Chapter 6
Grant let out a humorless laugh, trying to piece together a version of the truth he could accept.
“I’ve had the upper hand over Julian on project after project these past few years. He’s doing this just to
humiliate me!”
“He knew I was getting married today, so he deliberately crashed the ceremony to make me a laughingstock
in front of all Denver!”
“That idiot Claire doesn’t even realize Julian is using her as a pawn!”
The more Grant said it, the more convinced he became.
Julian had forced his way into the wedding to get back at him.
Claire was only playing along because Grant had failed to show up and she was acting out of spite.
“After eight years together, she’s letting an outsider trample all over our wedding?”
Grant roared into the phone.
“Put Claire on! I want to speak to her myself!”
“Tell her to stop this farce right now and wait for me to come back. She’d better not make me lose my
temper!”
Tessa didn’t answer immediately.
Through the noise in the background, Grant heard a deafening cheer erupt from the video.
Someone was shouting, “Kiss! Kiss!”
Grant’s heart clenched.
“Tessa! Are you deaf? I told you to give her the phone!”
“It’s too late, Mr. Prescott.”
There was unmistakable pity in Tessa’s voice.
Grant froze.
“What do you mean?”
Before he could finish, the video froze on a blurred, pixelated frame.
A second later, the call disconnected with a beep as the weak signal gave out.
Grant jabbed at the screen and immediately called her back.
(Gall failed. Tessa is unavailable.]
He shoved Serena out of his way and rushed for the door.
Grant gripped the steering wheel so tightly that the veins stood out across the backs of his hands.
For eight years, no matter what he did wrong, all he had to do was humble himself a little and sweet-talk
Claire. She would smile and forgive him.
She loved him that much.
How could she possibly marry someone else?
“This has to be some trap that bastard Julian set up…
Grant repeated the words over and over in his head, his teeth clenched.
That was it. Claire had either been forced into this or become too angry to think clearly.
All he had to do was show up.
He would walk over, take her hand, and tell her the game was over.
Then she would obediently return to him, just as she had countless times before.
Grant threw open the car door and stumbled out.
Dozens of security guards in black suits and earpieces stood watch over every entrance and exit.
Beside the most conspicuous lead car in the motorcade, Claire was lifting the skirt of her white wedding gown as she prepared to slide into the back seat.
Julian carefully placed one hand against the edge of the roof so she wouldn’t hit her head.
“Claire Bennett!”
“Claire! Get out of the car!”
Grant hadn’t come within ten feet of the vehicle when two massive guards stepped in front of him.
“Get out of my way! I’m her husband!”
His expensive custom-made suit was badly wrinkled, and his glasses had slipped down to the end of his
nose. He looked utterly disheveled.
At the sound of his voice, Claire stopped and slowly turned toward him.
Grant lifted his head, desperately searching her face for the slightest trace of hurt, anger, or hesitation now that he had finally arrived.
There was nothing
Nothing at all.
She looked at him as though he were something long expired and ready to be thrown away.
There was no love in her eyes, but there was no katred either
A flawless, extraordinarily rare pink diamond now gleamed on her slender ring finger, where the ring he had bought for her should have been.