Chapter 004

ALICE

{Present Day}

"Good, then let's make it quick," I muttered, my voice tight. "I can't stand another second of all these people staring at me."

A slow smirk curled up on Devon’s lips. He adjusted his grip on my hand, weaving his fingers through mine with total confidence. His gray eyes lingered on my face, and I had to look away from the intensity of his gaze as we turned back toward the front of the hall.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Alice?" Dominic shouted, his eyes dropping down to our joined hands. "Have you completely lost your mind?" He pointed a finger at Devon, his face twisted in total disgust and frustration. "You're choosing him over me?"

"How is that your problem, Dominic?" I said. There was no pain left in my voice, only a deep, burning anger. "This is my life, and I get to choose exactly who I want to marry."

Dominic paced back and forth across the stage. He was trying to hide his embarrassment, but it was impossible because the massive screens around the hall were broadcasting his exact expression to every guest. I felt a spark of satisfaction seeing him exposed like that.

"No, you can't do this to me," Dominic said, spinning around to face me again. "Not today." He shouted the words with so much anger that a small flash of fear hit me, making me think he might actually step forward and grab me.

He took a step closer, his eyes wild as if he wanted to force me to stop this. But before he could get near me, Devon let go of my hand and stepped directly into his path, shoving Dominic back with a firm push to his chest.

"She's mine now, Dominic," Devon said, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't get to come near her, and you definitely don't touch her."

"Shut the fuck up!" Dominic shouted, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides as if he were barely holding himself back from swinging at Devon's face.

"If I were you, Dom," Devon said, his tone turning into one of pure amusement, "I would just walk away right now. You're only making yourself look worse in front of the cameras."

Dominic blinked and looked around the room, finally catching sight of the screens. He realized Devon was right. He shot me one last look of absolute fury before he stormed off the stage, his personal assistant rushing to follow right behind him.

Once they disappeared through the doors, the whispering in the crowd grew even louder. But Devon didn't even act like the guests existed. He turned away from the exit and looked back down at me. His gaze searched my face for a long moment before he reached out and took my hand again, pulling me out of the chaotic thoughts spinning in my head.

"Let's get married, shall we?" he asked, keeping his eyes locked onto mine.

I nodded, my mind still a bit blank from everything. We walked to the center of the stage to face the priest. The man looked completely shocked by the sudden switch, but he didn't say a single word against it. He lifted the book back up into his hands and cleared his throat.

"Devon Shaun, do you take Alice to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to cherish until death parts you?"

"I do," Devon answered immediately. He didn't look at the priest or the crowd, his focus stayed entirely on me, making it feel like we were the only two people left in the entire hall.

When the priest turned to me and asked the same question, I didn't hesitate for a single second. I gave my answer, and the priest closed the book with a nod. "You may now kiss the bride."

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

When I had been planning this entire scene out in my head over the last two days, I had completely forgotten about this part.

My cheeks flushed hot as Devon leaned down toward me. He didn't give me any time to panic, wrapping his arm securely around my waist and pulling my body flush against his. His gray eyes stared into mine for a split second before his lips pressed down on mine.

The kiss was brief, but it sent a strange jolt through me, and the feeling lingered even after he released his hold on my waist.

"Congratulations, man!" one of his teammates suddenly shouted, breaking the stunned silence of the room.

"Yes, congratulations!" another one called out.

Soon, the rest of the guests stood up, clapping and cheering as the violin music swelled again and the camera flashes went off in a blur. I let out a soft breath to quiet my racing heart and put a bright smile on my face.

I moved slightly to the side, making sure the media got a perfect angle of me. If the news outlets were going to post about the girl who left Dominic Steven at the altar, I wanted everyone to see that she did it without a single regret.

Devon took my hand, and we walked down the aisle together. The cameras kept flashing, and a few fans near the back tried to stretch out flowers toward us until the bodyguards quickly pulled them away.

When we reached the waiting car outside, Devon opened the door for me. I stepped inside, sliding across the leather seat, and he climbed in right after me. He shut the door, cutting off the noise of the crowd, and the car pulled away down the road, leaving the frenzy behind.

I rubbed my fingers together in my lap, through the corner of my eye, I could see Devon watching me from his side of the seat. He was clearly waiting for an explanation about what had just happened, and the thought of explaining myself to him made my skin feel prickled.

"So, do you mind explaining what that was all about?" he asked quietly.

I shifted in my seat and slowly looked up to meet his eyes. "There is nothing to explain," I said, trying my best to hide how tense I actually was. "Dominic cheated on me and planned to humiliate me. I decided I was completely done being the fool, so I did the first thing that came to my mind."

Devon let out a short scoff, looking away from me toward the window. "That is a terrible explanation. You keep talking about Dominic."

I blinked at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are only explaining why you left him." He turned his head back, his gray eyes pinning me to the seat. "You still haven't explained why you chose me."

I swallowed hard against the dryness in my throat, forcing myself not to look away from his gaze. "I chose you because there is no one in that entire room who hates Dominic as much as you do. The fact that you were sitting there enjoying his downfall made me realize you were the perfect partner for this."

Devon's brows pulled together into a slight frown as he studied me. "You aren't wrong about that. But now that we are actually married, you can't keep acting like this is just some mistake you are going to wake up from tomorrow."

I stared at him, my heart skipping a beat. "What are you trying to say?"

"I am saying this is real, Alice." His voice was perfectly calm, but there was a hard firmness beneath his words. "You stood in front of hundreds of people and exchanged vows with me. The media saw it. The entire city probably knows by now."

I looked away, suddenly feeling trapped by the reality of my actions. "I know that," I muttered.

"Do you?" he asked. "Because ever since we got into this car, you've been talking as if today was only about getting back at Dominic."

A tight knot formed in my stomach. "And it wasn't?"

Devon’s gaze settled on my face, his expression unreadable. "Maybe it was for you," he said softly. "But I don't make life-changing decisions just to help someone get revenge."

My brows pulled together as I looked at him. "What are you saying, Devon?"

A faint, sharp smile appeared on his lips. "I am saying that unlike you, Alice, I knew exactly what I was doing when I said I do."

I let out a short scoff, but a matching smile touched my own lips as I looked back out the window. "Good. I would hate to be the only one making reckless decisions today."