Chapter 1

This was Catherine Somerset's 30th blind date, and it took place at Shelton Restaurant.

The man, dressed in a suit, wasn't particularly striking in appearance. Nevertheless, his eyes were fixed on Catherine's beautiful features. He was clearly intrigued by the pretty lady sitting across from him.

Meanwhile, Catherine stirred her coffee in silence. Her impassive expression indicated that the man's interest was only one-sided. Unlike him, she wasn't the least bit interested.

Outside the restaurant, a sleek black Maybach was discreetly parked in a corner.

Its windows were wound up, and inside the car sat Raphael Lindberg. He had strikingly handsome features and an icy demeanor. All those years spent in the business world led to him developing a commanding presence as well.

He rolled down the window and calmly observed the interaction between the two people inside the restaurant.

Initially, the conversation seemed amicable. But in the next moment, the man sitting across the young lady appeared to be saying some jeering words, which were then accompanied by a lecherous smile. This caused Catherine's expression to falter a little, and she immediately stood to leave.

However, the man was quick to reach out and grab her arm, refusing to let her go.

Back in the car, Raphael's assistant, Ethan Daley, started to get anxious in the driver's seat. As soon as he saw that Catherine was being harassed, he turned and intended to alert Raphael about the situation.

But before he could say a word, he heard the heavy sound of the car door opening and closing. When he turned to look ahead again, Raphael was already heading into the restaurant. Even his back radiated a chilling air.

"Why are you leaving already? We've barely talked. You're just trying to sell yourself for a good price, aren't you? Do you think I can't afford it?" Wilfred Holt asked tauntingly, tightening his grip.

Wilfred was a member of one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in the city. He had heard about Catherine constantly going on blind dates. So, he was convinced she was looking for a profitable marriage she could benefit from.

Catherine's gaze turned cold as she said frostily, "Let go."

Her composed demeanor further piqued Wilfred's interest. He smirked lewdly and was just about to say, "What if I don't?"

However, he was suddenly kicked hard from behind. In the next moment, he felt an iron grip around his wrist.

"Ah!" Wilfred cried out in pain, his knees buckling. Instinctively, he released his hold on Catherine.

When he looked up, he saw Raphael, who was moments away from breaking his wrist. His expression immediately changed as he blurted in surprise, "M-Mr. Lindberg?"

Raphael looked down at Wilfred as if he were nothing more than an insect.

Wilfred was utterly confused—wasn't Raphael the one who had arranged for him to meet Catherine in the first place?

Raphael uttered every word deliberately and frigidly, "I told you to go on a blind date with her. But did I say you could touch her?"

He tightened his grip as he spoke. It wasn't until Wilfred was on the verge of passing out from the pain that Raphael finally released him. He tossed Wilfred to the floor mercilessly, like he was trash.

Raphael typically couldn't be bothered with spoiled scions like Wilfred, but the scene he had witnessed earlier enraged him to no end.

When he saw Ethan step into the restaurant, he calmly picked up an unused napkin and wiped his hands while instructing, "From now on, I don't want to see the Holt family in this city."

Ethan nodded and replied, "Understood."

The meaning was clear—Raphael intended to ruin the Holt family.

Wilfred's face turned pale. But before he could beg for mercy, Raphael had already taken Catherine by the hand and walked out with her. Catherine didn't utter a word the whole time.

Raphael led her unhurriedly to the car, while Ethan stayed behind to deal with the aftermath. So, it was just the two of them inside the vehicle.

Raphael noticed Catherine's distant gaze and knew that she was upset. In fact, from the moment he had started arranging blind dates for Catherine, she hadn't been happy ever since.

After a few moments of silence, he glanced at her delicate side profile and said, "Are you upset? I'll have my subordinates screen more carefully in the future. You won't meet someone like that again."

Catherine had been holding back her anger. Finally, she turned to look at him with reddened eyes. "Raphael Lindberg, are you seriously going to push me into someone else's arms?"

In the entire Jalendorf, there weren't many people who dared to call him by his full name. Not to mention that Catherine was 12 years younger than him. They were a whole generation apart.

When Catherine was younger, she used to call him "Uncle Raph". Raphael had been best friends with her father, Baxter Somerset. Hence, both families had very close ties. He had practically watched her grow up.

