THE BRIDE’S REVENGE

CHAPTER3

EMMA'S POV

The courthouse was busy on Monday morning. Lucas and I stood in line with other couples, some excited, some nervous, some looking as uncertain as I felt.

"Second thoughts?" Lucas asked quietly.

"A thousand," I admitted. "But I'm not backing out."

"Good. Neither am I."

We'd both dressed simply, Lucas in slacks and a button-down shirt, me in a plain blue dress Lucas bought me that morning. No flowers, no family, no celebration. Just a contract.

The clerk called us forward. "Names?"

"Lucas Grant and Emma Hayes."

She processed our paperwork efficiently. "Do you have rings?"

I hadn't even thought about rings. But Lucas pulled out two simple gold bands. "Where did you get those?" I whispered.

"My grandfather's jewelry box. They were my grandmother's wedding rings." He slipped one onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

The clerk had us repeat our vows. Standard legal words with no emotion behind them. "I, Lucas Grant, take you, Emma Hayes, to be my lawfully wedded wife."

"I, Emma Hayes, take you, Lucas Grant, to be my lawfully wedded husband."

"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Lucas looked at me, asking permission silently. I nodded. He leaned in and kissed me softly, briefly. His lips were warm and gentle, nothing like Derek's demanding kisses. It felt like a promise, even though I knew it wasn't real.

"Congratulations," the clerk said, handing us our marriage certificate. "Next!"

We walked out of the courthouse into the bright California sunshine, officially married.

"Well," Lucas said. "That's done."

"That's done," I echoed.

"Ready to face your family?"

I thought about my mother, probably furious about the ruined wedding. About Olivia, who'd stolen my fiancé without a second thought. About my father, who never stood up for me.

"Let's do it," I said.

My parents' house looked the same as always, a beautiful Victorian mansion in Pacific Heights, all pristine and perfect on the outside. I'd grown up here, but it had never felt like home.

Lucas parked on the street. "How do you want to handle this?"

"Honestly?" I took a deep breath. "I have no idea."

"Then let's just be direct. Show them the marriage certificate. Tell them you're filing to reclaim your grandmother's company. Don't let them intimidate you."

"Easier said than done."

Lucas took my hand, and I was surprised by how much that simple gesture steadied me. "I'm right here. You're not alone anymore."

We walked up to the front door together. I'd left my keys behind when I ran from the wedding, so I rang the doorbell. Our housekeeper Maria answered, her eyes widening when she saw me.

"Miss Emma! Your mother has been…"

"I know," I said gently. Maria had always been kind to me. "Is she home?"

"In the study with your father and Olivia. Miss Emma, maybe you should…"

But I was already walking past her, Lucas following behind. I could hear voices from the study, my mother's sharp tone, my father's quieter responses, Olivia's laugh.

I pushed open the door without knocking.

All three of them looked up. My mother stood by the window, her arms crossed. Olivia sat in the leather chair like she owned the place. My father was at his desk, looking tired.

"Emma," Mother said coldly. "How dare you show your face here after the embarrassment you caused?"

"The embarrassment I caused?" I couldn't believe her nerve. "I wasn't the one cheating at my own wedding."

"Don't be dramatic," Olivia said, examining her perfectly manicured nails. "You're making this into something it's not."

"Really?" I stepped further into the room, my hand still linked with Lucas's. "Then what would you call sleeping with my fiancé for six months?"

"A mistake," my father said quietly. "But one we can move past. Derek is willing to forgive you for running away. The wedding can be rescheduled…"

"I'm not marrying Derek," I interrupted.

Mother's eyes flashed. "Yes, you are. The contracts with his law firm…"

"Are your problem, not mine." I pulled out the marriage certificate from my purse. "Because I'm already married."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Olivia shot to her feet. "You're lying."

"Am I?" I placed the certificate on the desk. "Lucas Grant, meet my family. Lucas, this is my mother Margaret, my father Robert, and my sister Olivia."

For the first time, they actually looked at Lucas. I saw my mother's gaze sweep over him, the simple clothes, the modest appearance, the lack of obvious wealth. Her lip curled with disdain.

"You married a nobody?" Mother asked. "Some random man to spite us?"

"I married someone who treats me with respect," I said evenly. "Something none of you ever did."

"This is ridiculous." Mother snatched up the certificate. "You can't possibly think this changes anything. You're still my daughter, still under my authority…"

"Actually, I'm not," I said. "I'm a married woman now. Which means I have legal standing to contest Grandmother's will."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"What are you talking about?" Father asked, but he sounded nervous.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Grandmother left Hayes Marketing Group to me in her will. But somehow, after she died, the will was changed to give control to Mother." I looked at Margaret steadily. "I'm filing a legal challenge. I want an independent investigation into how that will was modified."

