Ten years ago, Emily had been a scholarship student—bright, gentle, with a smile that lit up Ethan’s entire world. Then the photos surfaced: her entering a hotel with another man. Ethan broke. He humiliated her. He erased her from his life.
Emily vanished without a trace.
“It’s been ten years,” Mark said, though without conviction. “She betrayed you. Focus on today.”
The chapel bells rang.
It was time.
The outdoor altar stood on emerald grass beneath towering oaks. Guests held their breath as Lara appeared, gliding forward like she didn’t touch the ground. Ethan waited, his face carved from marble.
The officiant began. Silence fell.
Then—
A violent metallic crash echoed from the front gate.
Shouts. Screams. Chaos.
“LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SPEAK TO HIM! ETHAN!”
That voice.
Broken. Hoarse. Desperate.
But unmistakable.
Ethan’s blood ran cold.
Security guards struggled with a woman in torn brown clothes, barefoot and bleeding, her matted hair hiding most of her face. A miserable figure amid French perfume and designer suits.
Lara recoiled in disgust.
“Get her out of here! How did this lunatic get in? If she’s hungry, throw her scraps in the kitchen and dump her outside!”