To the rest of the city, Raphael was a powerful, influential man. But to Catherine, he was simply Uncle Raph. She had been very dependent on him from a young age. At the same time, Raphael had spoiled her silly.

He had stayed by her bedside for two whole days and nights when she had a fever, waiting patiently for her to wake up. Whenever she cried, he bought every strawberry cake in the city to cheer her up.

He had even left his work aside during her summer vacation to take her skiing in Svetziland.

As Catherine grew older, her feelings toward Raphael began to change. At some point, she stopped calling him Uncle Raph and started addressing him by his first name.

At first, Raphael wasn't used to it. Eventually, he gave in to her whims, as he always had.

Six months ago, Catherine confessed her true feelings—she had boldly professed her love for him.

The outcome had been absolutely disastrous.

Catherine could still remember that night vividly. On the deck of a yacht, she stood in a dress she'd picked out specifically while holding a love letter in her hands. Her face was flushed with nervousness as she boldly confessed to him that she liked him.

That was the first time Raphael had shown her such a stern expression. "Do you think I could ever be interested in a little girl, Catherine?"

Catherine's rosy cheeks blanched in an instant. His rejection was cold and final.

After that night, he began arranging one blind date after another for her as if to put an end to her foolish hopes.

In the present time, as their eyes met again, Raphael said calmly, "Tell me what kind of man you like, and I'll find one that meets your standards."

Catherine hated him for acting this way. If he didn't care about her, why had he spoiled her all those years? He was known to be a distant and indifferent man. If he didn't care, why had he just gotten into a fight for her in public?

But if he really did care, why was he so determined to push her toward someone else?

Catherine's eyes further reddened at the thought of this. Just as she was about to speak, Raphael's phone rang.

He answered it right away.

The car was quiet, and the voice on the other end of the line was audible—it was a woman's voice.

Catherine's heart constricted, and she glanced at Raphael, only to see a rare softness in his usually cool expression.

A few seconds later, Raphael hung up and said, "You should head home on your own. I have something to take care of."

If Catherine hadn't misheard, she thought she caught the word "date" just now.

With her hands clenched tightly into fists, she couldn't help but ask, "Who was that?"

Raphael looked at her quietly for a moment before slowly uttering, "My girlfriend."

Chapter 2

Those two words hit Catherine like a thunderbolt, causing her mind to go blank. By the time she registered what had been said, tears streamed down her face before she could even stop them.

Raphael was startled at first. But in the next moment, he silently opened the glove compartment in the car and pulled out a piece of candy.

When she was little, Raphael would hold and comfort her every time she cried. He did so by holding her close and popping a piece of candy into her mouth. The sweetness would spread, and Catherine would quickly forget why she was sad.

Even as she grew older, Raphael would still do this. Out of habit, he unwrapped the candy and gently placed it in her mouth. As the sugary taste filled Catherine's mouth, her tears somewhat subsided due to the familiarity of Raphael's movements.

But the next second, she heard Raphael say, "You should head home."

In a daze, she got out of the car.

Ethan soon returned, and the Maybach drove off.

Catherine stood there, and two words kept repeating themselves in her mind—"My girlfriend".

Instead of going home as Raphael had asked her to, Catherine hailed a cab and followed his Maybach. The cab trailed behind. Soon, she watched as Raphael's Maybach pulled up in front of an upscale apartment residence area.

Not long after, a tall and gorgeous woman stepped out from inside. The woman looked about five or six years older than her. She was wearing a Chanel dress and carrying a limited-edition Hermès bag.

From her appearance, she was clearly a socialite. She and Raphael looked like a match made in heaven as she stood beside him.

Raphael had always kept his distance from women, but he got surprisingly close to this one. He even took the initiative to hold her hand as they got into the car together.

Catherine felt like she'd been stabbed in the chest, leaving behind a gaping hole where the cold wind rushed in. She sat trembling in the back seat of the cab.

So, Raphael hadn't been lying after all? Was this woman really his girlfriend?

A sharp, bitter pain rose inside Catherine as she watched their car drive off. As if punishing herself, she told the driver to keep following them.

Later, she watched as they went to a restaurant for dinner. She was positive it wasn't Raphael's choice because it was a Fyrdean restaurant. Raphael hated the taste of foie gras, so he rarely ate Fyrdean cuisine.

