The sharp scent of disinfectant in the hospital stung my nose.
From the VIP room next door, I heard Olivia’s syrupy voice. “Wyatt, you’ve been with me every day. You must be exhausted!”
Pain twisted in my chest like a knife.
Wyatt, just to vent her grievances, you went as far as to cripple me?
“Aubrey!” My father burst into the room and pulled me into a trembling hug.
“Who did this to you? I swear I’ll make him regret ever being born!”
“I’m fine, Dad,” I forced a smile through the pain. “Just get me a new team of bodyguards.”
“Oh, and by the way–Aidan is alive. Once we’re married, he’ll be protecting me too.”
After my father left, I hobbled to the window with the help of my crutch.
Down in the garden, I saw Wyatt giving Olivia a piggyback ride. She whispered something into his ear that made his cheeks flush red, and he smiled–tender, warm, effortless.
A smile he had never once shown me.
The day before the wedding, Aidan rushed in, still dusty from travel.
He carefully pulled out a smooth, jade–green stone from his coat.
“Miss Milton, a wedding gift.”
“The groom finally shows up,” I said with a bright smile, raising my voice deliberately.
Aidan froze. His eyes reddened instantly, and though his lips trembled, he couldn’t utter a single word.
Later, my assistant whispered to me that Wyatt hadn’t shown his face in days.
I sneered. He thought I’d beg him to come back. Cry, apologize, and plead for our wedding.
Too bad for him–his perfect little plan had already collapsed.
That night, my phone buzzed.
Olivia sent me a video. In it, she and Wyatt were tangled together in bed, shameless and
obscene.
Seconds later, the video was deleted.
“Pathetic,” I muttered, locking my phone. Such low–level tricks were almost laughable.
I stepped to the window.
Under the vast night sky, Aidan stood alone, looking up at my window.
He waved at me, his smile steady and full of warmth.
For the first time in a long while, my heart felt truly at peace.
On the morning of the wedding, my phone rang.
Wyatt’s arrogant voice came through the line. “As long as you apologize to Olivia, I’ll come and marry you right now.”
Chapter 4
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14:15 Sun, 1 JunDG
“No need,” I replied coldly, and hung up without hesitation.
A faint smirk played at my lips.
At the ceremony, the guests whispered among themselves.
“Why isn’t Wyatt here yet?”
“Is the wedding being called off?”
I ignored every murmur and walked confidently down the aisle with Aidan on my arm.
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His muscles were tense beneath my touch, but he held me with utmost care, afraid of hurting me.
“Let’s congratulate Mr. Aidan and Miss Aubrey!” the emcee’s voice rang out.
Just then, the banquet hall doors burst open.
Wyatt stood at the entrance, his face was pale as a sheet of paper. The bouquet in his hand slipped to the floor with a loud thud.
I turned slightly, curling my lips into a smile. And under his disbelieving gaze, I kissed Aidan.
