Chapter 3Three Slaps on Her Wedding Day

"So?" My voice was unnervingly calm.

Even the wedding officiant couldn't stand by any longer and tried to pull me away.

"Miss, you've gone too far. She's pregnant! You can't hit a pregnant woman, no matter what!"

Rosalie nodded frantically, turning to Daniel's parents. "Mom, Dad, get her out of here! I'm carrying the Gray family's first grandchild!"

Daniel's parents, who had been silent this whole time, finally spoke.

His mother offered a placating smile. "Ms. Song, please, calm down. Whatever the issue is, I promise we will address it after the ceremony."

I let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "And what if I insist on hitting her right now? Does the Gray family dare to stop me?"

His father's expression hardened. "Ms. Song, what is the meaning of this?"

"You stop me from hitting her, and I'm pulling the investment I promised the Gray Corporation."

Mr. and Mrs. Gray exchanged a look.

Rosalie, feeling confident, jutted out her stomach. "I'm carrying the Gray family heir! My in-laws will never let you bully me!"

To the entire room's astonishment, Mr. Gray chuckled and gently pushed Rosalie forward. "Ms. Song, if you feel you must... then please, go ahead. Just don't kill her."

A collective gasp filled the hall. What kind of man would sacrifice his pregnant daughter-in-law for a business deal? Especially when the Grays and the Lowes were both prominent, powerful families in the city.

Rosalie's eyes reddened as she pleaded with her mother-in-law, "Mom, you can't let her hit me. What if something happens to the baby?"

Mrs. Gray hesitated, glanced at her husband, and understood.

She cooed at Rosalie, "Dear, if Ms. Song is upset, just let her get it out of her system. Once you're officially part of the family, I'll make it up to you."

Rosalie's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Mom, how can you say that? I'm your daughter-in-law! When she hits me, she's not just hitting me, she's slapping the face of the entire Gray family!"

"If you let this happen, I'll be the laughingstock of the whole city!"

Mrs. Gray was unmoved.

"Getting pregnant before marriage was already disgraceful enough," she sniffed. "Don't waste any more time. Let Ms. Song finish so we can get on with the wedding."

She waved her hand, and two bodyguards stepped forward to hold Rosalie in place.

Then, she turned to me with a fawning smile. "Ms. Song, please."

Daniel had long since stepped off the stage and was leaning against a far wall, acting as if none of this concerned him. In the world of the wealthy, love was a cheap commodity when set against profit.

Rosalie stared at me, her eyes burning with hatred. "Mia Song, you hit me one more time, and I swear I will make you pay for this!"

I pinched her chin, carefully angling her face.

"Good," I said, my voice flat. "I'll be waiting."

But she was scared. She could see it in my eyes.

This last slap was going to hurt.

"I'm calling the police!" she shrieked, her voice raw with fear. "Someone, help me call the police!"

Instantly, guests in the audience pulled out their phones.

Daniel, who had been a statue this whole time, finally moved. He strode onto the stage and snatched the microphone from the officiant.

"Nobody calls the police!"

At his command, his security team moved swiftly through the crowd, confiscating phones.

The guests looked on, utterly baffled. Daniel had been perfectly content to watch his bride get beaten, but the moment she mentioned the police, he sprang into action.

The whispers started again.

"Is there really something going on between him and the Song heiress? He's protecting her instead of his own wife and child."

Rosalie stared from me to Daniel, her face a canvas of horror.

"Daniel! Are you actually cheating on me with Mia?"

He didn't confirm or deny it.

She began pounding on his chest. "How could you do this to me? I'm carrying your child!"

He grabbed her wrists and shoved her away.

"That's enough."

"Daniel Gray, you ungrateful bastard!" she screamed, utterly hysterical.

I watched her meltdown, but my resolve to deliver that final slap never wavered.

Rosalie wiped the tears from her face, her expression hardening into a vicious threat aimed at Daniel. "And what if I insist on calling them?"

A flicker of something like relief crossed Daniel's face. He gave a careless shrug. "You call them, we get a divorce."

Rosalie froze, clearly not expecting him to be so casual about ending their marriage.

"You'd divorce me over a phone call? Daniel, do you even have a conscience?"

His face was a mask of indifference. "You call the police, I file for divorce."

"Rosalie, don't," Mrs. Gray pleaded, grabbing her arm. "This was just about a slap. Don't let it escalate to a divorce. It's not worth it."

Even I was curious. How far would Daniel go? Would he really divorce the woman he'd been with for ten years—a woman everyone knew he doted on—just to stop her from calling the police?

His behavior today had shattered everyone's image of their perfect love story. I couldn't understand it. If he cared so little for her, why marry her at all?

But I had a feeling I was about to find out.

Faced with Daniel's ultimatum, Rosalie's heart broke.

Everyone assumed the wedding was over.

Suddenly, she spun around and shoved me to the ground. Blinded by rage, she was a different person from the gentle girl I knew.

She blamed me for everything.

"Mia, are you happy now that you've ruined my life? None of this would have happened if it weren't for you! Now Daniel wants to divorce me! Are you really this cruel?"

Was I?

I was risking a lifelong friendship, the relationship between our families, and my own reputation. Everyone was confused, but Rosalie... she couldn't possibly be blind to my motives.

"The reason for this third slap," I said, my voice ringing with authority. "After I'm done, I'll tell you everything."

Rosalie tilted her face up, a look of grim acceptance in her eyes, and waited for the blow.

But I didn't strike immediately. She trembled. "What are you waiting for? Why don't you just do it?"

And then I said something that shocked everyone.

"Weren't you going to call the police? I'm waiting for you to do it."

My complete lack of fear finally pushed her over the edge. "Mia, do you think you can humiliate me like this just because your family is more powerful than mine?"

"Fine! I'll call them right now! Let's see how arrogant you are when the police get here!"

Just as she was about to dial, Daniel snatched the phone and smashed it on the floor. His raw, furious roar was deafening. "I told you! No police!"

"Do you think I'm joking?" Daniel had his assistant produce a set of divorce papers. "You make that call today, and we're going straight to the courthouse."

Tears streamed down Rosalie's face. She was completely torn.

Calmly, I pulled out my own phone. "If you won't call them, I will."

The entire room gasped. What was this?

I was calling the police on myself.