A Graduation Gift

Chapter 473 The Encounter At The Hospital

From inside the room, Amanda felt even more agitated than she already was with the conversation she could not help overhearing.

She hated that people gossiped behind her back. Why did she have to be in this situation?

In her irritation, she randomly took a vase from her bedside table and threw it violently against the door. After the loud clash, the voices outside finally ceased.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Tears welled up in her eyes.

She had spent so much time preparing for the wedding just so she could paint a great image of herself in front of so many people.

She wanted to be the star of the show, to be admired and envied.

To her disappointment, Rufus and Cassandra didn't come.

It felt as if she punched something with all her might and suddenly realized that her target was made of a parcel of cotton instead of something more solid. Her effort ended up harming only herself instead of her opponent.

Images of Rufus and Cassandra flashed across her mind. As she pictured their loving gazes and sweet caresses on each other, her heart burned with inextinguishable jealousy.

Suddenly, the door to the make-up room opened. It was Clark. He immediately spotted the broken vase on the floor.

"What's this?" he inquired.

He apparently spotted the group of people who came out of Amanda's room with caution on their faces. This immediately gave him a hint that something went wrong so he took it upon himself to check on Amanda.

As he had expected, the pampered woman threw a tantrum and made a huge mess.

Wordlessly, she shot Clark a furious glare.

"Oh, are you angry? Come, show everyone that you're angry. What good is it doing you when you're just displaying your temper to no one but yourself?"

he said sarcastically.

This made Amanda even more infuriated. She took another item and smashed it on the floor. Normally, she was subdued and restrained when she was in front of Clark. At that moment though, she found herself so overwhelmed with her emotions that she almost forgot all the fear she had for the man in front of her.

Predictably, Clark saw her defiance. Her behavior made his face turn grim.

"Are you testing me?"

Clark said as he drew nearer to intimidate her. She merely glared back with wrath.

"I don't want to get married! I'm not going to marry you!" she shouted.

Suddenly, she wanted to take back her words the moment she said them. She doubted her impulsive remark. Besides, the marriage was a way to secure her safety. Was she really about to throw that away? She had given up on Rufus and allowed Cassandra to take him. Still, she kept suffering.

"I dare you say that again!"

Clark boomed. His eyes were fixed on Amanda's face now, and some cruelty leaked out from them.

"I AM NOT GOING TO MARRY YOU!"

Amanda shouted, stressing every word, showing her stubborn determination.

She pulled down the white veil that covered her hair. This was carefully attached and beautifully entangled with her hair. Pulling it out so suddenly made some strands of her hair come off with it, causing her a little pain.

Despite that, she kept pulling until it was completely detached and threw it on the ground so hard.

Her audacity fired Clark up. In his anger, he grabbed her arms and pulled her so close that her face was only a few inches away from his. He then looked straight into her eyes.

"Amanda, it seems that you've forgotten what you should be doing now,"

he said with such an ice cold voice that she felt herself freeze.

The intensity of Clark's fury seemed to have pulled her out of her tantrum. She suddenly realized the terror that was about to follow.

"Let… Let me go…"

Her voice trembled. With all her strength, she tried to escape from Clark's grip, but it was to no avail.

"What's the matter? Weren't you proud and firm just now? Weren't you arrogant? Why did you stop? Come on!"

Clark dared as he raised his voice. Amanda's entire body shook.

Fear crawled into her face until she was consumed with pure terror. At this sight, he smiled even more cruelly.

Brutally, he shoved Amanda to the floor. Then, he pressed against her body with his own.

The wedding dress had her back exposed. Below her was the cold floor, while on top of her was Clark.

"Since you broke your promise, I don't have to keep mine now!" he said grimly.

"Clark, I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please don't do that to me!"

Amanda pleaded in horror. She knew what Clark could do to torture her. The mere thought of the possibilities scared her to death.

"Now, you're sorry? It's too late! I hate people who make me angry!"

