Eric replied, “Lily read my fortune with Tarot cards. If I go through with the ceremony, it’ll bring me misfortune. So the dog will take my place.”
“I’ve raised this dog since I was a child—he’s like family. What’s wrong with letting him be my stand-in?”
“Sophia, you’re usually so understanding. Can’t you just make a little sacrifice for me?”
I nearly fainted from anger. “Eric! So it’s because I’m understanding that you think you can bully me like this?”
“What kind of bride marries a dog? Is there such a thing anywhere in the world?”
“You know how much I’ve been looking forward to this wedding. You know how much I love you.”
“How can you bear to make me the laughingstock of everyone?”
The more I spoke, the more it broke me, until I covered my face and sobbed.
Lily piped up cautiously, “Sophia, a wedding is just a formality. Why make Eric risk misfortune just for something that doesn’t really matter?”
“Would you rather he suffer harm, just to satisfy your vanity?”
Hearing this, Eric’s eyes grew even colder as he looked at me. “Sophia Bennett, do you even love me?”
I lifted my tear-streaked face and stared at him. “Do you love me? If you did, would you humiliate me like this?”