Chapter 4

The taxi pulled up to the grand stone steps of St. Jude’s Cathedral, where a cluster of reporters and photographers were already pacing near the entrance.

"That'll be thirty-two dollars, miss," the driver said, glancing into the rearview mirror. He took one look at my wrinkled, torn red dress and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to get out here? Isn't this the big society wedding everyone on the radio has been talking about?"

"Yes," I replied, pulling two twenty-dollar bills from my clutch and handing them to him. "Keep the change. The show is about to start."

"Good luck, miss," the driver muttered, shaking his head. "You look like you're heading into a war zone."

"I am," I said.

I stepped out of the cab, keeping my head high, and slipped past the side entrance near the bell tower where the media couldn't see me. The heavy side door was unlocked, and I pulled it open, stepping into the quiet marble corridor that led straight to the back of the sanctuary.

As soon as I reached the vestibule behind the main hall, a frantic gasp broke the quiet.

"Miss Sterling!"

It was Mrs. Gable, our family’s wedding coordinator. Her clipboard fell to the floor with a loud clatter as she took in my appearance. Her face had gone completely pale.

"Evelyn, oh my God! Where have you been?" she whispered frantically, rushing toward me with trembling hands. "Your father is in the front row threatening to tear the church apart! Julian has been holding back tears for an hour, and look at you! You're wearing last night's party dress! It's torn! Where is your wedding gown? Where is your veil?"

"Calm down, Mrs. Gable," I said softly, catching her hands before she could touch my shoulder. "Take a deep breath."

"How can I calm down?" she cried in a hushed, terrified whisper. "The ceremony was supposed to start forty minutes ago! The organist stopped playing because everyone was whispering! Your sister Chloe is in the middle aisle right now, telling the guests—"

"What is Chloe telling them?" I interrupted, my voice dropping low.

"She’s telling everyone that you ran away!" Mrs. Gable whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "She said you left with another man last night! Listen to them, Evelyn! You can hear them from right here!"

I stepped toward the heavy wooden double doors that separated the foyer from the grand sanctuary. The doors were closed, but through the carved glass panels, the entire cathedral opened up before me.

Every single wooden pew was packed with hundreds of wealthy socialites, board members, and business partners. At the front of the altar stood Julian. He had his head bowed, his hands clasped tightly in front of his black tuxedo, looking like the picture of an innocent, heartbroken groom.

My father was standing beside him, his face bright red with anger, speaking loud enough for the first five rows of guests to hear.

"This is completely unforgivable," my father was saying, his harsh voice bouncing off the high stone pillars. "Julian, my boy, I don't know what to say to you. I am completely humiliated. My own daughter has disgraced our name in front of the entire city."

"Please, Arthur," Julian said, his voice cracking with well-practiced sorrow. "Don't blame yourself. Evelyn is young. Maybe the thought of marriage was too much pressure for her. I only wanted to give her the world. If she didn't want to marry me, she could have just told me to my face. She didn't have to disappear like this and leave me standing here alone."

"She is a coward," my father snapped, waving his hand toward the empty altar. "She knew how important this day was for our company. She knew the merger depended on this union!"

Right then, Chloe stepped out from the front row. She was wearing a soft, modest blush-pink bridesmaid dress, holding a handkerchief against her nose as if she were about to burst into tears.

"Dad, please don't yell at Julian," Chloe said, her voice trembling with delicate sweetness. "Julian has suffered enough this morning. He doesn't deserve to hear any more harsh words."

"Your sister doesn't deserve his mercy, Chloe!" my father shouted back. "Where is she? Did she tell you anything before she vanished from that party last night?"

Chloe lowered her head, hesitating just long enough to make everyone lean forward in their seats. The entire cathedral fell dead silent, hanging onto her every word.

"I... I didn't want to say anything, Dad," Chloe murmured, loud enough to carry through the quiet hall. "I wanted to protect her. She's my older sister, and I love her. But watching Julian stand up there with his heart broken... I can't keep lying for her."

"What are you talking about, Chloe?" my father demanded, stepping closer to her. "What do you know?"

"Last night, at the lounge..." Chloe began, wiping an imaginary tear from her cheek. "Evelyn had several drinks. An older gentleman came over to our private booth. An investor from out of town. Evelyn was laughing with him, sitting close to him, and whispering in his ear."

A collective gasp swept through the church pews.

"Go on, Chloe," Julian urged gently, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Tell your father the truth. We need to know."

"She told me that Julian was too boring for her," Chloe cried softly, looking up at Julian with wide, adoring eyes. "She said she was tired of doing what our family wanted. She told me that this older man had real power, real wealth, and that he was going to take her far away from here. I tried to grab her arm, Dad! I begged her to stay and think about her wedding! But she pushed me away and got into his private limousine. She said she was never coming to this altar today."

Murmurs erupted across the sanctuary like wildfire.

"How shameless!" an elderly woman in the second row gasped.

"To run off with another man the night before her wedding?" a board member scoffed loudly. "Arthur Sterling's daughter is an absolute disgrace!"

"And poor Julian," another woman whispered. "He's such a fine, loyal man. He doesn't deserve this kind of humiliation."

Julian turned back toward my father, looking completely shattered. "Arthur, I gave her everything. I loved her with all my heart. But if she is in the arms of another man right now, I cannot wait here any longer. It's past eleven o'clock. The press is outside waiting for an explanation."

"Julian is right, Dad," Chloe chimed in quickly, stepping right beside Julian and taking his hand. "We can't let our family look like fools. The Sterling name is on the line. If Evelyn has abandoned her responsibilities, someone else has to step up. We can't let Julian's company collapse because of her selfishness."

My father took a deep, heavy breath, his eyes hardening with cold finality.

"You're right, Chloe," my father announced to the entire room, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Evelyn has made her choice. As of this moment, she is no longer my heir. I am stripping her of every single share in the Sterling Corporation. And if Julian will have her, I will sign those shares over to Chloe, and we will honor this marriage agreement with a daughter who actually respects family loyalty!"

Chloe's eyes flashed with pure, greedy triumph. Julian lowered his head, hiding the wicked smirk that curved on his lips.

"Thank you, Arthur," Julian said quietly. "I would be honored to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, I raised both my hands and shoved the heavy double doors forward.

BANG!

The massive oak doors flew wide open, slamming against the stone walls with a deafening crash that echoed like thunder through the vaulted ceiling.

The entire cathedral went completely still. Every head turned in unison toward the back of the church. The whispering stopped instantly, and all the breath seemed to leave the room.

I stepped over the threshold, moving into the warm beam of sunlight that cut across the center aisle.

My red silk dress hugged my curves, the torn strap hanging carelessly off my shoulder, but my chin was lifted high and my spine was straight as steel. There were no tears in my eyes, no shame on my face, and not a single trace of the weak, gullible woman they thought they had destroyed.

I looked down the long aisle toward the altar, fixing my cold, dark gaze straight onto Julian and Chloe.

I walked in—calm, cold, and breathtaking.