Clark replied, ignoring her pleas. Then, he pressed his lips against her neck. The more she struggled to push him away, the more violent he became. Her fear seemed only to fuel his desire.

Tears streamed down her face. She felt as if she was losing her wits.

"Amanda, Clark, are you two inside?"

Charlie asked loudly from outside the door. He had been looking for Clark and was told by someone that he could be in the make-up room where Amanda was. Immediately, he rushed there.

The sudden interruption stopped Clark on his tracks. Forcibly suppressing her emotions, Amanda managed to muster a normal tone to answer, "Yes, Dad, we're here. We're just... Getting ready."

With tearful eyes, she turned to the man on top of her; her body shivered like a falling leaf in the chilling autumn wind.

"Come out now, Clark. You need to attend to the guests!"

Charlie shouted. Clark had no parents. As for Amanda, Charlie was the only one in attendance and had been spending the whole day entertaining all the guests himself. He needed a hand very badly.

"The ceremony is going to commence soon. Quick!" he insisted.

He found it necessary to push. 'What is wrong with these two? Why are they still dilly-dallying? It's almost time to begin!' he thought.

"Okay, Dad. Okay! We are coming now!"

Amanda replied loudly as she pushed the body on top of her away.

Clark sneered, collected himself, and stood up.

"Find me the hairdresser. I'll need some touch-up," Amanda requested.

She was really nervous. Even without having to look at the mirror, she knew how badly she must look right now. There was no way she was going to step out of the room looking like that.

Wordlessly, Clark exited. Shortly after, the hairdresser, the assistant, and the rest of the crew entered. None of them spoke. Everyone just went on doing their required tasks without as much as a comment.

Amanda's disheveled appearance was then cleaned up. Soon, she looked like the gorgeous bride she was before her debacle with Clark. Her heart was growing colder and sadder.

She was going to marry Clark soon. The moment they exchanged vows, any hope of a future with Rufus would be gone forever.

She closed her eyes and a drop of tear fell on her cheeks.

"Why are we here? Are you visiting someone?"

Cassandra asked curiously. The place where the car stopped was a hospital.

"I'm taking you in for a health check-up. If your body can still permit it, maybe we can plan to have a baby,"

Rufus replied as he opened the door to her side and extended his arm to assist her getting off.

Surprised, she looked at him.

"Come on, be nice. There's nothing wrong with a check-up. Look at you. You're so skinny. I can't stand it! You're skin and bones!" he remarked playfully.

They went inside. Rufus had already made an appointment, so they just picked up a number and waited. As they were walking with his arm around Cassandra's waist, he turned and was surprised to see a familiar figure.

Clearly, the person saw them as well.

"Amanda, here!"

Charlie said loudly. His voice echoed throughout the whole hospital lobby, managing to draw all the people's attention.

He had pressed Amanda for a health check-up for pregnancy. Despite her unwillingness to come, she had no choice but to follow her father.

To her astonishment, she saw Cassandra and Rufus here too!

'This is the department where women get checked for pregnancy. What is Cassandra doing here? Could it be that...she is...pregnant?!' Amanda thought in her heart.

She found her eyes glued to Cassandra thinking of the possibility.

She was so slim. Her abdomen also had no signs of bulging. She did not look pregnant at all.

But, if she ever got pregnant, the baby would certainly be Rufus's. This thought suddenly made her turn cold.

Jealousy consumed her.

'Cassandra, the woman standing beside Rufus, should be me! How dare you!' Amanda screamed inwardly.

"Amanda, what happened to you?" Charlie asked.

He found Amanda's reaction strange. Following her gaze, he spotted Rufus. Instantly, his face turned grim as well.

It was because of him that Rufus and Amanda got engaged

but Rufus cancelled the marriage without even discussing the matter with him. His defiance made Charlie feel uneasy.

Amanda was his dear daughter, his precious girl. She would have been a perfect match for Rufus. Why on earth did he choose someone like Cassandra?

"Rufus! Are you married? Why didn't you tell me?" Charlie asked.