She didn't seem to mind.

Chloe glanced at her several times, feeling it was too much.

Once her own makeup was done, Chloe lowered her lashes. "Go do her makeup."

The makeup artist nodded and walked over.

The others immediately looked at Chloe.

Chloe kept a straight face. "I just don't want to make things difficult for my cousin."

It wouldn't look good if one of the six bridesmaids was left without makeup.

The others exchanged glances and chuckled softly. "Even with makeup, it's useless. During the groom's procession, the groomsmen will escort the bridesmaids. With her status, which groomsman would invite her?"

In the groom's procession, the bride is taken away by the groom, and the bridesmaids are escorted by the groomsmen.

If no groomsman invited Evelyn, the Sherwoods would arrange a car, but it would be embarrassing.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

Alexander was certainly qualified to be Marcus's groomsman, but he wasn't coming today—he didn't want to come to the Sherwood house, didn't want to reveal his identity, and only wanted to be her personal bodyguard.

If no groomsman came for her, she'd just drive herself!

No big deal!

...

Time passed.

The six bridesmaids finished their makeup and waited another half hour before Mina's bridal makeup was ready.

The bridesmaids returned to Mina's bridal suite.

As soon as Evelyn entered, she met Mina's worried gaze.

She smiled slightly to indicate everything was fine, and Mina sighed in relief.

The subsequent events went much more smoothly.

Evelyn noticed these society girls knew how to act proper and gracious in public.

Except for Chloe shooting her a few dirty looks, no one else caused trouble.

Chloe also knew it wasn't the place to make a scene, though her expression remained unfriendly.

Soon, it was time for the groom to arrive.

But there was no movement outside.

Tina muttered under her breath, "Why aren't they here yet?"

Mina looked at the clock on the wall, her thoughts drifting back to yesterday when she and Marcus registered their marriage...

Getting married the day before the wedding was an agreement between the two families.

She arrived at City Hall early and waited a long time.

It was almost closing time when Marcus finally showed up.

He offered no explanation, directly taking out his household register and ID to complete the registration.

Holding the freshly issued marriage certificate, Mina felt dazed.

She had never dared to hope she could marry the man she had secretly loved for years...

Lost in thought, Marcus suddenly looked at her, his voice cold and sharp. "Mina, we're married now. Shouldn't you finally tell me who the father of this child is? At least let me know whose green hat I'm wearing!"

Mina was stunned.

After a long moment, she replied seriously, "It's yours."

Marcus scoffed. "Still won't admit it even now?"

Mina lowered her eyes. "Whether you believe me or not, this is the last time I'll explain: that night was my first time, and you were the only man. I am certain the child is yours!"

Marcus was utterly stunned. "What did you say? That night was your first time? But you said then... it wasn't your first?"

It was because of those words that Marcus had labeled her a loose woman.

Mina clenched her fists, smiling bitterly. "You said to me, 'Not your first time, right?' What was I supposed to say?"

Marcus was completely dumbfounded.

Marcus Valentine froze.

He then let out a scornful laugh.

"Fine. You're really something."

He flung a test report at her. The paper grazed Mina Sherwood's cheek.

"See for yourself! I actually believed your nonsense, thought there was that one in a million chance, and got tested again! And the result? I humiliated myself for nothing!"

Marcus's eyes were red-rimmed, his fists clenched.

That night at the Sherwood residence, he thought he had the upper hand, tormenting Mina to vent his anger.

Afterward, he felt no satisfaction.

He despised himself for bullying a woman, yet he couldn't stop thinking about her words.

Compelled, he went to the hospital.

The doctor who had been treating him for years looked at the report and shook his head with a sigh. "Mr. Valentine, azoospermia is indeed incurable. You need to accept it."

Azoospermia...

Oligospermia offered a sliver of hope. Azoospermia meant none. Zero.

His eyes bloodshot, Marcus gripped her shoulders. "You forced me to acknowledge the child, and I did. You wanted to get married, so we are. You wanted to keep the baby, I agreed. Now I'm just asking one thing. Who is he? Who is worth you protecting like this?"

