Chapter 4
The video’s unmistakably explicit audio began playing from Tessa’s phone.
“Grant, don’t. They’re still right outside…”
It was Serena’s breathy, overtly seductive voice.
“Let them wait.”
Grant’s voice was hoarse, and bursts of cheering erupted in the background of the video.
The groomsmen exploded into knowing laughter.
“Holy shit! Grant’s a fucking machine! What do you call that? He’s got both women wrapped around his finger.”
“Serena’s still the one with all the charm. Grant’s always been a sucker for that act.”
“Shh. Keep it down. The bride’s still inside.”
One of the groomsmen lowered his voice, but he couldn’t hide his amusement.
“Come on. Grant has kept Claire sheltered and completely dependent on him for eight years. You think she can survive without him? Even if she finds out, what’s she going to do? She’ll still behave herself and go through with the wedding.”
I pushed open the glass door they had left ajar.
The laughter on the terrace stopped instantly.
Everyone froze.
I calmly swept my gaze across their panicked faces.
“Five minutes.”
“Groomsmen, get ready to take your places.”
Then I turned and walked away.
They hurried after me, forcing awkward, insincere smiles onto their faces.
“Claire, don’t take it personally. Grant is just… too loyal to the people he cares about.”
“Once the wedding is over, everyone in Denver will know you’re the real Mrs. Prescott. Men fool around sometimes. As long as they know where home is, what does it matter? Right, Claire?”
I stopped and looked past them.
“Let’s go.”
“Let’s not hold up the ceremony.”
The ballroom blazed with light.
The carved wooden doors slowly opened, and a spotlight shone on me.
I straightened my back and stepped onto the aisle alone.
At the far end, the place reserved for the groom stood empty.
The once-lively ballroom fell silent for a moment.
Tessa and the groomsmen stood on either side of the aisle, exchanging glances as undisguised mockery gleamed in their eyes.
Behind me, the ballroom doors opened again.
Every head turned toward the sound.
A tall, imposing man appeared in the doorway.
Tessa’s eyes widened.
Several of the groomsmen sucked in sharp breaths as the color drained from their faces.
At that same moment, Grant’s phone began vibrating furiously.
Across town, in the penthouse suite of a luxury five-star hotel on the south side of Denver, Grant stood before a wall of windows and loosened his tie.
He walked over to the bed and gently pulled Serena’s slipping neckline back into place.
“All right. I’ve gone through everything with you. We had the ceremony, exchanged rings, and even did the whole honeymoon-suite send-off.”
“Now I have to go. Claire is waiting for me.”
He spoke as though it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
Serena wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“Grant, please don’t go.”
She raised her wrist, revealing the exquisite antique emerald bracelet.
“You went through every part of the wedding with me. Even your mother gave me the Prescott family’s heirloom emerald bracelet. Doesn’t that prove I matter more to you than she does?”
Grant stiffened.
He lowered his gaze, and a conflicted look flickered in his eyes.
He couldn’t remember when his mother had given Serena the heirloom bracelet.
A second later, he pulled Serena’s arms away without hesitation.
“Stop it.”
“You told me you had late-stage stomach cancer and that your greatest regret was never getting to wear a wedding dress and marry me. That’s the only reason I agreed to give you this day.”
“I made myself clear from the beginning. Claire is the woman I’ve always loved. She’s the woman I’m actually marrying.”
“I only did this so you wouldn’t die with that regret. Don’t push your luck.”
Irritation rose inside him for no reason he could explain.
Without looking again at Serena’s bloodless face, he turned and strode toward the door.
Claire had always been patient and accommodating. She had been angry with him over the phone today, but if he went to her now, calmed her down, and said a few gentle words, she would forgive him.
Just as his hand closed around the doorknob, the phone in his pocket began vibrating over and over.
Frowning, he pulled it out.
Dozens of WhatsApp voice notes flooded the screen, all sent by the groomsmen.
Then a video call from Tessa appeared.
He answered.
The instant he saw the screen, his eyes widened.
The footage shook slightly. Tessa was clearly recording from somewhere inside the crowd without being noticed.
Beneath the enormous crystal chandelier, Claire stood tall in a pure white wedding gown.
A faint, resigned smile still lingered on Grant’s lips.
Then the camera slowly shifted and settled on the profile of the man standing beside her.
Every trace of color drained from Grant’s face.