Stop Begging— Her Wedding’s Coming

Chapter 4 Wedding Dress

The ceremony officially began.

Music filled the hall as Nathan took Sienna's hand and led her down the aisle.

I stood below the stage and quietly watched the happiest moment of their lives.

Leon and Nolan kept glancing at me from the guest seats. Their faces were tense, anxious, and full of confusion.

In their minds, I was supposed to rush forward, stop the wedding, and take Nathan back.

But I did nothing.

During the toast, Sienna looped her arm through Nathan's and moved from table to table.

When she reached our table, she made a point of stopping in front of me and raising her glass.

"Ms. Collins, thank you for coming today."

She smiled as she spoke. Then her wrist suddenly tilted, and the entire glass of red wine spilled across my dress.

Dark red spread instantly across the white fabric.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Sienna covered her mouth, her eyes wide with fake shock. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to!"

Everyone looked at me with a mix of contempt and pity.

Nathan had seen everything from beside her, yet he never said a word to stop her.

He was waiting for me to give in. He was waiting for me to need him.

"It's fine." I pulled out a napkin and dabbed at the stain. "I'll just go change."

I stood and walked toward the bridal suite.

When I pushed the door open, the room was empty.

I walked to the wardrobe and opened the garment bag tucked all the way in the back.

I had checked it in at the hotel right after my flight landed.

Inside was an elaborate, solemn wedding gown, custom-made for me.

I changed into it, drew a deep breath, opened the door, and walked back out.

By the time I returned to the reception hall, the wedding had moved into the mingling portion.

The moment I appeared, the entire room went still.

Leon saw me first.

The glass in his hand slipped loose and shattered against the floor.

Nathan was standing with a drink in his hand, talking to a few friends. When he heard the crash, he turned around.

The instant he saw the wedding dress on me, his whole body froze.

For one suspended moment, time seemed to stop.

He stared at me in disbelief, and his breathing grew uneven.

The glass in his hand trembled faintly. Liquor sloshed over the rim and wet his fingers.

"Lyla, you..." he said carefully.

He only managed those two words before his voice failed him, and the emotion in his eyes grew harder to contain.

The room had gone unbearably quiet. Every gaze had landed on me.

Sienna's face turned paper-white. She glared at me with naked hatred.

Nathan set down his glass and walked toward me one step at a time.

He moved slowly, his eyes fixed on me, as if he were afraid I might vanish if he looked away.

"I knew it," he said. "I knew you couldn't just stand there and watch me marry someone else."

He lifted his hand as if he wanted to touch my face, then stopped halfway.

"That dress..." His throat worked. "Did you wear it for me?"

I said nothing.

Leon and Nolan rushed over, practically vibrating with excitement.

"Lyla, you finally did something! I knew it. There was no way you'd just watch Nathan marry another woman. This is exactly what you should do. Crash the wedding. We're with you."

The guests began whispering among themselves, their eyes moving back and forth between Nathan and me.

Nathan looked at me, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

He tried to keep his composure, but happiness shone in his eyes.

"You really had to do it like this?" he said, sounding almost smug as he reached for my hand. "You had to wait until the very last second to admit you still care about me?"

I took a step back.

He froze.

"Did all of you get the wrong idea?" I walked slowly to the table and took a gold-embossed envelope from my purse.

At the same time, a server pushed open the ballroom doors.

A man in a charcoal-gray suit walked in.

He was tall and composed, with a gentle grace. A boutonniere was pinned to his lapel.

"Lyla, I'm late."

Nathan's face changed. He stepped in front of me on instinct, but Leon caught his arm and held him back.

Ryan Jackman walked to my side and took my hand with practiced tenderness, threading his fingers through mine.

On his middle finger, he wore a ring that matched mine.

"Hello, everyone. I think there's been a misunderstanding," he said calmly.

He tightened his hold on my hand.

"Lyla didn't come home today to ruin a wedding."

He paused, then looked at me, his eyes warm with affection.

"We came here to have our own."