, I called Tristan Armstrong. "How's the lawsuit against Carlene going?" There was a beat of stunned silence on the other end. "Huh? Lawsuit against who?" In an instant, all the blood had drained from my body, and my ears began ringing. Even my grip on the phone went slack. However, Tristan kept talking. "I know you're upset that Carlene ruined your wedding, but she's always been like this. You'll get used to it." Before I could get a word in, he went on rambling about the past. "To be honest, Percy and Carlene almost got together once. Then, she started dating someone just to spite him, and Percy wasn't about to take that lying down. And that's how the two of them got into this whole rivalry." I stood there with my phone pressed to my ear, my fingers ice-cold and trembling. As I listened to the past that I had never known, the absurdity hit me like a slap in the face. It turned out all that hostility between them really was just old sparks from their flirting. As if realizing he'd said too much, Tristan changed tack. "But that's all in the past. Percy's about to marry you now, and he only has eyes for you. So, don't overthink it." His attempts at damage control only stung more, as if he were scrambling to cover something up. I couldn't bear to listen anymore and hung up. A warm weight settled over my shoulders as a jacket fell across my back. Percy's voice came from above my head. "Why are you dressed so lightly? Tomorrow's our wedding. What if you catch a cold?" As he spoke, he hugged me from behind, his chin resting gently on the top of my head. His warm breath tickled my neck, and he sounded excited as he said, "Ines, I'm so happy. Tomorrow you'll finally be my wife." This familiar embrace should have put my heart at ease. But those honeyed words left me cold, like I was submerged in ice water. I bottled up my gloom and made it through the next morning. I got into the wedding car. Halfway there, a violent impact slammed into us from behind. The driver, Gerry Dudley, slapped the steering wheel in anger. "The car's totaled! How are we even supposed to get to the wedding now?" I had barely recovered when I turned my head and saw Carlene stepping out of the car behind us. Before anyone could react, she walked over to our wedding car. She raised her arm, then dragged the tip of her key viciously down the car. A deep scratch tore across the white paint in an instant. Chapter 4 "What are you doing?" I threw the car door open and rushed out, grabbing Carlene's wrist. "I've never done anything to you, so why do you keep coming after me?" Carlene struggled against my grip, but her glare turned even more vicious. "Because I hate Percy—and anyone connected to him. So, I hate you too!" she replied with a cold smirk, then turned to glare at the scratch on the wedding car. "Isn't this car his too? Good thing I keyed it." With the road blocked, the traffic behind quickly backed up into a long line. Someone stuck their head out of the window and shouted, "There's an ambulance behind us—saving lives comes first! Just move your car already!" Carlene glared sideways at the person, then planted her hands on her hips arrogantly. "So what if there's an ambulance? Ines, you're not getting married without a hitch today. I just don't want Percy to be happy—so sue me!" The ambulance's siren blared behind us, piercing and relentless. I stared at Carlene and let out a cold laugh. "You actually love Percy, don't you? I've never seen anyone go after someone they hate like this." Carlene stiffened, then dropped all pretense. "That's right! I do love him! And I'm going to ruin your wedding. What are you going to do about it?" "You lunatic!" I forced out the words between gritted teeth. Then, I turned and got back into the car to ask Gerry to move it out of the way. But Carlene stood right in front of the car, blocking it. "Nobody's going anywhere today!" she screamed. Having had enough, I snapped a photo of her and sent it to Percy. "Your nemesis is causing trouble again." "I'll be there right away," he replied instantly. Sure enough, Percy showed up before long. I instinctively stepped forward to greet him, only for him to walk right past me. He then grabbed Carlene by the collar and tore into her. "Carlene, have you lost your mind? Why can't you just leave me alone? Are you going to ruin every single one of my weddings?" Carlene immediately fired back, and the two of them went at it right there on the spot. The whole time, Percy didn't even spare me a single glance. I just stood there stunned, my hands and feet going cold as I watched it all unfold. The driver behind us honked again. "Isn't this a wedding car? Come on, you two, quit fighting and clear the road. You're getting married today, for crying out loud." A sharp pain stabbed through my heart, and Percy paused too. Only Carlene shot me a smug glance. Fighting back tears, I pulled out my phone. "You're not leaving? Fine, I'm calling the police!" No sooner had I pressed the call button than the phone was suddenly knocked out of my hand and sent clattering to the ground. I looked at Percy in disbelief, the tears finally spilling down my cheeks. All I had left in me was a reckless, scorched-earth fury. Gritting my teeth, I reached down for the phone. But I immediately froze the next second. Percy had pulled a small folding knife out of nowhere and was holding it inches away from my abdomen. A deafening buzz rang in my ears, and my head went completely blank. "You can't call the police. If you do, Carlene's life is ruined," Percy whispered, his voice trembling. He looked at me with a mix of pleading and coercion in his eyes. "Let me take her home, and when I come back I'll marry you, okay? "I won't have anything to do with her anymore. Just have the baby, and we can settle down and be happy together, okay?" I stared at the knife, my blood running cold. Before I could even respond, Percy folded the knife shut and dragged Carlene away without so much as a backward glance. It was as if time had suddenly stopped. I sat on the asphalt in a total daze until a traffic police rushed over and pulled me to my feet. "Ma'am, were you on your way to a wedding? Would you like us to give you a ride?" I shook my head and placed a hand on my slightly rounded belly. "I'd like to go to the hospital to have an abortion."