Yet, he was dining there with this woman.

After dinner, the woman and Raphael walked into a shopping mall with linked arms.

Catherine got out of the cab and followed them inside. She watched as Raphael shopped with the woman and even took her to the movies.

He had set aside an entire evening for their date. Catherine, on the other hand, silently trailed after them for that whole duration.

By the time she returned home, her face was streaked with tears. When she returned to Somerset Villa, her parents didn't notice her desolation as she walked in.

They smiled and asked, "How did the blind date go today? Anyone Raphael introduces has to be a good match. You should consider them carefully."

Baxter and Katie Tatum were unaware that Catherine had confessed to Raphael on the yacht. They assumed he was setting up blind dates for her out of goodwill as a close family friend and elder.

With her head lowered, Catherine hid the tear marks at the corners of her eyes and didn't respond.

At first, the people Raphael introduced were all carefully selected. Nearly all the eligible young men in the city had been paraded in front of her, but Catherine always found a way to reject each one of them.

Over time, Raphael grew impatient. He did all he could to get Catherine to start dating. The dates became more frequent, and the quality of the candidates began to drop. The one she got that day happened to be one of the worst ones.

Catherine was so listless that she didn't even feel like complaining to her parents. She simply commented, "He wasn't a good fit."

After that, she locked herself in her room. She buried herself under the covers and cried to her heart's content soundlessly.

…

The next morning, Katie knocked on her door.

"Catherine, aren't you getting up? We're going to the banquet soon."

"I'm not going!" Catherine's muffled voice came from under the covers.

Katie frowned and scolded, "How can you not go? Raphael has been so kind to you all these years. He'll be upset if you don't show up."

At the mention of Raphael's name, Catherine immediately threw off the covers. As she'd been crying the whole night, her eyes were puffy and reddened.

She murmured, "The banquet at Lindberg Manor?"

Chapter 3

In the end, Catherine went to the banquet with Baxter and Katie. What she hadn't expected was that as soon as they stepped into Lindberg Manor, she saw the same woman from yesterday standing next to Raphael again.

Not only that, but Raphael was also escorting her through the crowd of guests. He was treating her as if she were the lady of the house.

Everyone knew that Raphael, the heir to the Lindberg family, was always distant and never had any women by his side. Bringing this woman to the Lindberg family's banquet was tantamount to publicly announcing that their relationship was official.

It was the first time anything like this had ever happened. As a result, all the guests treated the woman with great respect.

In contrast, only Catherine's face grew paler by the minute.

Oblivious to her distress, her parents continued chatting happily.

"It's rare to see Raphael with a date."

"Could she be his girlfriend? They do look good together."

Every word they said was like a stab to Catherine's heart. She felt a sharp pain in her chest, but she couldn't help looking over at them.

Just then, a young boy, who was the son of one of the guests, was running through the garden. He accidentally bumped into Raphael's female companion.

Raphael immediately reached out and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist. As their eyes met, the woman gave him a shy smile—it was the look of a woman in love.

Catherine couldn't bear to watch their intimate interactions. Her nails dug into her palms, but she still couldn't tear her eyes away.

Soon, her parents took her to greet Raphael's grandfather, Jason Lindberg.

When they finished and returned to the main hall, Catherine realized that Raphael and his girlfriend were nowhere to be seen. The couple who had been mingling moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Instinctively, Catherine glanced around but saw no sign of them. She ran out to the pool area, but they weren't there, either.

After a few minutes, Raphael reappeared, holding Fiona's hand as they headed toward Catherine.

"Catherine, where are your parents?"

"They're talking with Mr. Lindberg Senior…" Catherine replied, but her voice trailed off. Her breath was caught in her throat as she noticed something.

Raphael's suit was slightly unbuttoned. She saw a faint lipstick stain on the collar of his white shirt. Catherine's mind went blank as a loud buzzing sound filled it. So, the reason they had disappeared just now was because…

The sight of the lipstick mark caused her heart to ache immensely.

Just then, Raphael spoke up, "This is Fiona Xantus, my girlfriend."

Catherine stared at the gentle and graceful woman in front of her and felt a sting in her eyes. With a hoarse voice, she greeted, "Hello, Fiona."

Fiona nodded in response and gave her an enigmatic smile.

