บททั้งหมดของ Left at the Altar, Claimed by a Billionaire : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

“I do.” I heard Evan’s voice from inside the church, and a small smile formed on my lips. He sounded obviously nervous. It seemed that even on the day of our wedding, the only heir of the Hartwell Group, was still rehearsing what he wanted to say. “Ready, Miss?” the wedding coordinator whispered, giving me an encouraging nod. I nodded back, my heart was pounding so fast as the doors slowly swung open. Excitement suddenly covered my whole body. I held my bouquet tighter, smoothing down the satin of my white gown. This was it. The moment I had spent years waiting for. Just a few more steps down the aisle, and I would finally spend my lifetime with him. But as I stepped into the church, the music suddenly sounded different. My eyes landed on the altar, and the smile died on my face. Evan was standing there, looking annoyingly handsome in his tuxedo. But he wasn’t alone. He was holding another woman’s hand. A bride wearing the exact same custom designer dress as mine. I froz

The moment Gabriel dropped me off, I made a promise to myself. I was done crying and replaying everything in my head. Done asking myself why and when and how it all went wrong. Evan made his choice and I was going to make mine. Starting tonight, I was moving forward whether my heart agreed or not. Gabriel made sure there were no reporters waiting outside before he let me out of the car. He even walked me all the way up to my apartment door, which I didn't ask him to do but I didn't argue with either. Maybe it really feel like I'm going to break down if I'm alone right now. Before he left, he stopped at the doorway and looked at me. "Call me if anything happens," he said. I nodded and watched him leave. And for the first time since I walked out of that church, everything felt a little less suffocating. I went straight to the shower and stood under the water for a long time, not because I thought it would fix anything but because I needed to wash the whole day off my mind. The dress,

He was getting closer and closer to us because I could hear his footsteps growing louder with every second. I froze for a moment. This wasn't the time I had imagined facing him. I shouldn't have left the apartment for someone as worthless as him. "Ayanna? Is that you?" he called out. His voice was filled with desperation. It was obvious how badly he wanted to talk to me. Before panic could completely consume me, Gabriel stepped in front of me and faced Evan himself. He also took my hand, as if silently telling me that he was here to protect me. The nervousness I had been feeling a while ago was immediately replaced by shock because of what he had done. I looked at him from behind while he held my hand. My heart was pounding so fast and so hard at that moment. I didn't know if it was still because of Evan or because of what Gabriel had just done. "Ayanna?" Gabriel's voice sounded incredibly captivating when he spoke in the quiet park at midnight. "That's enough, Evan." He said

Gabriel’s POV Why was I still doing this stupid shit just for her? It was a question that had been running through my mind for years, yet no matter how many times I asked that to myself, I still couldn't understand why I felt this way about her. I should have let go of these feelings a long time ago. I knew better than anyone else that loving a woman who already belonged to someone else was a battle I was never meant to win, especially when that someone was a person I could never betray. There was no logical explanation for why I constantly found myself searching and looking for her, even if it was only for a brief moment. No reason for me to notice every little detail about her. No right for me to feel any of this. Yet no matter how hard I tried to ignore all of that, I couldn't control what I felt inside. I spent years pretending she meant nothing to me. Years convincing myself that what I felt would eventually disappear if I ignored it long enough. I mastered the act of looking

The press conference started like any normal business event, and I tried my best to stay focused on the partnership even though something had happened between Evan and me earlier that morning. It was a good thing that Evan didn’t insist anymore when I suddenly left him alone in the hallway because I was already running late. I think he understood my situation, so he didn’t follow me anymore. Gabriel handled the corporate questions while I explained the legal side of everything. I kept my answers short, precise, and direct to the point. I didn’t want to confuse them with the terms I was using, especially since some of them were too complex and hard to understand. But even while I spoke confidently, I could feel that this event wouldn’t stay as calm as I wanted it to be. A reporter suddenly stood up, and the room slowly went quiet as everyone turned toward her. I already knew the question wouldn’t be about business the moment she looked at me. “Miss Laurent, Mr. Evan Hartwell is said