Chapter 11

The front desk called in the middle of the night. "Ms. Clarke? There is a Mr. Hammond causing a scene here. He's demanding to see you."I never wanted to see Jared again. I had nothing to say to him. "Just call security and have him removed."The front desk hesitated. "Ms. Clarke, we've already asked him to leave several times. But he just won't give up. Could you come down and speak with him? It might help him let go. And it could save you some trouble before your big day tomorrow."I didn't want to make life harder for the staff, and there was no way I would let Jared ruin the biggest day of my life. So, in the end, I took the staff's advice and went downstairs.It had only been a few days since we last saw each other, but Jared looked nothing like the man I remembered. All his confidence and spark were gone.The moment his eyes landed on me, he stormed over and seized my wrist."Willow Clarke!" He yelled, every syllable tight with frustration. "Why the hell did you go? You van

Chapter 12

Jared froze like I'd knocked the wind out of him."Willow, you've got it all wrong," he said, looking wounded and stunned. "I don't hate you. Actually..."He gave a bitter smile and continued, "Actually, I always knew it wasn't you who spread those rumors. It was Eleanor. She set the whole thing up. She'd been wanting to end things for a while, but she just never found the right excuse."Then, you helped me, and she took that as her opening to start the rumors. The day she got into the accident? She was actually planning to run off with some rich heir. I was just a fool that she had strung along."I looked Jared dead in the eye. He was falling apart, but I felt nothing. "If you knew all that, then why did you treat me like this for the past three years?""I…" Jared collapsed into himself, face in his hands, sobbing like the weight of it finally broke him.He said, "I'm sorry. This is on me. I kept thinking that, if you hadn't done all that for me back then, maybe Eleanor would've

Chapter 13

Just as I was stewing in my frustration, my phone buzzed with a message from Sean. "Look outside."I was confused, so I texted back a question mark, but he didn't respond. I got up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.A second later, someone on the dark beach lit a line of fireworks. One after another, they shot into the sky. The explosions shattered the quiet night, and somehow, the noise calmed the storm inside me.Three long minutes passed before the last of the fireworks fizzled out.I looked down at the beach. Sean was still there, motionless, facing me like a statue. Then, his message came through. "You're more beautiful than the fireworks."He'd never said anything so straightforward before, but somehow, it didn't bother me. I opened the text and finally typed the question that had been burning in the back of my mind. "Why did you agree to marry me? Did we know each other before?"I hit send.When I waited for his reply, my heart lodged somewhere in my throat.I

Chapter 14

Two minutes later, the screen of my phone lit up again.Sean had sent a photo. Before it even finished loading, more began to come through.My heart skipped, and I opened them one by one.Each one showed a woman crouched on the beach, crying with her back to the camera. I zoomed in, studying the details. Then, it hit me. The woman in the photos was me.How was that even possible? That was me two years ago.Back then, I'd found that old photo album Jared kept tucked away in his study. I couldn't take it. Eleanor was gone, but somehow she was still between us.I screamed at him to throw it out, completely hysterical. But he couldn't bring himself to do so.We had an awful fight, and I stormed out, drove to the beach, and stayed there all night by myself. But by morning, I went back to him, hoping he'd take me back."Were you there that night too?" I texted."Yeah. I was out with my friends," Sean replied."What happened after?" I asked. He instantly responded, "I spent the

Chapter 15

On my wedding day, I slept in until 10:00 am.I was frustrated and snapped at Mom. "Why didn't you wake me? This is a disaster. The Lennons are going to have a field day."She just smiled, gently sliding the breakfast toward me. "You must be hungry. Eat a little first."But food was the last thing on my mind. "Where's the makeup artist? The photographer? Mom, call them now. If we don't get moving, we're going to be late."Mom gently pressed a hand to my shoulder, easing me back into the chair. "There's plenty of time."I tried to argue, "But the ceremony was supposed to—"But Mom replied, "Sean moved it to tonight.""What?" My eyes flew wide, not sure I'd heard right.She gave me a look I couldn't quite read. "And as for the exact time? Sean said it depends on when you wake up.""That's insane!" But even as the words left my mouth, a warm, unexpected sweetness bloomed in my chest.I thought back to what Sean said the previous night. We ended up talking for hours.He stayed w

Chapter 16

Jared's hand shook as he held onto me, as if letting go would mean losing me for good. "Willow, come with me. Give me one more chance, okay?"I said, frowning, "Jared, there's nothing left between us. Just let it go!"His eyes searched mine, full of desperation. "I know you're still mad. It's because of Elsie, right? I got too close. But if that's what's stopping you, I'll cut her off. Hell, I'll tell her to leave right now!"I couldn't take it anymore. I yanked my hand back. "Jared, what the hell do you want from me?"He reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a ring. Then he dropped to one knee, right there in front of me. He said, "Willow, I know you waited forever for our wedding. I'm sorry. I kept going back and forth before. I was too blind to see what I really felt. But I get it now. I love you. I always have. I was just too insecure to admit it. And I know you still love me too, don't you?"I stared at him, stone-faced, as he teared up. He was getting emotional ove