Before long, Raphael was called back into the main hall, leaving Fiona behind. Catherine didn't want to be alone with her, so she made an excuse and began to walk away.

But just as she took a few steps, she heard Fiona's voice come from behind her. "You're still so young. Are your parents aware of your feelings for Raphael?"

Catherine felt as if an explosion had gone off in her head. She spun around in shock and horror.

Fiona had a knowing expression on her face, as if she had always known about Catherine's feelings for Raphael.

But then… How could she know? Not even Catherine's parents knew about this. Could it have been Raphael? That was impossible! It was more likely for him to do all he could to ensure that no one found out about it.

Catherine was so stunned that she forgot to deny it. "H-How did you know?"

"Your eyes gave everything away," Fiona said with a smirk, her gaze filled with disdain. "But what do little girls like you know about love? My advice to you is that you should give up. And besides, Raphael has a girlfriend now. You're not thinking of coming between us, are you?"

Catherine's face turned ghostly pale. Unable to bear Fiona's sharp words, she retorted, "I would never do such a thing! I won't ever come between you two!"

She turned to leave after saying that, so she didn't notice the dark look in Fiona's eyes.

Suddenly, Fiona reached out and shoved her at the waist.

Catherine stumbled forward. In the next moment, she fell into the pool.

Fiona then smirked and jumped in after her.

The two loud splashes that rang out immediately drew everyone's attention.

Raphael was alarmed when he heard that Catherine and Fiona had fallen into the pool. A look of anxiety appeared on his face as he rushed over right away. He threw off his suit jacket and dove straight into the pool.

The pool was deep, and Catherine couldn't swim. The waves of water overwhelmed her. She struggled desperately, consumed with fear.

In the darkness of the pool, a sudden beam of light broke through.

Through her blurred vision, she saw Raphael!

Her eyes lit up, and she struggled to reach out to him. However, the Raphael who had always spoiled her didn't even look her way but turned in another direction instead.

He swam over to Fiona without hesitation.

Chapter 4

When Catherine woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital room. She struggled to open her eyes, and beside her were only her worried parents. There was no sign of Raphael.

Katie got up immediately and went to stand by her. "You're finally awake, Cathy. Your father and I have been worried sick."

In a hoarse voice, Catherine asked, "Who saved me, Mom?"

"It was a waiter by the pool. Luckily, he knew how to swim," Katie replied, clasping her hands in gratitude as if she were offering thanks to some higher power.

Catherine was stunned. That scene she saw before losing consciousness—Raphael abandoning her to swim toward Fiona—wasn't a hallucination. She closed her eyes, and a sharp pain welled up inside her heart.

Katie noticed how pale she was but assumed that she was traumatized after nearly drowning. She adjusted the blanket and said, "Rest up. Fiona is still in bed, too, and Raphael has been by her side the whole time."

So that was where he was. He stayed with the person who had pushed her into the water.

…

Late at night, Raphael finally came to see Catherine. When he saw her lying on the hospital bed, pale and weak, his first words weren't of concern.

Instead, with a stony expression, he said, "Don't ever pull something like this again." His voice was distant, and it even carried a faint hint of anger.

Catherine was taken aback, as she didn't understand what he meant. "What are you talking about?"

Raphael frowned, thinking she was pretending. His anger was barely restrained. "Don't act like you don't know. Fiona told me everything. You pushed her into the pool on purpose."

"What?" Catherine exclaimed inwardly. She struggled to sit up, reeling in shock that Fiona had twisted the story around completely.

But what stunned her even more was Raphael's reaction—he believed Fiona!

The person who had once trusted and protected her the most had—in the span of a day—hit her with two major blows.

"I didn't! She was the one who pushed me!" Catherine denied it vehemently.

But no matter how much she tried to explain, Raphael didn't believe her. Instead, he looked at her with disappointment. "Fiona is gentle and kind. There's no way she would suddenly push you. But you…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Catherine could tell what he meant from his expression. Raphael believed she had pushed Fiona into the pool out of jealousy because she liked him.

Her throat tightened as she stubbornly insisted, "I didn't."

But her explanation only deepened the look of distrust in Raphael's eyes.

After a long silence, he finally warned with a heavy voice, "Don't ever do this again."

