Chapter 2
Understanding? At my own wedding, the man I was about to marry ran off to save another woman, and I was supposed to be understanding?
I was supposed to stand here like an idiot under this ridiculous veil, taking everyone's mockery and pity, and still be understanding?
"“Why are you still standing there? Go change into your reception dress already. What, are you waiting for Alex to come back and help you change?” When she saw that I still wasn't moving, her tone got even worse.
"
“Drop that heiress attitude. Once you marry into the Carter family, you follow our rules.” She added.
Rules. I'd had the best education and had been taught grace and manners since childhood. I spent more than twenty years learning how to carry myself, only to have every last bit of that dignity ripped to pieces on my wedding day.
My hand clenched the wedding gown at my side so hard my nails dug into my palm. I couldn't fall apart. A daughter of the Lane family could not collapse at a time like this.
Time dragged on, second by second. Half the guests had already left the ballroom, and the ones who stayed were only waiting for the final ending, hoping to enjoy the whole train wreck.
"Wendy had already gone back to her private room to rest. Before leaving, she tossed out one last insult, calling me ridiculous.
"
In that enormous ballroom, all that was left was me and that multimillion-dollar dowry that now felt like a cruel joke.
Just when I felt like I was about to give out, the ballroom doors opened. It wasn't Alex.
My heart had already gone cold. It didn't stir at all.
I heard steady, powerful footsteps, one after another, like they were landing on everyone's nerves.
"The noisy crowd automatically parted to make way.
"
"Someone walked in against the light. He was wearing a perfectly tailored custom suit, his eyes sharp and icy.
It was my brother, William Lane."
He didn't spare the stunned guests a single glance. From the moment he stepped in, his eyes were only on me, through the crowd, through the mockery, through all my humiliation and mess. He stopped in front of me.
The ballroom was so quiet I could hear people breathing. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how the CEO of Lane Enterprises would handle this.
My brother didn't say a word. He simply raised a hand and pulled off my veil in one smooth motion.
"The second it fell, the tears I'd been holding back for two hours finally spilled over.
I looked into William's eyes. "
Those eyes that were always ruthless in business were filled with nothing but heartbreak for me.
“Vicky,” he said roughly. “Come on. I'm taking you home.”
Those seven words hit harder than a thousand speeches ever could. I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears came flooding out.
He didn't say anything else. He just turned around and gave an order to the assistant behind him. “Take back the apartment and the two cars in her dowry. I want it done today. Cancel the wedding banquet. Get everyone out.”
The assistant agreed crisply.
"The guests were dumbfounded: This wasn't cleaning up the situation. This was blowing the whole thing apart.
"
"Taking back a multimillion-dollar dowry overnight was way harsher than a public slap in the face.
It was my family telling the whole city that the daughter of the Lane family was not getting married."
I held onto my brother's arm and walked out step by step. The moment I walked out of the ballroom, my back straightened again. The wind dried the tears on my face and blew away the last bit of fantasy I had about Alex.