All Chapters of The Substitute Bride Of The Blackwood : Chapter 171 - Chapter 176

POV: Damien The heavy wooden gavel hit the judge’s high desk. The sharp, loud sound echoed through the completely silent courtroom. It sounded like the final period at the end of a very long, terrible sentence. I sat perfectly still, letting the echo fade into the high, painted ceiling. After endless weeks of exhausting trials, the entire case finally came together in this one room. Every single forged bank document, every hidden offshore money transfer, every nervous witness testimony, and every desperate, ugly lie was officially placed on the permanent public record. The secrets were finally dragged out of the dark and put under the bright fluorescent lights of the law. Ethan Mercer stood before the judge first. He did not look like the sharp, perfectly polished business planner who used to walk the fast-paced halls of the Blackwood building. His shoulders were slumped, and his face was pale and tired. Because he had cooperated fully with the federal police, giving them the exact

POV: Charlotte “Are you absolutely sure you are comfortable sitting there?” the journalist asked, glancing down at my stomach. I rested my hand on my baby bump and nodded. I was heavily pregnant now, which was exactly why this interview was happening right here in the living room of the Blackwood mansion instead of a bright, busy television studio. I had only agreed to sit down with a reporter because Lucas and Damien had gently encouraged me. They promised that letting the public hear the real truth would finally help the company stocks recover from all the terrible news about Sebastian’s arrest. “I am perfectly fine,” I told the journalist. “We can begin whenever you are ready.” The woman clicked her small recording device and set it on the coffee table. For the past few months, ever since the federal police took Sebastian away, the news channels had printed endless, wild rumors about the Blackwood family. People talked about the poison, the offshore bank accounts, and the

POV: Charlotte “You look absolutely breathtaking,” Eleanor said, stepping into the doorway of the bridal suite. I turned away from the tall mirror and smiled at my mother-in-law. There was no cold, terrifying rush today. There were no checking the time, and nobody shoving me toward an altar. I was wearing a dress that I had actually chosen for myself, perfectly tailored to drape comfortably over my heavily pregnant belly. Eleanor walked slowly across the room. She was dressed in a stunning, deep sapphire gown. She did not look like the intimidating, untouchable matriarch I had first met all those months ago. She just looked like a proud mother. She stopped in front of me and gently offered her arm. “Are you ready, my dear?” Eleanor asked softly. I placed my hand carefully on her arm. “I am ready.” We walked out of the suite and stood at the top of the grand staircase. The soft, beautiful sound of a string quartet floated up from the massive main hall of the mansion. “W