All Chapters of Third Wedding, Right Groom : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

45 Chapters

CHAPTER 21: THE NIGHT BEFORE

The night before the third wedding, I couldn't sleep. I stood on my balcony at 2 AM, looking out at the city lights, wrapped in a blanket against the cool night air. The streets below were mostly empty, just the occasional car passing by, the distant sound of sirens, the city breathing in its quieter hours.Tomorrow was supposed to be my wedding day. Again. For the third time. Part of me couldn't quite believe we'd made it this far. Part of me was waiting for the inevitable disaster.My phone rang, making me jump. Alexander."Can't sleep either?" I answered."No." His voice was rough, like he'd been awake for hours. "Lila, I need to tell you something. Before tomorrow. Before you marry him."My heart started racing. "Okay."There was a long pause. I could hear him breathing on the other end, could picture him in his apartment, probably pacing the way he did when he was working through something difficult. Perhaps he had expected to reach my voicemail. "I'm in love with you," he said

CHAPTER 22: THE BREAKING POINT

Which brings us back to where we started. The third wedding. The moment everything changed.Standing at the altar in my white silk gown, watching Miles's face change as his assistant burst through the doors. Feeling my grip tighten on his wrist as he tried to leave. Hearing him say those words again: "Valeria has no one else. I have to go to her."But this time was different. This time, something inside me didn't just crack—it shattered completely.Because as Miles walked away from me for the third time, as I stood there listening to the whispers and feeling the pitying stares, I finally understood something crucial that I should have seen years ago:Miles would never choose me. Not over Valeria. Not over anyone. Because in his mind, choosing me wasn't a choice—it was an obligation. Something to do when there was nothing more urgent demanding his attention.I was his fallback. His safety net. The woman who would always forgive him, always understand, always be there waiting when he fi

CHAPTER 23: MRS. CALVERT

That night, Miles didn’t even bother to call.I stood in the empty chapel long after most of the guests had left, still in my wedding dress—though now it felt like it belonged to a different person, a different life entirely. The ivory silk that had seemed so perfect that morning now felt heavy and wrong, the delicate lace sleeves scratching against my wrists like a reminder of expectations that would never be fulfilled.The chapel was quieter now, the excited chatter of guests replaced by the hollow echo of my footsteps on marble floors as I finally moved from where I’d been standing frozen at the altar. Candles still flickered in their holders, creating dancing shadows on the stone walls. The flowers—thousands of dollars worth of white roses and peonies—still perfumed the air with their sweet, cloying scent that was starting to make me feel sick.Everything was exactly as I’d planned it, down to the smallest detail. Everything except the fact that I’d just married a completely diffe

CHAPTER 24: THE FIRST NIGHT

I took a long bath in the master bathroom, letting the hot water wash away the tension of the day. The bathroom was enormous—all marble and glass, with a soaking tub that could fit three people comfortably. I'd filled it almost to the brim, added some lavender bath salts I'd found in a cabinet that smelled expensive and felt luxurious, and just let myself sink into the heat.My muscles slowly unknotted as I lay there, watching steam rise toward the vaulted ceiling. I could still feel the phantom weight of the wedding dress, the tight grip of my shoes, the heaviness of the day pressing down on me. But gradually, the hot water worked its magic, drawing out the stress and replacing it with a bone-deep exhaustion.When I finally emerged, wrapped in the softest towel I'd ever touched, I found that Alexander had somehow acquired comfortable pajamas in my size—silk, in my favorite shade of midnight blue. Of course they were. Of course he knew my size. Of course he knew my favorite color, the

CHAPTER 25: FIVE DAYS LATER

For five days, I lived in a bubble at Alexander's villa. Five days of waking up to fresh coffee already made, the rich aroma drifting up the stairs before I even opened my eyes. Five days of breakfast conversations at that kitchen island, talking about our plans for the day, about nothing important, about everything. Five days of evening walks through the gardens, Alexander pointing out plants I'd never noticed before, telling me stories about when he'd bought the place and how he'd imagined the life he'd build here.Five days of Alexander giving me space while somehow always being exactly where I needed him. He'd leave for his office in the morning, dressed in those impeccable suits, but he'd text throughout the day. Nothing intrusive—just small things. Thinking about you. Hope your day is going well. Want Italian or Thai for dinner? Simple messages that somehow made me feel tethered to something solid and real.Five days without a single word from Miles.On the sixth day, I knew I c