With that, he slammed the door and left. Catherine watched his back as he walked away. Her heart ached in a way that was beyond words.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. It had never been like this before. In the past, he had always been the one who cared for her the most when she was unwell. But today, he hadn't shown any concern and only questioned her harshly.

Before he could leave the room, Catherine couldn't hold it in any longer. She cried out, her voice full of hurt.

"Raphael, is it a sin for me to love you? Because I love you, you forced me to go on blind dates and introduced me to countless people. Because I love you, you flaunted your girlfriend in front of me without a care. And because I love you, you let her accuse me blindly."

As Catherine expressed her grievance, her voice began to become choked with emotion. "You used to care about me the most. Even when the whole world doubted me, you would stand in front of me and protect me…"

A memory suddenly surfaced in her mind. When she was in senior high, there had been a time when she was falsely accused of cheating on an exam.

She had been busy with dance rehearsals, so her academic grades had never been stellar. But for that particular final exam, she got a perfect score. Of course, no one believed such a thing was possible. Her classmates accused her of cheating, and even her teachers and her parents were skeptical.

The school had almost rendered her score invalid due to the allegations against her.

At that time, only Raphael had believed in her.

The moment he heard about it, he had rushed back from abroad. He even let go of a multimillion-dollar international business deal. He flew for over ten hours just to back her up.

"I know Catherine. She would never do something like this! The school had better have evidence because neither of us will accept these baseless accusations," Raphael stated firmly.

When no one else had believed her back then, Raphael had stood by her side. But now, with just one accusation from Fiona, he doubted her and demanded an explanation from Catherine without hesitation.

Chapter 5

Raphael's hand on the doorknob froze.

For the past six months, neither of them had mentioned Catherine's confession and her feelings for him again. Catherine had avoided bringing it up, fearing that it would upset him. Raphael, on the other hand, didn't want to deal with this troublesome situation at all.

Upon hearing her mention her feelings again, his expression became grave. He turned to her and stared at her coldly. "Catherine, I've told you before—stop saying nonsense."

That was it—that was how he chose to respond to her genuine feelings.

Suddenly, Catherine wasn't afraid anymore. With reddened eyes, she met his gaze stubbornly. "You know very well I'm not speaking nonsense."

She didn't understand. Why was her love for him something so disgraceful in his eyes? Was it because he was Baxter's friend? Could it be because he was 12 years older than her? Did it matter so much to him that in everyone else's eyes, he was like a father figure to her?

But love was love. Loving him was ingrained in her very being. To give up on him would be akin to putting herself to death.

"I love you, Raphael. No matter how many men you introduce me to, I'll still love you!" Catherine declared boldly.

Each word she spoke hit every nerve Raphael had.

The scowl on his face deepened, and his frown became even more prominent. He stared at her for a long time without saying a word, his entire presence radiating coldness. Then, he left without another word.

…

After that day, he never came to see her in the hospital again. When Catherine was finally discharged, she was greeted by even more blind dates. Her words that day had clearly had an effect, but the effect had been the opposite of what she'd hoped.

Raphael began introducing her to potential partners more frequently. What used to be a once-a-week affair took place every two or three days now. And the blind dates were no longer limited to just men from the city. Suitable candidates from across the country were introduced to her.

Meanwhile, Fiona had somehow gotten hold of Catherine's phone number and began messaging her daily. The messages were clearly meant to provoke her. She would send Catherine photos of her and Raphael on dates, the roses he'd sent her, and his shirt left at her place.

At first, Catherine's heart ached, and she felt stifled afterward whenever she saw those photos. Nowadays, she had gotten numb to them.

Nevertheless, Fiona continued sending her messages relentlessly. She wrote, "Catherine, do you see this? Raphael loves me so much."

When Catherine was on her way to yet another blind date, she saw the message from Fiona flash across her screen. She glanced at it briefly, then locked her phone screen.

Bitterly, she thought to herself that these two were truly a perfect match. One was pushing her to give up with photos, and the other was pressuring her with constant blind dates.

The first time Raphael had forced Catherine to go on a blind date, she had put up a strong resistance.

He had merely looked at her with frosty eyes and said, "You should know that I'm serious about this. If you don't go, you'll never get to see me again."

He knew exactly how to threaten Catherine. From that moment on, she went on every blind date he arranged, even when she didn't want to.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Catherine sighed and stepped inside. This time, the potential suitor was someone her age and was quite handsome. Catherine was a beautiful young woman herself, so she caught the guy's interest right away.

