The rehearsal dinner was as excessive as everything else.
The ballroom gleamed with gold. Guests clinked glasses. Her father toasted. Grayson kissed her cheek.
And Emery… sat like she was underwater.
Until the crash.
The back doors burst open. Trays shattered. Glass hit the marble floor. And then came the voice:
"Stop the show."
Beckett...
Every head turned. He looked like hell - eyes wild, hair tousled, shirt rumpled like he'd run here from another lifetime.
"You need to hear the truth," he said, voice ragged. "I never used her. I never lied."
Security moved. Grayson stood, fury painted across his features.
"She deserves to know who she's marrying," Beckett shouted. "He told me to 'handle her.' I didn't. I loved her."
A ripple of gasps.
He turned to Emery, eyes full of fire and pleading. "I should've told you sooner. I should've fought harder. But I never once saw you as a job. I saw you as everything."
She stared at him, breathless.
Her mother whispered, "Do something."
Emery stood.
Looked at Beckett.
And her heart finally spoke louder than her fear.
"I believe you," she whispered.
And chaos erupted around them.