Chapter 4

His face went ghostly white, shock etched across his features.

"Sylvia?"

A bystander chuckled, correcting him, "Sylvia? You must be seeing things. That's Mrs. Garcia, soon to be officially part of the Garcia family!"

Yale's wedding was a grand affair, with guests aplenty. Hand in hand, we stood on the stage, facing the sea of faces.

The officiant began, "Ms. Sylvia Lynch, do you take Mr. Yale Garcia to be your husband?"

"I do—"

However, a sudden uproar cut me off.

There was Eric, eyes blazing, barreling toward the stage.

"Sylvia! You can't marry him!"

He lunged for my wrist, but Yale was quicker, pulling me to safety behind him.

"Sylvia!

"Sylvia! You swore you'd only ever marry me. How can you give yourself to him?"

Eric's shouts echoed through the room, leaving everyone stunned and frozen in place.

"What's happening? Are the Garcias trying to split up true love?"

"Split up true love? That's Samuel's boy, right? Just tied the knot with the Lynch's youngest daughter a few days back. They were all over the news."

"Wait a sec! Weren't Eric and Sylvia the ones who grew up together, all lovey-dovey?"

"What in the world's going on? This is a mess. Think Yale's gonna blow his top right here?"

Yale paid no mind to the crowd, turning to me instead. I braced for a scowl, given Eric's outburst, but Yale's eyes were soft and kind.

"Sylvia, need a hand with this?"

His grip was warm and firm, a silent promise of support.

We had not known each other long, but there he was, ready to have my back, no questions asked.

I gave him a reassuring smile. "I've got this. Eric and I? We're ancient history."

I stepped up to Eric, standing my ground.

His eyes were rimmed with red. "Sylvia, you've always said you'd be mine. How can you just walk away?"

I could not help but laugh. "You had no trouble marrying someone else while we were together, but now I can't move on? Get over yourself, Eric."

Eric's face drained of color as he shook his head in a panic. "It's not true, Sylvia. You know the marriage license Willa and I got was just for show. I don't have any real feelings for her."

Down below, Willa's face turned ghostly pale.

The more I heard, the sicker I felt. "Eric, you're absolutely vile, the lowest of the low!"

"Sylvia, say whatever you want to me. I get that you're mad, and if cursing me out makes you feel better, go for it. However, I can't stand by and watch you marry someone else. I don't approve!"

"You don't approve? Who do you think you are, Eric? My parents are on board, what right do you have to object? I'm my own person, not your property!

"Eric, I don't need you to survive."

His shoulders sagged at my words. "Sylvia, marriage is a big deal. You can't just rush into it. Are you sure you want to marry a man you hardly know?"

He extended his hand to me. "Come with me, Sylvia. I'll give you anything you want. Let's run away together, as far as we can go!"

I grabbed Yale's hand, our fingers tightly laced, and waved it in front of Eric.

"I'd love to, more than you can imagine. What's wrong with being the happy Mrs. Garcia? Why would I run away with a guy who's done nothing but live off his family's money? Yale can give me everything you can, and then some."

Eric's desperation grew. "Sylvia! Are you coming with me or not?"

"I wouldn't go!"

In the next instant, Eric lifted me by the waist.

"If you can't go, then I have no choice but to take you with me today!"

Eric had barely hoisted me up when he let out a piercing yell and crashed to the ground.