I stumbled toward the river on all fours. The first thing I did was scoop up water from the river and begin splashing it onto my face. The ice-cold water managed to wash away the remnants of the pollen that clung to my nasal cavity.

The incident earlier made me lose all hope in Seth. Thank goodness he wasn't the one I'd be marrying in this lifetime.

After panting heavily for a long time, I finally got up to my feet.

My wedding dress was already torn. Coupled with the fact that Catherine had already worn it, I no longer wanted it.

Tomorrow would be my wedding. I needed to go home and look for any other garment that suited the occasion. I didn't want to give Nathan the impression that I didn't care about the wedding at all.

As soon as I reached the front door of my house, I could hear Catherine's breathy moans. Through the window, I could see her looking very dazed and euphoric. Seth assumed the top position and continued to thrust away without a care in the world.

Although I already knew that Seth and Catherine were already together, the sight of them being physically intimate still made my heart go tense.

Seth happened to turn his head at that moment. He was stunned when he accidentally caught a glimpse of me standing outside the window. For a moment, panic streaked across his eyes.

But in the next moment, he gripped Catherine's chin and began making out with her in an attempt to rile me up. His actions became rougher, making Catherine pant even more.

I averted my gaze before walking away. I had absolute zero interest in watching it. So, I might as well head back to the town and pick up the wedding gift I had prepared for Nathan in advance.

By the time I returned to the village, I bumped into Seth, who had just emerged from my house. When he approached me, I could still smell the stink of intimacy wafting from him.

Upon laying his gaze on the watch box that I was holding, the guilt on Seth's expression instantly morphed into relief.

"You bought a watch for me? Let me take a look at it."

I avoided Seth's extended hand before hiding the box behind my back. "I've prepared this gift for my future husband, not for you."

But Seth chortled loudly. He retorted with utmost confidence, "Who else can you marry but me? Are you talking about Nathan? That poor loser?

"That's enough. You're bringing him up on purpose just to attract my attention! I know I'm the only man you want to marry. In fact, I've already made it clear to Catherine that I'll marry you at the wedding hosted in the village, but I'll still legally marry her in the city.

"Once your father gives me the recommendation letter, I'll take Catherine with me to the military encampment as my spouse. Speaking of which, she's the one having it tough here. After all, she has to take care of me.

"Don't feel so wronged, now. You're too used to your brash and carefree lifestyle in the village—neither your looks nor your behavior can ever compare to Catherine's. If you were to tag along with me to the encampment, you'd just get looked down on by others. I'm doing this for your own good too, you know."

Although I already knew that Seth was an extremely shameless man, I still found myself disgusted by the lack of his propriety.

I was about to turn on my heel and leave when Seth grabbed me. "I know you're mad at me today, so I'll go along with your ministrations tomorrow. And since I've shown you ample respect by agreeing to host the wedding ceremony in the village, don't forget about the recommendation letter, yeah?

"Also, you made Catherine fall this afternoon. Remember to apologize to her later. Otherwise, I'll flake out on you at the wedding."

After that, Seth walked away from me.

I exhaled sharply as I watched his silhouette disappear before my eyes. It was fine. He'd come to find out who I'd be marrying tomorrow.

However, I was still surprised by what I witnessed the next morning. A brand new car drove into my courtyard. Nathan got out of the car in a tuxedo with a red corsage pinned on his chest, his frame tall and well-built.

As for the arrogant-looking Seth, he had just led a large group of his friends to my front door. At that moment, his complexion became deathly pale.