Ivy tried to shake Carla’s grip off her arm, but Carla was too strong.

Jamison’s expression darkened. He pulled Ivy behind him, shielding her. “You don’t need to make things difficult for her. I’m the one in a hurry to get married.”

“Jamison, you and Micah grew up together. You two are closer than anyone. How can you just stand by and let him–”

Before Carla could finish, Rosetta burst forward, yanking her old in-law away. “Mrs. Ludwig, this is downright unreasonable. Your son broke off the engagement first, then wouldn’t let Ivy move on, and now he’s threatening to kill himself–what kind of shameless behavior is this? Instead of knocking some sense into him, you’re here making things harder for Ivy. Aren’t you just encouraging him?”

Carla had always looked down on Rosetta. Even when Micah nearly married Emma, Carla had never intended to accept the Windsor family. She hadn’t even attended the engagement party, sending Jamison in her place as the family’s representative.

Now, to be publicly rebuked by someone she’d always considered beneath her was more than Carla could stomach.

“Rosetta, your Windsor family has plenty of skeletons in its own closet. Who are you to meddle in Ludwig family business?” Carla was so furious she abandoned all pretense of upper-class composure.

But Rosetta was never one to back down. “Oh, ‘Ludwig family business’? My daughter is the one your brother’s marrying. That makes this my business, too! If you’re going to stand in their way today, you’ll have to go through me!”

Carla scoffed. “Your daughter? You’re claiming Ivy now, are you? What about when you kicked her out of your house–have you forgotten how you treated her? I heard from Micah that you made her sleep in the dog shed. You never treated her like family. Now suddenly you’re all affection because you want to curry favor with my brother?”

Rosetta shot right back, “I just can’t stand your rotten son! If Emma hadn’t been ruined by him, she wouldn’t be in this mess today. Both my precious girls have suffered because of your son, and I haven’t forgotten it. I’m not letting this go today!”

With that, Rosetta stood with her hands on her hips, completely indifferent to the fact that she was Mrs. Windsor and supposed to have some dignity.

Carla, raised on strict etiquette, had never been shouted down in public before. Now, with Rosetta pointing in her face, she was so furious she couldn’t speak. She lifted a trembling hand, stammering, “You… you-” but couldn’t get the words out.

Jamison saw his sister coming off worse in the exchange and felt a surge of anger on her behalf. Still, he reminded himself that her whole purpose today was to stop him, so in a way she deserved it.

But no matter how bitter their family disputes, they had to present a united front before outsiders. Jamison looked to his older brother for help.

Before he could say a word, Thad stepped forward and faced Carla, his face stern. “Go home and take care of Micah. Let Jamison handle his own affairs. Staying here won’t help anyone; you’ll only embarrass both the Ludwig and Shepherd families.”

Carla turned to her younger brother, anguish on her face. “Thad, you don’t feel for Micah at all?”

Thad replied, “Micah has been spoiled–by you, by all of us.”

Back when Jamison was young and rebellious, even after his engagement to Davina, he never did anything truly outrageous. He simply left the country quietly and stayed away for years.

But now, Micah was using love as an excuse to threaten suicide and create endless drama. It was truly over the line.

He thought this would win everyone’s sympathy and get them to oppose the wedding, but all it did was make everyone even more disgusted with him.