The Night Before

Chapter 3

The Night Before

(Ella’s POV)

Hayes closed the suite door behind us, but neither of us moved farther than a few steps inside. The room was set with rose petals, champagne, and everything meant for a wedding night I was never meant to have.

He stayed near the door. “Ella… you don’t have to stay here. I can get another room.”

“I’m fine,” I said, even though my chest felt tight.

He hesitated. “Do you want anything? Water? Tea?”

“No.”

Silence pressed between us. He looked like he didn’t know where to stand or what to say. I didn’t either.

Finally, I turned to him. “I know why Lucas didn’t come.”

Hayes froze. “Ella…”

“I overheard him last night.” My voice stayed steady, even though remembering it made my stomach twist. “He was talking to you.”

He swallowed hard. “I didn’t know you heard that.”

“I heard everything,” I said. “I heard him say he was skipping the wedding.”

Hayes shut his eyes briefly, guilt rushing across his face.

“I heard him say he’d go on the honeymoon with Ashley,” I continued. “I didn’t want to believe it. I kept telling myself I misunderstood. But when I saw you at the altar instead of him… I knew.”

Hayes stepped forward slowly. “Ella, let me explain.”

“I heard him brag about it.” My hands tightened at my sides. “He said it wasn’t serious. Just fun before he settled down.”

“He’s wrong,” Hayes muttered. “He’s so wrong.”

“He said he’d marry me later,” I said. “After he enjoyed himself. After he got it out of his system.”

Hayes opened his eyes at that. “He told me that. And I told him he had to be honest with you. He refused.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “You were the only one who sounded like you cared.”

He didn’t speak. His jaw clenched hard.

“Lucas needed my family’s name,” I said. “He needed the political connection. Me marrying him mattered more to him than I ever did.”

Hayes looked away like he couldn’t stand the truth of it. “Ella… you didn’t deserve any of this.”

I walked to the edge of the bed and sat, my gown spilling around me. “I kept hoping he’d change his mind. I kept hoping he’d show up. But when I saw you today… everything inside me stopped.”

Hayes took a few steps toward me, then paused again. “I swear, I didn’t agree to this until this morning. Lucas asked me to cover for him. I thought it was for something else. Not this.”

“You looked terrified,” I said softly. “You weren’t pretending.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “I wasn’t. I tried calling him. He ignored every message.”

“He didn’t care,” I whispered.

“No,” Hayes said. “He didn’t.”

I looked up at him. “So why did you stand there?”

He hesitated, eyes flicking to mine. “Because the alternative was you standing there alone. And I couldn’t let that happen.”

My breath caught. “You stepped in to protect me.”

“Yes.”

Those three letters settled in my chest in a way I wasn’t ready for.

I took a breath. “I was going to expose him.”

Hayes stared. “At the altar?”

“Yes.”

He sat down across from me, disbelief in his eyes. “You were really going to do it?”

“I couldn’t let him walk away untouched,” I said. “But when I saw you… I realized there was a better way.”

“You married me,” he said quietly.

“I married the man who showed up.”

He stared at me like he didn’t know how to process that.

I looked down at my hands. “You said something earlier. That you didn’t go through with it for him.”

“I didn’t,” he said. “I did it for you.”

My heart skipped.

Before I could respond, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Ella… there’s more I should say. Something about last night. Something about all of this.”

“Then say it.”

He opened his mouth.

Closed it again.

His gaze dropped to the floor. “I can’t. Not yet.”

A quiet heaviness settled between us.

I nodded once. “Then I guess we’ll leave it for now.”

Hayes didn’t move, didn’t look up. “Ella… whatever happens next, you’re not alone in it. I’m here. I’ll stay here as long as you want me to.”

I wasn’t sure what to do with the warmth those words sparked.

A soft knock sounded outside the door, snapping us both back to the present. Hayes stood, straightening his posture.

“That’s probably the staff,” he said. “They want to bring in champagne.”

I looked at the bed. The petals. The room meant for a future that didn’t exist.

“Tell them to leave it outside.”

Hayes nodded and walked to the door while I stood and found my reflection in the mirror again. My veil was slightly crooked. My eyes looked tired. But I didn’t look broken.

Not anymore.

When Hayes returned, he didn’t come closer. He stayed by the door, watching me with that same careful look.

The truth was out.

Now we’d have to live with everything that came next.