Chapter 4

Eve walked over, her eyes red.

"This is all my fault."

"If my family hadn't joined last minute, your parents would have had their plane tickets."

She lowered her head, looking utterly miserable.

"But my parents have never traveled far. I was just so scared they wouldn't know how to navigate the airport alone."

Mason immediately wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder.

"How is this your fault?"

"Stop blaming yourself for everything."

Watching him shield Eve, a wave of pure disgust washed over me.

My parents were stranded at a bus station because of his negligence.

And his only reaction was annoyance.

But the second Eve shed a single tear.

He looked as if his entire world was in pain.

Half an hour later, Mason's assistant brought my parents to the airport.

The moment my mom saw me, she tried to hide a torn plastic bag behind her back.

Inside was the homemade peanut brittle she had made for the trip.

It had gotten crushed during the commotion at the station, and the broken pieces were stuck to the inside of the plastic wrapper.

My dad was leaning heavily on his cane, his face pale with exhaustion.

But when he saw Mason, the first thing he said was:

"Mason, we're so sorry for the trouble."

"We old folks just didn't read the ticket dates carefully."

My nose stung with tears.

"Dad..."

Mason merely glanced at his luxury watch.

"At least we didn't miss the flight window for tomorrow."

My mom timidly held out the torn plastic bag, offering a small, hopeful smile.

"Mason, I made some peanut brittle."

"Since we're meeting your family, I wanted to bring a little treat."

Mason looked down at the sticky, broken candy.

His nose wrinkled in immediate disgust.

"Mrs. Miller, the resort has five-star catering."

"We shouldn't bring smelly, homemade stuff to the island."

"The wedding aesthetic is luxury chic. This really doesn't fit the vibe."

My mom's hand froze in mid-air.

The eager smile on her face withered away, though she tried desperately to keep her composure.

"Oh, right."

"Of course."

She quickly pulled the bag back, hiding it behind her back like a scolded child.

"I won't bring it then. I don't want to ruin the aesthetic."

My throat felt so tight I couldn't breathe.

Across the terminal, Eve’s mother let out another soft cough.

Mason immediately rushed to her side, supporting her elbow.

"Mrs. Higgins, please sit down."

"Did you miss breakfast this morning?"

He waved his assistant over to buy sandwiches and personally wheeled her luggage out of the way.

He was gentle, attentive, and incredibly respectful.

The contrast between this and how he treated my parents was night and day.

Eve's aunt, Clara, let out a soft chuckle.

"Honestly, bringing homemade country food to a luxury resort is a bit much. It’s better left behind."

My mom heard her.

She squeezed the plastic bag in her hand, bowing her head even lower.

"We're just ignorant. Sorry for causing trouble."

Mason didn't even acknowledge the insult to my mother. He simply gestured to the shuttle van parked outside.

"Eve's family is quite large."

"Mr. and Mrs. Miller, why don't you take the utility van behind us?"

I looked out the window.

The van behind was packed to the brim with heavy luggage, equipment, and folding chairs.

It was the crew's transport vehicle.

My voice was dead cold. "My dad has a spinal injury, and you want him to ride in a cargo van?"

Mason’s brow furrowed deep.

"Kayla, do you have to be so difficult?"

"It’s just a van with some extra bags."

"We’ll be at the resort tomorrow anyway. Do you really have to pick a fight over this right now?"

I looked at him.

In that moment, a harsh truth crystallized in my mind.

Mason hadn't "forgotten" to respect my parents.

He simply believed they didn't deserve it.

My mom quickly grabbed my wrist.

"Kayla, please don't fight."

"We can sit anywhere. The wedding is the most important thing."

The wedding was the most important thing.

Even now, they were terrified of ruining my special day.

But as I looked at my dad's pale, sweating forehead and my mom clutching her ruined homemade candy, the very last spark of love I had for Mason died.