CHAPTER 4 – The Bride's Final Gift
Federal agents moved toward Ethan.
But before they could arrest him, he laughed.
A strange, desperate laugh.
"You think you won?"
He turned toward Amelia.
"You still married me in front of everyone."
"Your name will be dragged through the dirt with mine."
For the first time all night, Amelia's smile faded.
Then she slowly reached into her bouquet.
Hidden inside the white roses was a small black recorder.
She held it up.
"This entire wedding was court-authorized surveillance."
The crowd gasped again.
"The vows were staged."
"The license was never filed."
"And every word you said today is now evidence."
Ethan's confidence collapsed.
Agents grabbed his arms.
But as they dragged him away, he screamed one final threat.
"You'll regret this, Amelia!"
Amelia stepped closer.
Her voice was soft enough to sound almost kind.
"I already did."
"Three years ago, when I loved you."
That was when Ethan finally understood.
She hadn't planned this because she hated him.
She planned it because she once truly loved him…
And he had turned her love into a weapon.
As Ethan was taken out, Vanessa walked to Amelia and handed her one last envelope.
Inside was a medical report.
Amelia opened it.
Her face went pale.
Vanessa whispered, "He lied to both of us."
Amelia looked down at the paper again.
The report revealed something impossible.
Vanessa was pregnant.
But the father...
Was not Ethan.
It was Richard Brooks’ missing son.
Amelia’s brother.
The man everyone believed had died five years ago.
And at the bottom of the page was one handwritten message:
May you like
"Tell Amelia I’m alive."
TO BE CONTINUED…
