Chapter 2

With that, I pushed the door and walked out, cutting off Susanne's frantic, enraged shrieks behind me.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel lobby, my phone started buzzing violently, and the screen lit up with Everett sending a message in the family group chat, boldly tagging everyone.

I tapped on WhatsApp and noticed that he had just shared a screenshot of his social media post.

In the photo, Della Coyle sat in the passenger seat of a Rolls-Royce, holding the bridal bouquet that was supposed to be mine. She smiled innocently at the camera.

The caption read, "Della got car sick from low blood sugar, so I took her out for a drive by the beach to clear her head. Someone needs to stop being so petty."

He even tagged me below it.

The group chat instantly erupted.

"Exactly. A bride needs to be magnanimous. What's the point of keeping score with family?"

"Everett is a man of honor and loyalty. If he treats Della this well, he's bound to treat his wife even better."

"That's enough, Madeline. Don't make our family a laughingstock on such a big day."

I stared at the messages flitting across my screen and let out a cold laugh. Then, I quickly tapped on the screenshot buttons.

"Click. Click."

Every passive-aggressive comment and photograph was saved to my phone's photo album.

Instead of wasting my breath arguing with the Greens in the group chat, I simply replied, "Say whatever you want."

Moments later, Madeline sent a 30-second voice note to the group chat. Her voice was soft and tearful, laced with an obvious whimpering tone. "I'm so sorry, Madeline… This is all my fault…

"I've never sat in such a nice car since I was a kid, so Everett let me sit in it because he felt bad for me.

"If you're upset, I'll get out of the car right now and walk back on my own. Please don't blame Everett, okay?"

The moment her manipulative voice note was sent, the Greens immediately took her side.

"Don't cry, Della. None of this is your fault."

"The bride is being way too domineering. Why is she making such a big deal over a car ride?"

Notifications from Everett's private messages started popping up at the top of the screen. He had sent three messages in a row.

"Have you thrown enough of a tantrum, Madeline?

"My mom said you canceled the wedding. Are you out of your mind?

"Restore the venue to its original state right now, or I'm not going through with this wedding today!"

Every word between his lines was a haughty command. He was certain that I wouldn't throw away everything I had invested over the past five years, convinced that I couldn't bear the consequences of a canceled wedding.

I didn't reply to Everett. Instead, I exited the chat interface and tapped on the chatbox pinned at the top of my message list.

The contact name read "Ashton Hathaway", my former boss and the youngest star investor in the industry.

I recalled that when I resigned two weeks ago, Ashton had cornered me in his office and handed me a prenuptial agreement. He had told me that if Everett ever made me suffer, he would step in anytime.

In fact, Ashton's legal team had quietly begun auditing Everett's department accounts half a month ago. Today was the day they closed the net.

I took a deep breath and typed out a few words on the keyboard. "Does the offer you mentioned still stand?"

Less than three seconds after the message was sent, the typing indicator appeared on the screen before a message popped up.

"It does. I'm on my way."

As I stared at the six brief, powerful words on the screen, the tension in my shoulders immediately dissipated.

The replacement plan was officially initiated.

"Ms. Drew!"

Clifton came rushing over, still clutching a walkie-talkie in his hand.

"The groom's family is causing a massive scene at the main entrance.

"They brought dozens of relatives, and they're trying to force their way into the ballroom. Security is about to lose control of them.

"Should we call the police?"

I locked my phone screen and slipped it into my bag.

"No need."