"You ungrateful little…" Mother started.

"Careful," Lucas said quietly. It was the first time he'd spoken, and something in his tone made everyone pause. "That's my wife you're insulting."

Mother turned her glare on him. "And who exactly are you? Some construction worker? A janitor? What could you possibly offer my daughter?"

"Honesty," Lucas said simply. "Support. A partnership based on mutual respect instead of manipulation."

"How noble," Olivia sneered. "Too bad nobility doesn't pay the bills. Emma, you've always been stupid, but this is a new low even for you. Marrying some broke nobody…"

"That's enough," Father said, surprising everyone. He stood up, looking at me with something I hadn't seen before, maybe respect, maybe just exhaustion. "Emma, if you want to contest the will, that's your right. But think carefully. This will tear the family apart."

"The family tore itself apart the moment you let Mother steal what was rightfully mine," I said. "The moment you let Olivia sleep with my fiancé and said nothing. The moment you all decided I was worth less than a business contract."

"Emma…" Father started.

"I'm done," I said. "I'm done being the daughter you're ashamed of. I'm done trying to earn love that you'll never give. Grandmother believed in me, and I'm going to honor that."

I turned to leave, but Mother's voice stopped me. "If you go through with this, you're not welcome in this house anymore. You'll have nothing, no family, no support, no money."

I looked back at her. "I already have nothing from you. At least now I'm choosing it."

Lucas and I walked out together. Behind us, I heard Olivia's voice, shrill and angry: "She's bluffing. She has to be."

But I wasn't bluffing.

In the car, my hands started shaking. Lucas noticed and pulled over into a parking lot.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I just burned every bridge I had," I said, the reality hitting me. "My family, my job, everything."

"You didn't burn them. They were already on fire. You just stopped pretending they weren't." He turned to face me. "Emma, you were brave in there. You stood up for yourself."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up."

He smiled slightly. "That's normal. First time standing up to toxic people usually feels that way."

"How do you know?"

"Experience." Something dark flickered across his face. "My family has its own problems. Why do you think I live so simply? Why do I use a different last name sometimes?"

I realized I barely knew this man I'd married. "What's your family like?"

Lucas was quiet for a moment. "Complicated. My grandfather built his company from nothing, but success brought its own problems. People who wanted things from us, who pretended to care when they just wanted money. It made me careful about who I trust."

"Is that why you agreed to this marriage? Because I didn't know about your money?"

"Partly," he admitted. "But also because I saw something in you. Strength you don't even realize you have."

Before I could respond, my phone rang. Unknown number. I almost didn't answer, but something made me pick up.

"Hello?"

"Emma Hayes?" A professional female voice. "This is Jennifer Torres from Hayes Marketing Group's legal department. I'm calling to inform you that your employment has been terminated effective immediately. You're required to return all company property by the end of business today."

I'd expected it, but it still stung. "I understand."

"Additionally, your mother has frozen your credit cards and removed you from the family accounts. She asked me to tell you that you made your choice."

The call ended. I stared at my phone.

"What happened?" Lucas asked.

"I'm officially broke," I said. "No job, no credit cards, no access to any money."

"You have me," Lucas said. "And we'll figure this out together. First, let's get your things from your apartment."

My apartment. I'd almost forgotten about it, a small studio in the Mission District that I'd rented three years ago, desperate for some independence from my family. It wasn't much, but it was mine.

When we arrived, I knew something was wrong immediately. The door was slightly open, hanging crooked on its hinges.

"Wait here," Lucas said, but I followed him inside anyway.

The apartment was destroyed. Completely trashed. My clothes were ripped and scattered everywhere. My laptop was smashed. My grandmother's photo albums, irreplaceable memories, were torn apart, pictures scattered across the floor.

On the wall, written in red lipstick, was a message: "This is what you deserve."

I recognized Olivia's handwriting.

"That's it," Lucas said quietly, pulling out his phone. "I'm calling the police."

"No." I grabbed his arm. "It won't help. My family has lawyers who'll make this disappear. They always do."

"Emma…"

"Please." I looked at the destruction of my life. "I just want to get what I can and leave."

We salvaged what we could, some clothes, a few photos that weren't completely destroyed, and my grandmother's jewelry box that Olivia had somehow missed. Everything else was ruined.

Lucas loaded the bags into his car. "You'll stay with me," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Where do you live?"

"Small apartment in North Beach. It's not fancy, but it's safe." He looked at me seriously. "Emma, I promise you, we're going to make them pay for this."

That night, I sat in Lucas's modest one-bedroom apartment, wearing borrowed clothes, everything I owned in two garbage bags. I should have felt defeated. Instead, I felt angry. Determined.

My phone buzzed with social media notifications.