Chapter 121

Today was Vanessa's wedding day. Let her bask in her moment of glory. The higher she soared today, the harder she'd crash tomorrow.

Margaret wasn't surprised when Evelyn hung up on her.

Vanessa, already dressed in her lavish wedding gown, waited impatiently for the bridal car to arrive.

"Well? What did Evelyn say?" Vanessa demanded, tapping her manicured nails against the vanity. "Is she too cowardly to show her face?"

Vanessa tilted her chin up arrogantly. The makeup artist had spent hours perfecting her look—each lash meticulously applied, every contour flawlessly blended.

"Hmm." Margaret hadn't expected Evelyn to agree anyway.

At dawn, Vanessa had dramatically announced that her bridesmaid got into an accident. "Find me a replacement!" she'd insisted. Reluctantly, Margaret had called Evelyn.

Only now did the realization strike Margaret.

Evelyn had pursued Ethan Caldwell for seven painful years. And here was Vanessa, demanding she stand beside them as a bridesmaid?

This wasn't a request—it was a calculated humiliation.

The cruelty of it made Margaret's stomach twist. But she said nothing. Vanessa always got what she wanted.

Outside, car doors slammed. The procession had arrived.

Vanessa's lips curled into a vicious smile as she adjusted her diamond tiara. "Perfect timing."

Margaret forced a smile, but her hands trembled. Today would be unforgettable—for all the wrong reasons.

Vanessa had always been sweet and considerate. So why was she making such outrageous demands now?

Margaret studied her stepdaughter's face, a knot forming in her stomach. Something about Vanessa felt... off.

Outside, the rain hammered against the windows in relentless sheets. The storm showed no signs of letting up.

Vanessa's original bridesmaid had been in a fender bender, forcing them to draft one of the Hawthorne Estate maids as a last-minute replacement.

By the time Ethan Caldwell arrived at the estate, he was running an hour and a half behind schedule.

Cresthaven was a bustling international city where rain inevitably meant gridlock. Add to that the torrential downpour and the lengthy wedding procession, and it was no surprise the cars got separated in the chaos.

The lead vehicle carrying Ethan made it to the estate, but the trailing cars with guests and family were still stuck somewhere in the flooded streets.

With the reception timeline collapsing, Ethan rushed through the pickup. There was no fanfare, no traditional ceremonies—just a frazzled groom bundling his bride into the car.

But the real disaster awaited them at the venue.

The wedding hotel scene was beyond awkward.

Ethan Caldwell had reserved the entire Grand Emerald Hotel, yet the vast ballroom stood nearly deserted.

The torrential downpour outside was partly to blame - few dared brave the storm. But everyone knew the real reason: the Caldwell family's obvious disapproval of this union.

Though Ethan had made a name for himself in Cresthaven's elite circles, without the Caldwell dynasty's backing, he was just another businessman.

Most guests had chosen wisely - better to slight Ethan than risk the Caldwells' displeasure. Only a handful of Vanessa Hart's relatives occupied the gilded chairs.

Vanessa's triumphant march down the aisle quickly faltered when she saw the cavernous emptiness. Her meticulously planned wedding - every floral arrangement, every crystal centerpiece approved after countless consultations - now mocked her.

The storm had seemed romantic this morning. Now it felt like divine judgment.

Her father Richard Hayes had deliberately kept the guest list short, unwilling to parade this awkward alliance before society. Thirty people sat scattered across a venue meant for three hundred.

Vanessa's manicured nails dug into her bouquet. This wasn't the fairytale she'd envisioned when scheming to become Mrs. Caldwell. The empty chairs whispered what everyone knew - she might have won the ring, but she'd never truly belong.

Across the room, Grace Caldwell sipped champagne with icy detachment, her smirk saying what propriety forbade. Vanessa's victory tasted as hollow as the echoing hall.

The organist began playing, the music swelling to fill the painful silence. Vanessa forced her lips into the perfect bride's smile and took her first step toward a marriage already drowning in quiet humiliation.

The weather had been perfect all morning. Vanessa had specifically chosen an indoor venue to avoid any complications from unexpected rain.

Yet nothing could have prepared her for this crushing blow.

Not a single member of the Caldwell family showed up. The empty seats reserved for them screamed louder than any insult.

Vanessa knew exactly who was behind this humiliation.

Eleanor Whitmore despised her. That simple fact gave the entire Caldwell clan permission to snub her on what should have been the most important day of her life.

Her palms burned where her nails dug deep crescent marks. The sharp pain barely registered through the white-hot shame coursing through her veins.