Chapter 3 - The Confrontation at the Altar
"Ryan, let me explain," Sarah’s voice finally returned, but the confident, polished consultant was gone. In her place was a frantic, desperate woman. "Don't listen to her. Luna is a manipulator. She’s trying to ruin your life because she couldn't keep you. She probably used a donor, or—"
"Goodbye, Sarah," Ryan said, and ended the call.
He didn't look at his phone again. He slowly slid it into his pocket and looked at me. "I have to go."
"Yes, you do," my mother said, pointing toward the door. "Go back to your wedding. Go back to your liar. You made your bed, Ryan."
"No," Ryan said, his voice firmer than I had heard it in over a year. "I'm going to end this. But I will be back, Luna. I swear to you, I will be back for my daughter. And for you."
"Don't come back for me," I said, my voice cold as ice. "We are divorced, Ryan. You signed the papers. You gave up your rights to this child when you believed a stranger over your own wife."
Ryan winced, as if I had physically struck him. He looked at the baby one last time, a look of profound, agonizing longing on his face, before turning on his heel and rushing out of the room.
The door swung shut behind him. My mother immediately walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as I finally let out the tears I had been holding back.
"It's going to be okay, baby," my mother whispered. "We don't need him. We never did."
But as I held my daughter, whom I had named Hope, I couldn't stop the feeling of impending doom. The storm was coming, and we were right in the center of it.
Meanwhile, Ryan drove like a madman through the streets of Seattle, his hands gripping the steering wheel of his luxury sedan so tightly his knuckles turned white. His mind was a chaotic blur of memories—Sarah showing him the fake medical records, Sarah telling him to focus on the company, Sarah organizing the wedding in record time.
She had rushed him. She had pushed for the wedding just six months after his divorce, claiming that a stable, married life would make him look more reliable to the conservative venture capitalists they were pitching to.
It had all been a calculated business move. And he had been the fool who bought into it.
He pulled up to the grand estate where the wedding was set to take place. The grounds were decorated with white silk, thousands of imported roses, and a massive glass marquee where over two hundred of Seattle's wealthiest elites were already mingling, drinking champagne on his dime.
He pushed past the security guards, ignoring the greetings of his business partners and friends. He marched straight toward the private bridal suite in the main house.
He didn't knock. He kicked the door open.
Sarah was standing in front of the mirror, her gorgeous lace gown flowing around her. Her mother and two bridesmaids were adjusting her veil, but the moment they saw Ryan’s face, the room went dead silent.
"Out," Ryan growled, his voice vibrating with a terrifying rage.
"Ryan, honey, it's bad luck to see the bride before—" Sarah’s mother began.
"I said, get the fuck out!" Ryan roared, slamming his fist against the wooden doorframe.
The bridesmaids and her mother scurried out of the room like frightened mice, shutting the door behind them.
Sarah slowly turned to face him, her beautiful face mask of perfection finally slipping to reveal the ugly panic underneath. "Ryan... please. I did it for us. I did it for your company."
"For my company?" Ryan laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that echoed in the elegant room. "You forged medical documents, Sarah. You told me my child was dead! You made me believe my wife hated me so much she aborted our baby! Why?!"
"Because she was holding you back!" Sarah shrieked, her eyes flashing with a sudden, ugly envy. "You were obsessed with her, Ryan! Even after the divorce, you kept looking at her photos. You kept talking about how much you missed her. If she had that baby, you would have gone back to her. You would have abandoned the buyout, abandoned everything we worked for! I saved you from a life of mediocrity!"
"You didn't save me," Ryan whispered, stepping closer to her, his gray eyes turning to absolute stone. "You ruined me. You made me a monster who abandoned his own daughter."
He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He opened his banking app and his corporate portal.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, her voice trembling as she saw the look on his face.
"I am pulling our funding," Ryan said, his thumb tapping the screen with deliberate, slow precision. "I am canceling the merger with your father's firm. And I am filing a formal complaint with the police for fraud, identity theft, and harassment. Your career in this city is over, Sarah. And so is this wedding."
"Ryan, no! You can't do this! If you cancel the merger, your own company will go under!"
"Then let it burn," Ryan said coldly. He turned his back on her, walking toward the door. "I'd rather be broke and have my daughter than be a billionaire married to a viper."
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As he stepped out of the room, Sarah’s screams of rage and desperation echoed through the hallway, but Ryan didn't look back. He walked out onto the grand terrace, stood before the two hundred guests who were waiting for the ceremony to begin, and picked up the microphone from the DJ’s booth.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ryan said, his voice echoing clearly over the manicured lawns. "The wedding is canceled. Please leave."