But perhaps it was due to her emotional turmoil or the lingering effects from almost drowning, but she felt dizzy as soon as she sat down. The chatter coming from across the table irritated her further. Soon, she couldn't take it anymore.

Thus, she grabbed her bag and stood up abruptly. "Sorry. I'm not feeling well."

However, she had gotten up too quickly. Before she could finish speaking, she fainted. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the shocked look on the guy's face.

And then, to her disbelief—he ran off and left her behind.

As her consciousness faded, she wondered bitterly if this was the kind of person Raphael expected would take care of her for the rest of her life.

…

Catherine had a dream. In the dream, someone was holding her in their arms while sighing helplessly.

The person said, "What am I going to do with you?"

The scent of the person was so familiar and comforting. It smelled like… her Uncle Raph.

Catherine clung tightly to him, refusing to let go. For once, she didn't hold back. She wrapped herself around him and cried, "Can you please stop hating me, Raphael? Could you love me, even just a little?"

The person didn't respond right away. But after a while, she faintly heard a faint whisper from him.

"Okay."

Chapter 6

When Catherine woke up, she realized she was lying in a bed in Lindberg Manor.

The next second, Raphael walked through the door. When he saw that she was awake, he placed a glass of freshly boiled water on the bedside table and reached out to put a palm to her forehead.

"The fever's gone. How could you be so careless and not realize that you had a fever?"

Catherine was still a little disoriented. Then, she remembered the faint "okay" she had heard while drifting in and out of consciousness.

Was that a dream or reality?

Her heart stirred, and she immediately asked, "Was it you who took care of me yesterday?"

Raphael replied coolly, "The maids took care of you. I was at a concert with Fiona and just got back."

It turned out that he was with Fiona again.

Catherine's hopeful expression faltered immediately. She scoffed at herself inwardly. Of course, he would avoid her at all costs—how could he possibly like her? It was nothing but a foolish fantasy on her part.

The room fell into silence. Catherine then recalled her blind date—the one who had run off and left her after she fainted.

In a soft voice, she said, "The guy you introduced me to ran off when I fainted. If the person I'm going to marry is someone like him, would you still push me into their arms?"

Raphael glanced at her. "I'll find you someone better next time."

"You know full well that's not what I want."

But Raphael didn't respond. Since she was awake, he didn't feel the need to stay any longer and left the room without another word.

Once the room was quiet again, a deep sense of melancholy filled Catherine's heart.

In the end, Raphael arranged for his driver to take her home. He didn't even come out to see her off before she left.

Fortunately, the last blind date had gone so badly that Raphael seemed to realize he had been too anxious and had pushed her too hard. After that, the frequency of the blind dates returned to what it had been before.

…

Time passed, and more than a month went by.

Catherine didn't see Raphael at all during that time. Perhaps he was intentionally avoiding her, or maybe… he was busy dating Fiona.

They crossed paths again at yet another banquet. Since Baxter and Katie had gone away on a business trip, Catherine had no choice but to attend that particular event alone.

In the grand ballroom of a luxurious hotel, Catherine spotted the familiar person immediately amidst the crowd of glitzy guests.

There was Raphael, with Fiona standing by his side as always.

Fiona also noticed Catherine and walked over arm in arm with Raphael. She greeted Catherine with a smile. "Catherine, it's been a while. Fancy seeing you here."

Catherine had no interest in exchanging fake pleasantries, so she remained silent.

Raphael frowned and criticized, "Catherine, Fiona was speaking to you. Where are your manners?"

He was using that condescending, elder-like tone to rebuke her. And for once, Catherine stood her ground stubbornly and refused to back down.

Fiona tried to smooth things over by saying, "Relax, Raphael. Don't be so harsh."

Compared to Fiona's graciousness, Catherine appeared to be immature by behaving rudely.

Raphael shot Catherine a cold look before saying, "Don't drink tonight, or I won't be able to explain it to your parents."

Then, he walked off with Fiona by his side.

Catherine felt a deep sense of despair. She thought it was depressing that Raphael's concern for her now was merely for the sake of his close friendship with her parents.

The banquet hall was filled with noise and laughter. It contrasted starkly with the sense of isolation Catherine felt deep within.