CHAPTER 2 — The Groom’s Secret
Ethan’s face turned white.
Charlotte slowly stood up, still holding the old ring in her hand.
“What does he mean, Ethan?”
The guests went silent.
Ethan forced a laugh.
“Charlotte, this is ridiculous. He’s just a lost child.”
But the boy suddenly pulled out a folded photo.
It showed Charlotte years ago, smiling beside a man in a military jacket.
And behind them…
Ethan was standing in the shadows.
Charlotte’s breath caught.
Because the man in the photo was Michael—her first husband.
The husband she was told had died in an accident.
The boy whispered, “Daddy is still alive.”
The ballroom exploded in gasps.
Ethan grabbed Charlotte’s wrist.
“Don’t listen to him.”
But before Charlotte could answer, the doors opened again.
An old man in a black suit walked in with a sealed envelope.
“Miss Hayes,” he said, “your husband asked me to deliver this only if Mr. Carter tried to marry you.”
Charlotte opened the envelope with shaking hands.
Inside was a hospital record.
A fake death certificate.
And one sentence written by Michael:
“If you are reading this, Ethan didn’t just steal my life… he stole our son.”
Charlotte turned to Ethan.
This time, there were no tears in her eyes.
Only rage.
The little boy held her dress and whispered,
“Mom… can we go find Daddy now?”
Charlotte looked at the wedding guests, then at the groom.
And she removed Ethan’s ring from her finger.
The sound of it hitting the marble floor was louder than the orchestra.
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The wedding was over.
But the nightmare had only begun.
