Chapter 4 This Wedding Is Mine

Our parents stammered and couldn't find the words, but Aria's eyes cleared, as if someone had wiped the fog away.

She pushed herself up against the wall and stood slowly, voice firm and steady. "No. I can't just stand here and watch them get married. This was supposed to be my wedding."

Then, the tears came again, raw and loud.

I hurried forward and patted her shoulder gently. "Now's not the time to fall apart. Pull yourself together. Whatever you decide to do, I'll back you."

Under my urging, Aria's gaze hardened. Her hands clenched without her meaning to.

"I'm going to crash the wedding and take him back," she said.

I almost applauded. Of course, she had spent years devouring those CEO romance novels. Who would think like that normally?

My chest filled with a fierce kind of pride, but my face stayed outraged. "Aria, you're right. But what are we going to do now?"

She snorted, grabbed a coat, and flung open the front door with anger pouring off her.

"How dare that woman steal my wedding? Of course I'm going to take it back. I've heard Mr. Moore keeps a distance from other women, but that night, he was unusually warm with me.

"That means that woman must have impersonated me to get close. Today, in front of everyone, I'll expose that homewrecker who stole my identity."

She ran toward the gate, flagging down a car. I climbed into the back seat and flashed my phone at the driver. "Please hurry. My sister says she's Alexander Moore's true love. If we're late, she'll miss reclaiming her groom."

The driver looked at me like I was joking. "Your sister? Mr. Moore's wife, Luna, isn't just pretty; she used to be a top student too. You sure Mr. Moore likes your sister…"

He hesitated, unable to find a polite word, and swallowed it.

Aria had been pampered at home for days, treated like a queen and fed nothing but praise. Hearing the driver say she didn't measure up to Luna blew her fuse.

"What would a cab driver like you know? Mr. Moore and I truly love each other. He promised he'd only marry me. Now, I'm carrying his child, and he's marrying someone else.

"How can I stand for that? Drive! If I lose my shot at marrying into that family, you and I won't be finished."

The driver gaped at me. I tapped my forehead to signal that Aria had lost her mind. He gave me a helpless look, turned, and drove on in silence.

The whole ride was quiet except for Aria's frantic urging. The driver, not wanting to argue with a woman who'd clearly snapped, floored it and got us to the venue fast.

Fireworks lit the sky. Aria opened the car door and sprinted toward the ceremony as if love itself waited at the altar. I paid with a calm, methodical scan, then followed her.

When I reached the entrance, Aria was already in a shouting match with security.

"Let me in!" she demanded. "Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Ma'am, do you know whose wedding this is? Without an invitation, you can't just barge in. You'd be asking for trouble," one guard replied.

"Barge in? The person getting married in there is my man. I am Alexander's wife. I'm carrying his child. Let me in, or I'll make Alexander fire every one of you idiots."