Mina stared at the report, her expression dazed.

Her silence infuriated him.

He released her with a cold laugh. "Won't say? Fine. I won't be at the wedding tomorrow. Let's see how you handle that!"

He stormed out, slamming the door.

Mina looked at the wall clock.

The auspicious time for the groom's procession had arrived. Outside, it remained silent.

Her parents kept glancing anxiously toward the door. Her mother hurried in, urging, "Mina, why isn't Mr. Valentine here yet? We'll miss the timing if we don't leave soon! Call him, quickly!"

Mina lowered her gaze and obediently dialed his number.

It rang twice before being abruptly disconnected.

A bitter taste rose in her heart.

He really wasn't coming.

A wedding without a groom.

After today, she, Mina Sherwood, would become the laughingstock of all New York.

Her mother, seeing she'd made the call, rushed out again.

Chloe Roland and Tina Sherwood watched the drama unfold from the side. Evelyn Ross stayed close, asking softly, "What's wrong?"

Mina forced a smile. "It's nothing."

Evelyn immediately took out her phone and called Marcus.

Her call was also hung up.

She stood up. "I'll go find him."

Mina grabbed her wrist. "Don't."

She looked up, her eyes unsettlingly calm. "The auspicious time has come. If he's not here, we'll go to the venue ourselves."

Her words caused an uproar in the room.

It wasn't just the bridesmaids present; many relatives and friends who had come to see the bride off were there. Instantly, whispers filled the air.

"Did Mr. Valentine call off the wedding?"

"Did he change his mind about Mina? But she's quite pretty…"

"After the family split, the second branch treats her like a tool. I heard she often accompanies clients for drinks!"

"Really? That's so degrading!"

"Once they branched out, they're not the main family anymore. Life must be hard…"

"That child in her belly… maybe it's not Mr. Valentine's?"

"Mr. Valentine isn't stupid. Would he acknowledge it if it wasn't his? But I heard he only acknowledged it last time because Kevin Sherwood set him up…"

"A shotgun wedding, then."

"Mina sure has skills, managing to land Mr. Valentine as her backup plan after all these years…"

The comments grew increasingly harsh.

Mina's nails dug into her palms, but she felt no pain.

A wave of humiliation washed over her, making her eyes burn.

She thought she was prepared.

She knew he wouldn't come. She knew she would face this. She told herself not to care.

But the words wormed their way into her ears, the damage already done.

It turned out ignoring other people's judgment was this difficult.

Among the bridesmaids, Tina Sherwood leaned toward Penelope Valentine. "Miss Valentine, is your elder brother really not coming?"

Penelope frowned. "I'm not sure either… I saw him going out drinking last night. Maybe he overslept?"

Someone nearby immediately asked, "Drinking the night before his wedding? Why?"

Penelope seemed to realize she had said too much and quickly waved her hands. "I don't know… Big brother should come. The marriage certificate is already signed. He can't just get a divorce, right?"

The word "divorce" ignited the gossip.

"Mr. Valentine regrets it? He really wants a divorce?"

"Getting dumped the day after the wedding… the bride is so pitiful…"

Everyone sighed as if Mina had already been discarded.

Evelyn looked at her with concern. "Mina, you…"

Mina gripped her hand tightly. "Evelyn, I'm fine."

Her voice carried a slight choke.

She stood up abruptly, gathering her gown. "We're not waiting. Let's go to the wedding venue!"

Her back was straight, her chin slightly raised, maintaining the last shred of her dignity.

She walked out, step by step, and descended the stairs.

Her father, seeing this, rushed over and scolded harshly, "Did you offend Mr. Valentine? Why isn't he here!"

Mina remained silent.

"Such a disgrace on your wedding day! How did I end up with a daughter like you!"

Enraged, her father raised his hand, intent on reclaiming the lost face from her.

Just then! A commotion erupted at the entrance.