Chapter 14: The Groom Who Came Back Without A Ring
Three days after my wedding never happened, I sat alone inside the ballroom where everything had fallen apart.
The flowers were gone.
The chairs had been removed.
Only the empty altar remained.
I don’t know why I went back.
Maybe I needed to see the place without the lies.
Maybe I needed proof that surviving humiliation did not mean I had to run from the memory forever.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
I turned.
Marcus.
He wasn’t wearing the tuxedo anymore.
No perfect smile.
No confidence.
Just jeans, a dark coat, and exhaustion.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I said.
“I know.””
“Then why are you?””
He stopped several feet away.
“To apologize without asking you to forgive me.””
That was new.
Marcus had spent three years knowing exactly what to say to get something from me.
This time, he seemed to expect nothing.
He placed an envelope on a chair.
“What is that?””
“Everything.””
I didn’t touch it.
“Everything what?””
“Emails. Payments. Instructions from Richard. Messages from my mother.””
I looked at him.
“You’re giving them to Jordan.””
“Already did.””
That surprised me.
Marcus stared toward the altar.
“When I was thirteen, my father told me Thomas Bennett destroyed him.””
My expression tightened.
“But the letters—”
“I know.””
His eyes became wet.
“My mother never showed them to me.””
I said nothing.
“After my father died, she kept telling me the Bennetts had stolen our future.””
Marcus gave a bitter laugh.
“I grew up believing your family lived in a mansion purchased with my father’s suffering.””
“And then Richard found you.””
Marcus nodded.
“He knew exactly what to say.””
“What did he promise?””
“A chance to take back what belonged to us.””
I folded my arms.
“And marrying me was part of that?””
“At first, no.””
He looked ashamed.
“I was supposed to meet you, gain your trust, and learn how the company operated.””
My stomach twisted despite already knowing most of it.
“And then?””
“I fell in love with you.””
I looked away.
“Don’t.””
“It’s true.””
“It doesn’t matter.””
Marcus flinched.
Good.
Maybe truth was supposed to hurt.
“You don’t get to call it love after what you did.””
“I know.””
“You stood behind a door and said you didn’t give a damn about me.””
His eyes closed.
“I said it because Richard was pressuring my mother for proof that I was still committed.””
“And the money?””
“I wanted it.””
At least he didn’t lie.
Marcus looked directly at me.
“By then, I was angry at everyone. Your father. My mother.
Richard. Even you.””
“Why me?””
“Because you were happy.””
The answer stunned me.
He swallowed.
“You had everything I thought my family should have had. And instead of admitting I was jealous, I convinced myself you deserved to lose it.””
I stared at him.
“That may be the first completely honest thing you’ve ever said to me.””
“I think it is.””
Silence stretched between us.
Then I asked,
“What happens to Diane?””
Marcus looked toward the empty chairs.
“She admitted Richard paid her.””
“To manipulate you?””
“To keep me angry.””
My heart sank.
“Your own mother?””
“She thought she was getting justice for my father.””
He shook his head.
“But eventually it became about money.””
“And you?””
Marcus looked at me.
“I’m cooperating with the investigation.””
“You could face charges.””
“Yes.””
No excuses.
No bargaining.
Just yes.
I walked toward the altar.
The place where I had nearly promised him forever.
“Do you remember what you were thinking when I started walking down that aisle?””
Marcus gave a painful smile.
“That I didn’t deserve you.””
I looked at him.
“That’s not what I asked.””
He understood.
After a moment, he answered.
“I was thinking that once you said yes, there was no going back.””
A strange calm came over me.
“That’s what you never understood.””
“What?””
“There is always a way back from the wrong decision.””
Marcus’s eyes filled with tears.
I removed something from my purse.
His ring.
The one I had returned at the altar had somehow ended up with Jordan after the chaos.
I placed it on the empty altar.
“I don’t hate you, Marcus.””
He looked surprised.
“But I will never marry you.””
He nodded slowly.
“I know.””
“And I won’t spend my life wondering which parts were real.””
His voice broke.
“I understand.””
I turned toward the exit.
“Goodbye, Marcus.””
“Claire.””
I stopped.
He didn’t ask me to stay.
He simply said,
“I’m sorry.””
I walked away.
Outside, my father was waiting.
He looked nervous.
“We need to talk.””
I almost laughed.
“Those words have ruined my week.””
For the first time in days, he smiled slightly.
Then it disappeared.
“This is different.””
He handed me a folder.
“What is it?””
“The company.””
I frowned.
“What about it?””
“I’m stepping down.””
I stared at him.
“Dad…”
“I should have done this years ago.””
He nodded toward the folder.
“I want you to take my place.””
My heart started pounding.
But before I could answer, he added something that stopped me.
“There’s one condition.””
I narrowed my eyes.
“No more conditions.””
He smiled sadly.
“You’re right.””
Then he corrected himself.
“There’s one truth you need before you decide.””
He opened the folder.
May you like
And inside was a document proving Bennett Properties didn’t legally belong to my father.
Half of it belonged to the Reid family.
