Ryan's Choice: Chloe Over Us

Synopsis

I stood alone in the center of the grand ballroom, my white satin gown pooling around my feet like spilled milk. The chandelier lights caught the beadwork on my bodice, casting tiny rainbows across the empty tables. Three hundred white roses—Ryan's extravagant gesture—perfumed the air with a scent that now felt sickeningly sweet. This was supposed to be my wedding day. A server approached, his expression carefully neutral. "Ms. Morgan, would you like me to..." He gestured vaguely at the untouched champagne tower. "Leave it," I whispered, my throat tight. "Just leave everything." Behind me, the last of our guests were filtering out. Their whispers reached me in fragments, sharp as broken glass. "Third postponement..." "That poor girl..." "Something about his ex having an emergency..." I closed my eyes, feeling the familiar ache spread through my chest. Ryan was with Chloe. Again. Always Chloe. My sister would have known what to say. She would have taken my face in her hands and told me to walk away, that love shouldn't hurt this much.