I dodged his pull and rushed to Toby. With a look of horror on his face, I removed the gold rope.

“Since you’re being so secretive, the wedding is canceled. We’ll return the dowry in full. Your relatives can inform them themselves.”

With that, we turned and left. Dad glared at him fiercely. Downstairs, Mom looked conflicted.

“Kate, is the wedding really canceled?”

I looked at the bracelet in my hand, which almost perfectly matched the one in the video screenshot and nodded.

“Mom, I can’t accept someone who can’t give me a sense of security.” I had asked Mike for Toby’s hair and put it in the bracelet for a blessing.

Now this strand of hair was inside the bracelet. Taking it out and having it appraised would clarify things.

I went home and found the love knot Mike had given me, woven from his hair. Back then, he said he would protect me no matter what happened, shielding me from all harm.

I suppressed my bitterness and rushed two strands of hair to the hospital that night, expediting a paternity test. An hour later, looking at the 99% positive result, I felt like I'd been plunged into an ice cave.

My dad were incredulous, "That damned Mike, he actually... he really does have an illegitimate child!"

"What a tragedy! Why did we have to go through this?" Mom was shocked.

Seeing my parents' grief, I desperately suppressed the bitterness in my heart; cutting my losses was the most important thing. I posted on my social media that our relationship was strained and the wedding was canceled. As expected, my phone was bombarded with inquiries.

My phone rang. It was my childhood friend, William, "Invitations sent out, wedding booked and you're just going to cancel like this? You can act recklessly, you can do whatever you want, but what about your mom and dad? They're old and have to clean up your mess? What will those relatives think of them?"

I suppressed a sob, "What do you mean? Even you're kicking me when I'm down?"

He wasn't happy with Mike at all, always thinking his god-sister had ulterior motives. There was something strange between them. I thought he was a bit harsh, but I never paid attention. I didn't expect him to be right.

He sighed, "No, what I mean is the wedding doesn't need to be canceled and we shouldn't let the elders laugh at us. The groom should be changed; I'll put on a respectable show with you."