He looked ready to devour me whole. Yet the threat worked. With a jaw clenched tight enough to snap, he stayed through the rest of the agonizing ceremony.

Jade, seeing him stay, looked at Connor with tear-filled eyes of betrayal. She let out a sob and fled the venue.

The moment the ceremony ended, Connor abandoned me to chase after her.

In full view of the city's elite, I became the most pathetic bride of the century.

That night, the news was everywhere.

Delgado-Winfield Marriage Scandal: Bride Ringless at Altar. Groom Injured in Car Accident Chasing True Love.

I simmered soup overnight, pouring my pathetic devotion into a thermos, and went to the hospital.

At the door, I froze.

Inside, Connor and Jade were locked in a passionate embrace. When he saw me, he didn't pull away. His hand tightened on the back of her head, deepening the kiss—punishing me with their intimacy.

I watched them entwined. A sharp pain lanced through my chest.

Taking a breath, I mustered the last shreds of my dignity and pushed the door fully open.

Jade scrambled up like a startled bird, her lips swollen and red. She smoothed her hair, glaring.

"Do you have any manners?" she snapped.

I met her gaze, expression flat.