"Joy, if you have a problem with me, just come at me directly! Why did you have to take it out on poor Lily?" asked Lizbeth.

Meanwhile, the cat that was cradled in Lizbeth's arms, let out a pitiful whimper, as if it had been terribly wronged.

Without any pause, Tom and Jeff immediately scolded me, "Joy! We know that you're allergic to cat fur, but it doesn't give you any right to take it to Lily and Lizbeth!"

As he said that, Tom dumped an entire blister pack of allergy medicine into my hands.

"Maybe you should reflect on why you’re the only one who is so sensitive to cats. I don’t believe you’ll still have an allergy if you take this whole pack!"

Did he actually expect me to swallow all those pills? I wondered.

I quickly grabbed just one and forced it down. I told them, "One is enough."

Hearing my words, made Tom and Jeff became even more displeased.

"Lizbeth is right. How can you be severely allergic to cat fur? Looks like your whole hospital stay was just an act!"

His words made the bitterness of the dissolving medicine linger in my throat.

There was a time when if a stray cat wandered within five meters of me, they would be on high alert and treat it like a dire threat. Yet, now, my allergy had become my original sin.

First, they let that cat roam freely in my room, causing me to go into anaphylactic shock. Later, they accused me of faking my symptoms just to get hospitalized.

Now, after the cat almost attacked me, I was the one being labeled as fragile by them.

Lizbeth was crying her heart out beside us, looking at a loss.

"I don’t know what I did wrong, but if I made you upset, it’s my fault. I’m sorry! Will you please stay and celebrate my birthday with me, please …." she pleaded.

As she said that, her tears were flowing nonstop with practice precision.

Tom was so heartbroken seeing her like this that he immediately went to wipe her tears, while Jeff couldn't help but drag me aside to reprimand me, "You’ve taken the allergy medicine, right? So even if you kiss the cat, it won’t kill you!"

With that, he rushed back to join Tom and comforted Lizbeth, "Don't cry, Lizbeth. Let me apologize on Joy's behalf. She has been spoiled rotten since she was a child. So, don’t take her seriously."

In their effort to appease Lizbeth, they eagerly listed every flaws that I had.

Right on cue, Lizbeth’s tears turned into a smile. Then when she glanced at me, her eyes were full of smugness and challenge.

At that time, I realized how little I mattered to them.

As the music started, the two of them rushed to ask Lizbeth's hand to dance.

She chose Tom and left Jeff sulking there. Then Jeff turned toward me in frustration and extended his hand to me to ask me to dance.

I rubbed the itchy rash that was spreading across my skin and shook my head.

It seemed my refusal did not make Jeff upset. Instead, he sat beside me while downing drink after drink as his eyes glued to the couple swaying together on the dance floor.

"Joy, do you think Lizbeth likes Tom?" he asked. There was disappointment and jealousy that I could clearly hear in his tone.

It was obvious to everyone that Lizbeth preferred Tom over him.

My silence pushed Jeff to rise to his feet.

As soon as the song ended, he stormed back onto the dance floor to pull Lizbeth away. I didn’t feel like watching the drama of two men fighting over one woman, so I took my leave.

Suddenly, amid the crowd’s gasps, Lizbeth found me and forcibly dragged me back to the dance floor.

"Joy, please talk to Tom and Jeff! They’re fighting over me again and I just can’t stop them!" Although she pleaded me, it could not conceal the bragging in her voice.

I refused her outright, "If you can’t stop them, why do you think I will be able to do it?"

However, the crowd gasped again. This time, Tom had taken a punch and blood was streaming from his nose.

This finally snapped Lizbeth from her acting and made her panic. She yanked me with all her strength, nearly dragging me to the middle of their brawl.

The reason for their fighting was that Lizbeth's neighborhood was not the safest, so they were arguing about whose house she should stay in.

Jeff believed that since Tom had already gotten the first dance, it was his turn to have her stay over at his house.

