Security moved at once and caught Connor before he reached the side door. He protested, stammering, but the panic in his face said enough. Olivia’s mask finally cracked.
“Ethan, please,” she begged, heels slipping on the marble. “We can talk. I had debts. I panicked.”
“You didn’t panic,” Ethan said in a low, deadly voice. “You got caught.”
When the police entered, the aisle that had been meant for her grand entrance became a walk of shame.
At the church doors, Lily stood frozen, her stomach tied in knots, watching everything unfold until Ethan turned away from the chaos and walked straight back to her like she was the only person in the building who mattered.
He said nothing until they were outside, away from the stained-glass light and the hungry gossip behind them. Up close, it was easy to see the truth. His hands weren’t shaking just from anger. They were shaking from betrayal.
Because Ethan Parker had not been born into money. Before the hotels, restaurants, and chain of coffee shops with his name on every cup, there had been a tiny apartment, an exhausted mother, and overdue bills pushed under the door.