Chapter 16
“Ethan, go home,” Ashley said, not even hesitating. “The biggest mistake of my life was loving you. I will never forgive you, and I never want to see you again.”
It hit him like a bolt of lightning. His entire body went weak, all his strength drained in an instant. The Corn and Short Rib Stew in his hands suddenly felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Crash.
The container slipped from his grasp, hitting the pavement with a dull crack. Broth splattered across the ground–like the pieces of his heart, scattered and broken.
Ashley didn’t spare him a second glance. She turned and walked back into the house, shutting the door firmly behind her.
Ethan remained where he stood, unmoving. Morning passed into night, and he didn’t budge.
Even when the sky split open and rain came down in torrents, he stayed rooted to the spot, rain soaking him to the bone as he stared at Ashley’s darkened windows.
Inside, Ashley sat comfortably with Cyrael. He handed her a peeled orange, his tone casual. “Want me to
have him removed?”
Ashley took the orange and popped a slice into her mouth, chewing calmly before shaking her head.
“Leave him. Let’s rest. We’ve got a fitting for the wedding gown tomorrow.”
Cyrael chuckled softly, lifting her into his arms and carrying her inside.
Outside, the rain came down harder. Ethan stood in the downpour, watching as the lights in Ashley’s room flicked off. The pain in his chest sharpened.
Instinctively, he moved toward the front door. But he only made it two steps before his vision went black- and he collapsed.
When Ethan regained consciousness, he found himself back in Arlington Heights. Cyrael had his men put
Ethan on a flight home. And he sent word to Mr. Campbell Sr., Ethan’s grandfather:
If Ethan dared disturb Ashley again, he’d take the fight straight to their doorstep.
The Whitmore family panicked.
The once–mighty Whitmore Group had already begun its decline three years ago. It was no longer the
powerhouse of Arlington Heights. They were barely holding their ground against domestic rivals–if
Chapter 16
Wife on the Run, Again! (DUBBED)
80.00%
>
Cyrael’s international consortium joined the fray, it would wipe them out entirely
“Let me out! I’m still the acting head of this family. You’re supposed to obey me!” Ethan shouted from inside the mansion, where his grandfather had ordered him confined
“Shut up, you disgrace!”
Ethan refused to calm down. He raged around the Whitmore estate, still convinced he could get Astley back.
He even went so far as to lay hands on his grandfather during one of their arguments–an act that landed the elder Whitmore in the hospital after suffering a stroke,
But Ethan didn’t care.
He bought the first ticket back to Canada.
That day happened to be Ashley’s wedding day.
All of Toronto was celebrating
Downtown screens were broadcasting a grand wedding live: Ashley in a fingertip length veil of heirloom lace, a garland of pale gardenias circling her pinned up curls, being carried across the threshold of the old stone chapel in Cyrael’s arms–over the polished sill and through the shower of white rose petals the flower girls had strewn
They’d planned a classic church wedding–just like she always dreamed.
Ethan suddenly remembered. Back when he had proposed to Ashley, she had once told him she wanted a
wedding like that. A white dress. A garland of gardenias. The walk down the aisle on her father’s arm.
But they had been too poor back then–couldn’t even afford the boutique sample gown she’d tried on once
and never forgotten.
Even the image used for their Custom Wedding Puzzle Portrait had come from a free
engagement–session giveaway they had lucked into at a local studio.
Ethan’s chest tightened painfully. Regret flooded him.
If only he had realized how deeply he loved her… maybe things wouldn’t have ended like this.
“Ash,” he murmured, clenching his fists, eyes locked on the screen, “I’m not giving up. I’ll never give up on
you,”
The wedding was lively and joyful.
Chapter 16
60.00%
Wife on the tun, Again! (DUBBED)
Guests smiled, clapped, and cheered. “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”
“We do,” her parents answered together, voices proud.
“Do you, Ashley, take this man…?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Cyrael, take this woman…?”
“I do.”
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Ashley stood beside Cyrael, holding a small bouquet of white roses and eucalyptus. Her movements were graceful, her face glowing with happiness as they followed the minister’s directions.
Ethan stood outside in the rain–soaked parking lot, soaked to the skin, watching the ceremony through the stained–glass windows with bloodshot eyes.
Suddenly, he screamed.
“Ash! I won’t let you marry someone else! You’re my wife! I’m here to take you home!”
Chapter 16
