All Chapters of The Plus-Sized Bride No One Wanted: Too Fat to Love : Chapter 141 - Chapter 147

~ Ivy ~"Elevator bank four is secure," Frank whispered into his wrist radio. His dark suit strained across his broad shoulders as he pressed his back against the glass doors. "Keep two men on the stairwell. Nobody enters without a badge." My fingers tightened around the stems of my white roses. "Breathe, Ivy," Maya said, smoothing the lace at my hips. Her hands moved fast over my train. "You are gripping those flowers so hard your knuckles look like chalk.""Frank looks worried," I said, keeping my voice low. "Is there any word from the lower gates?" Frank turned his head, his radio crackling with faint static. "Routine checks only, Miss Monroe. Dr. Knight ordered an iron perimeter. We hold every door on this rooftop. You focus on your walk.""He is right," Lily said. She stepped up beside me, her gown brushing against my skirt. She reached out and touched grandmother’s silver comb pinned securely into my dark waves. "Today belongs to you. Forget the city down below. Forget the noise

~ Ivy ~The black metal barrel of the revolver pointed straight at my face. The click of the hammer sounded like dry wood snapping in half. Around us, two hundred people dropped to the polished floor. Glass flutes shattered against the stone tiles, spraying champagne across silk hems and patent leather shoes. Women shrieked, crawling beneath round tables and dragging ivory cloths down with them. Men scrambled toward the emergency exits, shoving heavy folding chairs into the aisles.Ethan stepped directly in front of me. His broad shoulders filled my entire view, hiding the gray soot on Chloe's skin. His black tuxedo jacket stretched tight across his back as he spread his arms wide, blocking every inch of my body with his own. "Put the gun down, Chloe," Ethan said. His voice stayed low, deep, and steady, cutting right through the screams echoing off the high glass roof. "The police have the building surrounded. Drop the weapon."Chloe let out a high, barking laugh that bounced off the

~ Ivy ~Red lights flashed across the hospital ceiling, spinning in dizzy circles. The ambulance doors flew open with a violent bang. "Gunshot wound to the lower abdomen!" the paramedic yelled, jumping onto the asphalt. "Pressure dropping! Eighty over fifty!"The metal gurney hit the ramp with a loud clatter. Lily lay flat on the mattress, her face white like chalk. Thick red blood soaked through the lavender fabric of her bridesmaid dress, pooling around her hips. An oxygen mask covered her nose and mouth, fogging up with every tiny, rattling breath. Ethan ran beside the wheels. His black wedding tuxedo jacket was gone. His white dress shirt was ripped at the collar, plastered with dark red smears across his chest and cuffs."Ethan!" I cried, running behind them. The hem of my white lace wedding dress dragged across the wet pavement, heavy with blood and black soot from the rooftop terrace. Ethan turned his head for half a second. His blue-gray eyes were sharp and hard like slate. "S

~ Ivy ~The medical monitor sounds a sharp, frantic alarm. The electronic beeps pierce the sterile quiet of the private recovery suite. My boots hit the linoleum floor with a heavy slap. The paper cup in my grip crushes flat, splashing lukewarm water across the bedside table.Lily’s body arches against the stiff hospital mattress. Her hands twist into the white cotton sheets, knuckles turning chalky white under the harsh fluorescent tubes. Her head thrashes against the thin pillow, blonde curls tangled with sweat and medical tape. "Lily," I call out, gripping the cold steel of the raised bed rail. "Lily, listen to my voice. Open your eyes."Her face carries a hollow, grayish tint. Thick layers of surgical gauze wrap tightly around her middle, holding together the jagged wound left by Chloe’s bullet. Below her ribs, the dark stain of surgical iodine colors her pale skin. A thin plastic cannula feeds oxygen into her nostrils, hissing with every shallow breath. A ragged gasp tears out of