“These strong-smelling things, just don't bring them to the island.”

“The wedding's going for an understated, upscale look. These don't really fit.”

My mother's hand froze in midair.

The smile on her face faded, bit by bit, then she forced it back up just as fast.

“Oh. Right.”

“It's me, I don't know any better.”

She hurriedly pulled the bag back and hid it behind her.

“Then I won't bring them. I don't want to be any trouble for you.”

My throat felt stuffed with a wad of cotton, aching too much to speak.

On the other side, Harry's mother coughed softly, twice.

Carol went over at once and steadied her.

“Have a seat first, ma'am.”

“Did you not eat anything this morning?”

She turned and sent her assistant to buy some hot porridge, then pushed the woman's luggage aside with her own hands.

Gentle, patient, attentive.

A completely different person from the one who'd just been so cold to my parents.

Harry's aunt let out a quiet little laugh just then.

“Old folks who've never flown before, of course they get nervous.”

“And bringing all these tacky things, it really isn't right for an island wedding.”

My mother heard it.

She gripped the bag in her hands, and lowered her head even further.

“It's us, we don't know how things are done. We've made a mess for everyone.”

Carol acted as if she hadn't caught the shame in my mother's words, only glancing at the car parked outside.

“Harry's got a lot of relatives.”

“Why don't your parents ride in the van behind us.”

I looked outside.

The car behind us had its back seats piled high with suitcases.

One look and you could tell it was the staff vehicle.

My voice went cold.

“My father's back is bad. You're putting him in the cargo van?”

Carol's brows knitted together.

“Tom, do you have to make it sound so ugly?”

“There's just a little more luggage in that car.”

“We'll be on the island tomorrow. Do you really have to nitpick about this right now?”

I looked at her.

And in that moment, I suddenly understood.

Carol hadn't forgotten to respect my parents.

She had simply never thought they were worth respecting.

My mother quickly grabbed my hand.

“Tommy, don't say any more.”

“Your dad and I can sit anywhere. The wedding's what matters.”

The wedding's what matters.

Even now, they were still afraid of holding up my wedding.

But looking at my father's pale face, looking at my mother clutching that bag of crushed peanut brittle, the last bit of hope in my heart finally went out, little by little.

I didn't argue anymore.

I just helped my parents to the hotel beside the airport.

My father apologized the whole way.

“Tommy, I'm really fine.”

“Did we just make things hard for your bride back there?”

My mother was clutching that bag of broken peanut brittle too, and said quietly:

“Maybe we just shouldn't bring these things.”

“Don't let the in-laws laugh at you.”

Watching how flustered they looked, the bridge of my nose stung hard.

They hadn't done a single thing wrong.

Yet they looked like two people who'd committed some offense.

Once we were in the room, I told them to rest first.

Then I took out my phone and canceled the flights to the island.

I bought three new tickets to Northgate City.

After buying the tickets, I sent the wedding planner a message.

“The wedding's off.”

They called back quickly, their tone startled.

“Mr. Gilbert, the wedding's tomorrow. Are you sure?”

I looked at my parents, already asleep on the bed from exhaustion, and said softly “I'm sure.”

At ten that night, Carol came back.

When she pushed the door open, her face wasn't looking good.

Probably because the unpleasantness at the airport today had thrown off Harry's whole family.

She stood in the doorway, looking at me.

“Tom, tomorrow we all fly together.”

"And stop sulking at me."

She paused, then added, "Harry's in a really bad place today."

"He thinks it's his fault your parents didn't make their flight."

"When you see him tomorrow, apologize to him."

I blinked. Then I laughed out loud.

"I apologize to him?"

Carol frowned.

"His relatives had already boarded just fine."

"Then you threw a fit at the last minute and refused to go, so everyone had to rebook."

"You dragged all those people out here for nothing. Don't you owe them a sorry?"

So my parents being kicked off the train because of the wrong tickets someone bought.

In her eyes, that wasn't a grievance worth mentioning.

The Weiss family missing their flight, now that was a wasted trip.

I looked at her.

And just like that, I lost even the urge to explain.

"Fine."

Carol seemed to relax, and went off to the bathroom to shower.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the three tickets back to Northgate City on my phone.

My heart was strangely calm.

In the middle of the night, a noise from the living room woke me.

Carol was on the phone, keeping her voice low.

"Harry?"

"What's wrong?"

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but her tone went soft at once.

"Don't be scared."

"I'm coming over right now."

The instant the door shut, I suddenly thought back to years ago.

I'd run a fever in the middle of the night and called her.

She said she had an early meeting the next day and told me to take some fever medicine first.

Back then I still made excuses for her.

She was just so busy.

A woman with a strong drive for her career, that was a good thing.

But it turned out she could rush off in the dead of night to be with someone.

That someone just wasn't me.

The next morning, when Carol came back, her coat carried the woody cologne Harry always wore.

She probably didn't notice.

But Harry stood right behind her, face pale, voice pressed low.

"Tom, I'm sorry about yesterday."

"I really didn't mean to cause you all this trouble."

Carol shot me a look.

The meaning was obvious.

She wanted me to apologize.

I gave a small smile and said nothing.

At the airport, the Weiss family was already waiting at the business class check-in counter.

Carol handed over their documents and breezed through the formalities for them.

Harry's parents, his aunt, his cousin, and a string of relatives whose names I didn't know.

All of them in business class.

When it was my parents' turn, the agent glanced at the system.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert, you're in economy."

My mother froze for a second, then quickly waved her hands.

"Economy's good, economy's just fine."

"We're happy to sit anywhere."

Carol, as if afraid I'd make a scene again, came over and explained in a low voice.

"The rebooking was too rushed yesterday."

"This was all that was left in business class."

"It's nothing for Mom and Dad to sit in economy. It's only a two-hour flight."

Two hours.

So now she knew the trip was only two hours.

Yet yesterday she'd been fine putting my parents in a coach seat for over thirty hours.

Harry spoke up quietly beside her.

"Why don't I give my seat to your folks?"

Carol cut in at once.

"No need."

"You didn't sleep well last night. Don't put yourself through it."

I looked at the tenderness in her eyes.

Then I looked at my father's pale face.

And all at once I felt the last thread in my chest snap too.

The boarding announcement came over the speakers.

Business class had its own lane.

Carol was busy helping Harry's mother along, then helping push Harry's father's luggage.

Only when she reached the entrance did she remember to glance back at me.

"Tom, take Mom and Dad and line up over there."

"See you when we land."

When she finished, she led the Weiss family ahead of us, into the business class lane.

My mom said in a small voice,

“Tommy, we'd better get in line too.”

“We don't want to miss the flight.”

I took her hand and smiled.

“Dad. Mom.”

“We're not going to that wedding.”

“I'm taking you somewhere else.”

My mom's nose stung all at once.

“But the wedding……”

Over the loudspeaker, the boarding call for Carol's flight had already started.

I looked one last time toward the business class lane.

Carol probably still thought

we'd see each other once we landed on the island.

But she didn't know.

We'd never see each other again.