Chapter 11
I woke up surrounded by concerned faces in the Montgomery mansion.
The entire family had rushed over, hovering around my bed with expressions ranging from worried to… weirdly excited?
Grandma Montgomery couldn’t contain herself, her face practically splitting with joy.
“It’s a double blessing!” she crowed, clapping her hands together. “I always said you were our lucky
charm, Rose! Pregnant already!”
She turned to her assistant, not missing a beat. “The wedding can’t wait another day now. Transfer those two gold mines in the Yukon to my daughter–in–law’s name immediately. For the baby’s
health!”
I blinked in confusion, meeting Jack’s tender gaze, which was filled with something I couldn’t quite
read.
Then it hit me. My hand flew to my stomach.
A baby. My baby. Our baby.
In that moment, everything in my life finally clicked into place.
The wedding was an absolute fairytale. The Montgomerys spared no expense–it was the kind of event that would make Vogue editors weep with envy. Everyone who was anyone showed up, eager
to witness the century’s most talked–about union.
In the dressing room, Mom kept switching between beaming at me and tearing up–one second she was all smiles, the next her eyes were all watery.
“Mrs. Blackwood asked me to apologize to you,” she said quietly. “She… she found out certain things
far too late.”
I squeezed her hand. “It doesn’t matter anymore. That chapter’s closed.”
All those painful memories belonged to a different lifetime. We’d weathered the storm, and now the
sun was finally shining.
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Mom nodded, carefully arranging my veil before taking my hand to lead me toward my future.
We were halfway to the ceremony when a commotion erupted. The Blackwood brothers were struggling with security, faces already bruised and swollen from the altercation. But they wouldn’t leave.
When they spotted me, their defeated eyes suddenly blazed with desperate hope.
“Rose!” Marcus shouted over the guards‘ shoulders.
“Rose, you can’t marry him!” Nathan called out. “We know we fucked up! Amber was the gold–digger all along, not you!”
Eighteen years as childhood sweethearts–and they only saw my worth after I was gone.
How ridiculous is that?
I didn’t say a word.
Marcus–proud, arrogant Marcus–broke down completely, sobbing like a child.
“Did you really forget everything we had?” he choked out. “You left without taking a single thing–not one dress, not one photo.”
His voice cracked. “The lily of the valley you planted is dying. Everything that was you is gone. Eighteen years together, and you left nothing behind but memories.”
Those lilies. I’d nurtured them for years, watching patiently for buds that were almost ready to bloom.
Almost, but not quite. Story of my life with them.
The wedding march started playing, drowning out his pathetic pleas. Mom gestured for security to remove them.
But Nathan, quiet, manipulative Nathan, somehow broke free. He charged forward, falling to his knees before me.
Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed a decorative stone from the garden path and smashed it against his own leg. Hard.
I flinched in horror, but he barely registered the pain. Blood soaked through his designer pants as he
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Chapter 11
looked up at me with that familiar, calculated smile.
“Rose, please,” he whispered. “Don’t be angry anymore. I’ll do anything–ANYTHING–if you’d just forgive me…”
I stared at his mangled leg and let out a soft sigh. Some things never change.
“You know what you two taught me?” I said, my voice steady. “That all the effort in the world means nothing to someone who doesn’t love you.”
I rested my hand on my stomach. “I’m pregnant now. From today forward, we’ll be a family of three–a real family, built on actual love.”
I met their desperate gazes with cold finality. “So I need you to stay out of my life permanently. If you want to die, fine, just don’t ever let me see you again.”
With a flick of my wrist, I signaled security to drag them away. Their protests faded as I turned my
back on them for the final time.
With steady steps and a genuine smile, I walked toward Jack–the man who had been patiently waiting for me all along.
Under a canopy of white flowers, we exchanged rings and vows that actually meant something.
The bitterness that had dominated my life was finally, truly behind me.
From now on, I would live in happiness with the family I deserved.
No regrets. No looking back.
Just forward into a future brighter than I ever dared dream.
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