Semua Bab Third Wedding, Right Groom : Bab 1 - Bab 10

My hands were trembling as I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts with shaking fingers until I found the name I needed. The name I should have called a long time ago.Alexander Calvert.My best friend since we were seven years old. The boy who'd taught me to ride a bike and picked me up when I fell.The man who'd been there for every important moment of my life—except the ones where I'd been too blinded by Miles to see him. The man who'd told me, just last night, that he loved me and would always be there if I needed him.I needed him now.The phone rang once. Twice.Each ring felt like an eternity. Around me, the chapel had dissolved into chaos—my mother crying, my father arguing with someone, bridesmaids whispering urgently, guests pulling out their phones to text their friends about the drama unfolding before their eyes.But I stood perfectly still in the eye of the storm, waiting. "Lila?" Alexander's deep voice came through on the third ring, tinged with surprise an

Three Years Earlier.I met Miles Morretti at a charity gala my father's company was sponsoring. I was twenty-three, fresh out of business school with my MBA still feeling new and impressive, trying desperately to prove I belonged in the corporate world rather than just being there because my last name. I was a Clement, and my father owned half the commercial real estate in the city. It was one of those insufferably boring events that the wealthy inflict upon themselves in the name of philanthropy—overpriced tickets, rubber chicken dinner, endless speeches about giving back.Everyone was there to see and be seen, to network and make connections, to show off their designer gowns and expensive watches. The actual charity being supported—something about funding arts education in underprivileged schools—seemed almost secondary to the social peacocking.I was standing by the champagne table, trying to look interested while a middle-aged executive droned on about market trends, when I first

The way he said it made it sound romantic, like another step in our love story rather than a business proposition. And I was good at what I did—I knew that. I had a talent for reading people, for understanding what clients needed before they articulated it themselves, for building relationships that turned into long-term partnerships."I don't know," I said hesitantly. "Mixing business and personal life... that can get complicated.""Not for us," Miles said confidently. "We're solid, Lila. And think about what we could build together."He was persuasive. He'd always been persuasive. And honestly, the idea was exciting. Working side by side with the man I was going to marry, building something together. It felt meaningful. It felt like the kind of modern partnership I'd always imagined having.So I said yes. Again.Within weeks of joining Morretti Development, I'd secured two major contracts—companies I'd connected with through my father's network but cultivated on my own merit. Within

Within a month, I'd learn that every instinct I'd had that first day had been absolutely correct.But first came my birthday—and the first time Miles chose Valeria over me.The first time Miles canceled on me for Valeria, I told myself it was understandable. I tried to be the mature, empathetic partner who could see beyond her own disappointment to the bigger picture.We'd been dating for eight months. It was my birthday—my twenty-fourth, which felt significant somehow, like I was definitively an adult now—and Miles had planned what he'd promised would be a perfect evening. Reservations at Aureole, the most exclusive restaurant in the city, the kind of place you have to book months in advance. He'd been so proud when he told me about it, grinning like he'd won the lottery. "I pulled some strings," he'd said, kissing my forehead. "Nothing but the best for my girl."I'd been so excited. I'd bought a new dress specifically for the occasion—a deep blue silk number that had cost more than

After my birthday, things seemed to go back to normal for a while—or at least, what I'd come to accept as normal in my relationship with Miles. He was attentive again, making an effort, taking me on dates to nice restaurants, and talking about our future together. We'd started wedding planning in earnest, looking at venues, tasting cakes, and making decisions that felt important and meaningful.He'd started talking about marriage more seriously, painting pictures of the life we'd build together. "Just think," he'd say, pulling me close on the couch, "in a year, you'll be Mrs. Morretti. We'll have that house in the suburbs we looked at. Maybe start talking about kids. Build this whole beautiful life together."It was intoxicating, being back in his good graces. Being the center of his attention again. I told myself the birthday incident had been a one-time thing, an unfortunate but understandable circumstance. Valeria had been in crisis. Miles had done what he had to do. It didn't mean