CHAPTER 26: THE TRUTH LANDS

For a week, we had peace.Alexander and my father had worked quietly behind the scenes to keep the marriage out of the media. A few well-placed calls to contacts in journalism, some gentle requests for privacy, an agreement that we'd issue a statement when we were ready. It had bought us seven days of relative normalcy—time to settle into married life without the world weighing in on our choices.But all good things come to an end.The news broke on a Friday morning, exactly one week after our impromptu wedding. I woke to my phone buzzing incessantly, notifications flooding in faster than I could read them."Alexander Calvert and Lila Clement Marry in Twist That Shocked All""Jilted Bride Marries Best Friend Hours After Third Abandoned Wedding""The Wedding Day Switch: How Lila Clement Went from Abandoned to Married in One Day"By afternoon, everyone knew what had happened five days ago. The story had exploded across every gossip site, society page, and social media platform. Photos f

CHAPTER 27: THE FIRST MONTH

The first month of marriage to Alexander was nothing like I'd expected—and somehow everything I'd needed.We fell into a rhythm that felt both new and familiar, like a dance we'd been practicing for years without realizing it. Alexander left for work every morning at seven, but not before making me coffee—always with two sugars and oat milk, always in my favorite ceramic mug, the one with "World's Okayest Friend" that he'd given me years ago and that now felt like a relic from another life.He'd leave it on the nightstand if I was still sleeping, with a little note. Nothing elaborate—just "Have a good day" or "Don't forget lunch with your mother" or once, simply, a hand-drawn smiley face that had made me laugh out loud.I started waking up earlier just to have breakfast with him.We'd sit at the kitchen island, him reading news on his tablet, me scrolling through emails, occasionally sharing interesting headlines or office gossip. Comfortable silence punctuated by easy conversation. I

CHAPTER 28: MILES DOESN'T GIVE UP

The flowers started arriving on Monday.Not a single bouquet—that would have been manageable, dismissible. No, Miles went nuclear. By 10 AM, my father's office (where I'd been helping with some consulting work while figuring out my next move) looked like a funeral home. Roses, lilies, orchids, peonies—every expensive arrangement the city's top florists could deliver, each one more elaborate than the last."Miss Clement—I mean, Mrs. Calvert," my father's receptionist said, appearing in the doorway looking overwhelmed. "There's another delivery. That's the seventh one this morning. What should I do with them?"I looked up from the contracts I'd been reviewing, my jaw tight with irritation. "Donate them. All of them. To the hospital, nursing homes, wherever. Just get them out of here."She nodded gratefully and disappeared. Two minutes later, she was back. "There's a delivery person downstairs who says he has ten more arrangements in his truck. Should I—""Tell him to turn around and tak

CHAPTER 29: VALERIA MAKES HER APPEARANCE

I should have known Valeria wouldn't stay quiet for long.She started small—a text message that came through on a Sunday morning while Alexander and I were having breakfast on the terrace. The weather had turned beautiful, warm sunshine and a light breeze, perfect for eating outside with the papers and too much coffee.Lila, we need to talk. Please. I know you hate me, but Miles is falling apart. He needs you. I'm begging you. - VI deleted it without responding and went back to my croissant."Everything okay?" Alexander asked, not looking up from the financial section but clearly attuned to the shift in my energy."Valeria texted."Now he looked up, his expression carefully neutral. "What did she want?""To tell me Miles is falling apart and I need to come back." I took a sip of coffee, savoring the warmth. "I'm not engaging.""Good," Alexander said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. "Though I suspect she won't stop there."He was right. They never did.The texts escalate

CHAPTER 30: THE KISS THAT ENDED EVERYTHING

The night after my confrontation with Valeria, I couldn't sleep. I'd replayed the conversation a hundred times in my mind—her tears, her manipulation, that flash of pure hatred in her eyes when I'd refused to bend. The way she'd tried to make me feel guilty for choosing myself, for finally putting my own happiness first.I found myself in the library again, our refuge, curled up on the leather couch with a book I wasn't reading. The house was quiet except for the distant sound of rain beginning to tap against the windows. A spring storm, the kind that rolled in fast and hard, turning the night air electric."Can't sleep?" Alexander's voice came from the doorway, making me jump slightly.He was in pajama pants and a t-shirt, his hair mussed from bed, looking rumpled and real and somehow more attractive than he had any right to be. How had I never noticed how good he looked like this? Or had I always noticed and just never let myself acknowledge it?"Too much on my mind," I admitted, se

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