Chapter 5
769 Words
Several reporters crowded outside the grand venue, their cameras ready to capture the arrival of celebrities, dignitaries, and influential guests.
The engagement party was extravagant enough to rival a fashion show.
A sleek black Bentley pulled up at the entrance.
The reporters immediately raised their cameras.
The rear door opened.
A delicate leg stepped out, followed by a pair of Silver heels.
The crowd quieted.
Then she emerged.
A stunning young woman stepped out in an elegant blue gown. Her delicate makeup highlighted her flawless features, while her calm expression made her appear completely unaffected by the attention surrounding her.
Flash after flash exploded around her.
"Who is she?"
"She's incredibly beautiful."
"Is she a new actress?"
"I've never seen her before. She looks like a celebrity."
The reporters followed her with their cameras as she walked toward the entrance.
She didn't acknowledge a single person.
Every step was graceful and confident.
The moment she entered the hall, the atmosphere changed.
One conversation after another died down.
Guests turned around.
Some stood unconsciously from their seats.
Others whispered behind their hands, trying to figure out who the mysterious woman was.
"Who invited her?"
"She's not on the guest list, is she?"
"Could she be from one of the major families?"
"Look at that gown. She definitely isn't an ordinary guest."
Even the reporters inside the hall began raising their cameras.
Click!
Click!
Click!
The flashes illuminated the woman's face.
At the center of the stage, Kane Miller and Evelyn were preparing to exchange rings.
The sudden commotion caught everyone's attention.
Kane slowly turned around.
The moment his eyes landed on the woman at the entrance, his entire body stiffened.
His expression changed instantly.
The color drained from his face.
His fingers, which had been holding the ring box, tightened.
That face...
Even after three years, he could recognize it instantly.
"Lyla..."
The name escaped his lips.
The guests closest to him heard it.
"Lyla?"
Someone repeated the name in confusion.
"Wait... did he just say Lyla?"
"Could he mean Lyla Kim?"
The whispers quickly spread across the hall.
"Lyla Kim?"
"Isn't she Kane Miller's ex-wife?"
"Didn't she disappear three years ago?"
"You're kidding..."
"That's really her?"
The murmurs grew louder.
People began looking from Kane to the woman at the entrance, suddenly realizing why the groom looked as though he had seen a ghost.
On stage, Evelyn stood completely frozen.
Her smile disappeared.
Her face turned pale.
The hand holding her bouquet began trembling uncontrollably.
"No..."
The word slipped from her lips.
She stared at Lyla as though she were looking at someone who had risen from the dead.
She had spent three years convincing herself that Lyla would never return.
Yet here she was.
Standing in front of everyone.
Beautiful.
Confident.
And completely untouched by the woman Evelyn remembered.
Mary Kim was equally stunned.
Her eyes widened as she stared toward the entrance.
"How... how is she here?"
She had expected this evening to be Evelyn's moment—the day Evelyn officially became the Miller family's daughter-in-law.
But Lyla's sudden appearance had stolen everyone's attention.
Even the elders from the Miller family exchanged uneasy glances.
They knew exactly who Lyla was.
And they remembered how badly she had been treated.
A few guests began whispering among themselves.
"Wasn't she the one who divorced Kane?"
"I heard she left the country."
"I heard she had nothing when she left."
"Then where did this woman come from?"
"Look at her. She doesn't look like someone who had nothing."
Their curiosity intensified.
Meanwhile, Kane couldn't move.
For three years, he had occasionally wondered where Lyla was.
But he had never imagined seeing her like this.
She wasn't the timid woman who had once stood quietly beside him.
She wasn't the wife who had endured his family's humiliation.
She looked like a completely different person.
His heart began pounding.
"Lyla..."
This time, his voice was louder.
Lyla finally looked at him.
Their eyes met across the crowded hall.
For a brief moment, Kane felt as though the entire world had disappeared.
Then Lyla's lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.
She didn't greet him.
She didn't approach him.
She simply looked at him before shifting her gaze toward Evelyn.
Evelyn's heart sank.
That smile wasn't one of forgiveness.
She had returned because she no longer needed him.
The hall fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Everyone waited to see what Lyla would do next.
After all, she had arrived at her ex-husband's engagement party without warning.
And judging by the look in her eyes...
Tonight's celebration was about to become something entirely different.
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