I had no desire to break up their fight and it was a pathetic sight to watch. Yet, surprisingly, their heated argument turned toward me.

With tears in her eyes, Lizbeth asked me, "Can I stay in your house? What I mean is since you're allergic to cats, you probably haven't had time to tidy up anyway, why don't you let me stay here?”

Just then, Tom and Jeff who were fighting harshly, stopped their fight and looked at me in unison.

"You know, Lizbeth has a point. Would you mind staying in a hotel for a few days, Joy? We’ll cover all the costs.”

I considered it for a moment before suggesting, “Why don’t I just sell the house to Lizbeth instead?”

It seemed Tom and Jeff thought I did not want to let Lizbeth stay. They were immediately gaslighting me by reminding me of how she had once saved my life.

The onlookers who didn’t know the full story joined in. They encouraged me to pay the favor.

To pressure me into agreeing, both men handed me three hundred thousand dollars in front of the crowd. "It’s only for a few days. Consider this money a rental fee, okay?”

At this point, it seemed inappropriate for me to refuse. "Fine!"

The three of them immediately cheered, high-fiving each other as if the previous arguments had never happened.

No longer looking at the three who continued to dance passionately, I went home to pack my bags.

On my way back, Lizbeth sent me a message, "Joy, I think that amount of money should be enough to buy your house, right? Why don’t you just sell me the house?”

What she suggested was exactly what I wanted. I had no plans to return after getting married in Ansel City, so I needed to get rid of the house anyway.

Lizbeth was delighted when I agreed and pleaded with me not to tell Tom and Jeff just yet. Of course, I was more than happy to comply.

Looking around the house, I realized that aside from my parents’ belongings, there wasn’t much I needed to take.

The next day, when Tom and Jeff Jun brought Lizbeth back, the junk removal service I hired had already cleared out everything I did not want. They did not look too happy seeing the nearly empty house. "Joy, we only asked you to lend your home for a few days. Do you really have to make it look like you're guarding against a thief?"

“You’re overthinking it. I just cleared out the things I don’t need, making space for Lizbeth,” I replied calmly.

My explanation seemed to appease them, at least a little. “Well, fine. We’ll help you replace the furniture later.”

Lizbeth, who had been watching me nervously, finally relaxed when I agreed without saying more.

I smiled and agreed with the two of them, then pushed my suitcase toward the door.

They insisted on seeing me downstairs and I couldn’t refuse, so I let them.

Just as I was about to step into the elevator, the fire alarm blared through the entire building. The next second, the power went out.

Tom and Jeff immediately rushed to shield Lizbeth and guided her down the emergency stairs.

Smelling smoke, I grabbed my suitcase and made my way to the emergency exit in a hurry.

The bulky suitcase made it hard to navigate and I almost lost my balance on the stairs when someone bumped into me. Thankfully, a hand caught me and I fell into a warm embrace.

“Watch your step. Are you okay?”

The man’s deep, magnetic voice brushed past my ear, making my face flush red. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held me securely, shielding me from the jostling crowd.

We finally reached safety and he released me. My face burned as I thanked him.

He looked at me intently, "You don't have to be so formal toward me. After all, we're practically family!"

Startled, I looked up and found myself staring into his dark, obsidian-like eyes.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Keith Adam," he added.

My heart skipped a beat. So, he was the man my uncle had chosen for me to marry.

However, hadn’t my uncle said that Keith would not be back until tomorrow, the same day we were supposed to get our marriage license?

Seeing my confusion, he smiled and said, “When I heard you agreed to marry me, I wrapped up my work early and rushed back. I couldn’t wait any longer to meet you.”

His voice, as deep and rich as a cello, paired with that gentle, indulgent smile, set off a spark in my mind.

My eyes traveled all over his body several times and the more I looked at him, the faster my heart raced.

Dammit, Uncle! Why didn't you show me his photo earlier? This man was everything that I've ever dreamt of!

