He Ditched Me For His Fake Sick Ex

"Call him again."

"Evelyn..." Chloe swallowed. "I've called him thirty-two times."

"Then make it thirty-three."

Chloe stared at me for a second before pressing the call button again.

Straight to voicemail.

Again.

The antique clock on the wall chimed three times. Three o'clock. The ceremony was supposed to begin an hour ago.

I smoothed the heavy silk of my wedding gown. For three years, I had loved Kael Montgomery. For three years, I played the role of an ordinary, middle-class girl. I hid my family’s empire, hid the Thorne name, all to make sure he loved me for who I was.

And today, the billionaire CEO of Montgomery Enterprises was supposed to make me his wife.

The oak door swung open. A woman with a headset and a clipboard rushed in.

"Ms. Thorne, the guests are getting restless," the wedding planner said. "We need to make an announcement. The string quartet has played Pachelbel’s Canon five times."

"Give him ten more minutes," I said.

"Evelyn," Chloe said gently. "He's not coming."

"He is coming. He promised."

"It's been an hour." Chloe stepped forward. "The groom is gone."

I stood up. The silk skirt pooled around my feet. "I'm going out there."

"Are you crazy?" Chloe grabbed my arm. "The press is out there. His corporate rivals are out there. They will eat you alive."

"I don't care. I am not hiding in a dressing room."

I pulled my arm free and marched out of the suite. The long corridor felt endless, but I didn't stop until I reached the grand ballroom of the Plaza.

I pushed the heavy double doors open.

The string quartet stopped playing abruptly. Hundreds of heads snapped in my direction. The silence hit me like a physical blow.

Then, the whispers started.

"Look at her. Standing there all alone."

"I knew Montgomery would bail. She's a nobody."

"He probably realized a CEO can't marry a charity case."

"Did you see her face? Left at the altar. How pathetic."

"I bet he found someone better."

I kept my chin up. Every step down the aisle felt like walking barefoot on broken glass. The floral arrangements blurred. The empty space at the altar mocked me. Kael wasn't here.

"Where is that bastard?!"

The booming voice shattered the whispers. A man in a tailored charcoal suit stormed down the aisle. The crowd parted instantly.

My father. Dominic Thorne.

He didn't care about the gasps from the elite guests. He was a man who toppled governments and bought countries. A missing groom was a declaration of war.

"Dad, stop," I said, rushing toward him.

Dominic ignored me. He turned to the crowd, his eyes blazing. "Everyone out! This wedding is over."

"You have no right to just kick them out," I whispered, pulling his sleeve.

"Watch me." He glared at the wedding planner. "Clear the room. Now."

Security guards in black suits swarmed the ballroom. Within minutes, the guests were ushered out, their mocking whispers fading into the lobby.

Only Chloe, my father, and I remained.

Dominic pulled a sleek phone from his inner pocket. "Get me the board of Montgomery Enterprises," he barked into the receiver. "I want his stock tanked by Monday morning. Leak the offshore accounts. Ruin him."

"No!" I lunged forward and snatched the phone from his hand.

Dominic glared at me. "Evelyn, give that back."

"You will not destroy him, Dad."

"He humiliated you!" Dominic’s voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling. "I let you play this ridiculous game. I let you hide your identity. I stayed in the shadows while he treated you like some ordinary girl. And this is how he repays the Thorne family?"

"Keep your voice down," I warned.

"I will not! He left you at the altar, Evelyn. He made a fool of my daughter."

"There has to be a reason," I insisted. My fingers tightened around his phone.

"The reason is he's a coward." Dominic stepped closer. "Give me the phone. I am going to crush his company into dust. He wants to play games? He’s going to learn what real power looks like."

"I said no!" My voice cracked. Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back. "Kael wouldn't just leave me. Not after everything we've been through."

"Why are you protecting him?" Dominic asked, his tone sharp.

"I'm not protecting him. I'm protecting my future."

"Your future is running Thorne Industries. Not playing house with a second-rate CEO."

"He built Montgomery Enterprises from the ground up."

"And I can tear it down in ten minutes."

"You promised me you wouldn't interfere in my relationship."

"That was before he made you a laughingstock." Dominic swept his arm toward the empty altar. "Look around. Do you see him?"

"Maybe it's a work emergency."

"A crisis? I am the crisis!" Dominic pointed a finger at my face. "I will buy his entire board by midnight. He will wake up tomorrow with nothing."

"Dad, please. For me. Don't do this."

"He abandoned you."

"I care about Kael. If you love me, you will give him a chance to explain."

Dominic stared at me. His jaw clamped shut. The fury in his eyes warred with his protective instincts.

"You are a Thorne," he finally said, his tone dropping to a dangerous rumble. "Start acting like one."

"I am acting like a wife," I replied. "Or I will be, once I find out what happened."

"You are defending a man who threw you away."

"I am defending the man I love. Give me time."

"He doesn't deserve time."

"Give it to me anyway." I held his gaze, refusing to back down. "Twenty-four hours."

Dominic snatched the phone back from my hand. He shoved it into his pocket.

"Fine," Dominic snapped. "You have twenty-four hours. If he doesn't have a damn good excuse, I'm ending him. And you won't stop me."

"He will explain," I said. "I know he will."

"You better hope so." Dominic turned on his heel. "Get out of that dress, Evelyn. You look ridiculous."

He marched out of the ballroom, leaving me standing alone in a sea of white roses.

Chloe walked up behind me. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," I lied.

"What if he doesn't have an excuse?"

I didn't answer. I turned and walked toward the bridal suite.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

I looked at the screen. An unknown number.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Evelyn," a woman’s voice purred on the other end. "I think you're looking for Kael. He's a little tied up right now. With me."