He was waiting for me to regret it. Waiting for me to beg. But I pushed through the crowd at the door and walked out without looking back.
I'd barely gotten into the car when my father called. "That Delgado bastard actually had the nerve to tell me the wedding is still on."
I drew a long breath. So he couldn't wait to announce his wedding to Vivian Porter to the whole world.
"And he had the audacity to say you were the one who fell for another man and called off the engagement first."
"Just wait. I'll make that animal pay."
Even though I didn't love him anymore, the sting still cut deep.
To protect his pride, I'd never told him. His biggest investor, his majority shareholder, was my own father.
And this was how he repaid me. Dragging my name through the mud, stripping whatever dignity was left from what we'd had.
I drove back to the Delgado house and packed as fast as I could.
Six full years, and I'd lived so frugally that everything I owned fit in a single suitcase.
I grabbed it and drove to the bridal shop.
The wedding dress had been custom-made before my mother passed. She'd overseen every detail herself. It was filled with her love, her blessing.
The wedding was off, but that dress was coming with me.
I hadn't even made it through the door when I saw Vivian Porter holding a pair of scissors, demanding the staff alter my dress.
"Stewart, I really love this gown. It's just too small. Tell them to let out the waist right now. We can't let it delay our wedding."
Vivian clung to Stewart's arm, her voice syrupy and simpering.
Stewart was busy negotiating with the shop manager.
"Call the woman who ordered it. I'll pay half a million on top of the original price. She can hand the dress over to my wife."
For Vivian, he really would throw money around without a second thought.
The manager's eyes lit up at the number. He turned and headed for the back room, saying he'd call me.
Vivian kept waving the scissors around the fabric, measuring, snipping at air. My heart was in my throat.
"I don't agree!" I charged in. "Vivian Porter, put my dress down!"
She flinched for a second. Then her expression twisted into something cold and cruel.
The scissors raked across the gown.
The skirt tore apart, shredded beyond recognition.
The back of my hand caught the blade when I tried to block her. Blood welled up instantly.
"Oops. My hand slipped."