Maybe my gaze was a bit too intense because I noticed a faint blush creeping up Keith's ears.

"Joy," he hesitated. "You … you’re not having second thoughts about the marriage, are you? Are you unhappy with me?”

I quickly shook my head, then nodded emphatically. “No, no, I’m really happy with you!”

Hearing this, the man immediately smiled radiantly. It was so radiant that it seemed like a spring sunlight melting the last patches of snow.

Keith told me that he had pulled some strings to move our appointment to today and I was more than willing to accompany him to the City Hall.

By the time Tom and Jeff arrived with Lizbeth, Keith and I were looking and smiling at each other. At that moment, all I could hear was the pounding of my own heartbeat.

It was not until I heard Tom's familiar voice calling my name that I realized I had been staring at Keith like a lovestruck fool. "Joy! Why didn’t you pick up your phone? We were worried sick when we couldn’t find you!” he scolded.

"Jeff even went back upstairs to look for you and all he found was the cat. You didn’t even bother bringing the poor thing downstairs! She’s been shivering non-stop!”

Jeff nodded while giving me his piece of mind and complaining about me.

Lizbeth quickly jumped to my defense. “Don’t be too hard on Joy. We forgot about Lily too, didn’t we? Thank goodness, Jeff went back and helped me rescue it.”

Her meaning was clear. The only reason Jeff returned to the house was to rescue her cat, not me.

I checked my phone. It had been two hours since the fire alarm went off and sure enough, I saw a single missed call. I swore my phone had vibrated for just a second before the call abruptly ended.

Their supposed “concern” struck me as ironic.

The smile on Keith’s face faded the moment the three of them showed up, especially when he noticed the cat trembling in Lizbeth’s arms. He quickly pulled me behind him, his tone anxious when he said, "Joy, you're allergic to cat fur. Stay back."

Then he pulled an allergy pill from his pocket. He wanted me to eat it.

His protective actions made the two men’s faces darken.

“Allergy pills aren’t candy. You shouldn’t just give them out recklessly!” Jeff snapped.

I stopped Keith’s hand, reassuring him softly that I had already taken my medication that day.

However, he was not convinced. When he saw me coughing a few times while covering my nose, his expression immediately filled with worry.

“If you’re coughing, then something’s definitely wrong,” he insisted. His eyes were sharp as he glared at the group. The three of you and the cat! Stay away from Joy!"

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and led me away as if they were some kinds of terrible danger.

This was the first time anyone had ever taken my allergy so seriously, especially from a man that I just met. Even if my uncle had warned him in advance, his concern for me far outweighed the so-called “care” I had received from Tom, who had known me for ten years.

Maybe Keith's sudden appearance set off the alarm bell in Tom and Jeff's hearts because they shouted behind me, "Joy, who is he?"

Before I could answer, Lizbeth asked, in a voice full of curiosity, “Is he your new boyfriend, Joy?”

Both Tom and Jeff scoffed in unison. “No way! This has to be some kind of act. She’s just trying to get back at us for not paying attention to her lately!”

I didn’t want to explain myself to these two overconfident men, but I also didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings with Keith right after we had gotten married.

I squeezed Keith’s hand tightly, our fingers intertwining and pulled out the two bright red marriage certificates. Waving them in front of Tom and Jeff, I said, “Let me formally introduce you to him. This is my husband.”

Their smiles freeze. They were stunned into silence. Then, they burst out laughing as if I had just cracked the world’s worst joke.

“Joy, that’s not funny at all!” they said, almost doubling over with laughter.

However, their laughter died away when I opened the marriage certificates, revealing the unmistakable seal of authenticity.

Panic washed over their faces as if something precious had slipped right through their fingers.

“Joy McKenzie, just because we forgot to grab you during the fire doesn’t mean you should marry the first guy you see!”

“Go back to the City Hall and get a divorce. Now!”