Chapter 2 - The Groom’s Rebellion
Ethan turned slowly to look at his father.
The look of absolute betrayal on his face was enough to make the massive room feel instantly freezing.
"What did you do?" Ethan demanded, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl.
Victor straightened his suit jacket, desperately trying to maintain his crumbling authority.
"I protected this family from a gold-digger, Ethan," Victor snapped, pointing a trembling finger at me.
"She took the money and ran, just like I warned you she would!"
I let out a harsh, bitter laugh that echoed off the painted ceiling.
"Did you forget how to read a bank statement, Victor?" I challenged him loudly.
"That check on the floor proves I never took a single cent of your blood money."
Ethan’s eyes darted between the uncashed check on the marble floor and his father’s sweating face.
"You told me she left me for another man," Ethan said, his voice trembling with years of suppressed agony.
"You told me she walked into a clinic and erased our baby because she didn't want to be tied down!"
The sheer cruelty of the lie made my stomach twist into painful knots.
I covered Maya's ears instinctively, not wanting her to hear the horrific things this family was capable of.
"He intercepted every letter, Ethan," I said softly, allowing a sliver of my old pain to bleed through.
"He blocked my calls, hired security to physically throw me out of your building, and threatened to destroy my life."
The beautiful bride, Chloe, suddenly marched forward, her expensive silk gown rustling aggressively.
"Security!" Chloe screamed, her perfectly contoured face twisting into an ugly mask of rage.
"Get this lying trash and her little bastards out of my wedding right now!"
Before a single guard could even twitch, Leo stepped in front of me.
My five-year-old son looked up at the furious bride with eyes as cold as absolute zero.
"Do not yell at my mother," Leo said, his voice terrifyingly calm and articulate for a child his age.
"Or I will buy this hotel and have you thrown out onto the street."
The crowd gasped again, completely scandalized by the sheer audacity of the little boy.
Ethan stared at Leo, witnessing his own fierce spirit reflected perfectly in his son's face.
Without another word, Ethan reached up and grabbed the lapels of his expensive tuxedo jacket.
May you like
He ripped it off and threw it carelessly onto the floor beside the uncashed check.
"The wedding is over," Ethan announced to the stunned crowd.
