The Second Groom

Chapter 2 Thomas, We're Done

Everly's mind went completely blank, and her feet seemed to be glued to the ground. She can't move them, not even a damn inch.

That car sped past her like a freaking black lightning bolt.

Everly got straight up slammed to the ground by that intense airflow.

She had thought the driver would leave and try to get away from it. After all, there was nobody else around. Even if the driver fled, he was not gonna be found.

But to her surprise, the car pulled a U-turn and ended up stopping right in front of her.

As soon as the car door swung open, what caught her eye was a pair of custom-made black shoes. Then, a man with long, straight legs moved toward her with firm steps. He tilts a black umbrella over her, shielding her from the relentless downpour.

"Are you all right?" Vincent Clarke asked, his voice deep and cold.

Everly glanced up at him. He'd got chiseled figures with a well-defined jawline. His whole face was on point, especially those deep, dark eyes that seemed to be glittering. So captivating.

Everly felt like she had seen those eyes somewhere before but just couldn't remember where.

Everly nodded, her voice soft and hoarse as she responded, "I'm good. Thanks."

She tried gettin' back on her feet, but her messed-up leg and scraped feet betrayed her, and she fell back down.

At that critical moment, the man wrapped his strong arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug.

Everly crashed into his chest, feeling the special chill of his presence surround her.

She instinctively pressed her hands against his chest, feeling his hard muscles. Even through his clothes, she could still feel his alluring chest, sensing the heat radiating from it.

Subconsciously, she pushed him away, but she failed, and he even picked her up.

Everly frowned, a hint of anger crossing her face. "What the hell are you doing? Put me down!"

Even though she and Thomas had been in a relationship for three years, they had never gone beyond holding hands, so this sudden move of a total stranger got her all uneasy.

The man lowers his gaze, looking at Everly, all cool and collected. "You're hurt, and I gotta get you to the hospital right now."

"I-I can manage on my own." The closeness between them had her on edge. The man's chill was like engulfing her, making her all tense and s**t.

"Don't move!" The man instructed in a bossy manner, putting an end to any resistance Everly got left.

When he tossed Everly into his car, the cold wind hit her face, making her sneeze.

Vincent raised his hand and turned off the air-conditioner. He then glanced at Everly's thin clothes and draped his coat around her. "Keep yourself warm, or you'll catch a cold."

"Thanks." The coat had Vincent's scent all over it and even had hints of his warmth. It made Everly feel some weird sensation all over her.

Vincent glanced at the blush on her cheeks, and a fleeting smirk flashed in his deep gaze. "I should be the one to say thanks."

"What?" Everly looked at Vincent, confusion written all over her face.

Vincent calmly looked back at her and spoke in a low and smooth voice, "Thanks for accepting my apology and giving me a chance to make amends!"

The car zoomed by and eventually arrived at a nearby hospital.

Everly insisted on hobbling on her own, and Vincent patiently went along with her wobbly steps until he got her to the emergency room.

When Everly came out of the emergency room, she saw Vincent talking to someone with his back to her. Then, he suddenly noticed her and hung up the phone, hurrying over to her. "Here's my contact info. If there's anything you need, hit me up."

"No, thanks! I don't need any more help." Everly politely rejected the business card Vincent handed her. Since the issue had been solved, she didn't want anything to do with him. Dragging s**t out wasn't her thing.

She hesitated for a second and passed him his coat. "Thanks for your coat! I'll cover the dry cleaning charges."

Vincent looked at the coat she handed him and raised his eyebrow a bit. A gentle smile crept upon his face. "You need this more than I do right now."

It was just a simple sentence, but it somehow made Everly's eyes well up with tears.

She thought she must've gotten hurt too damn badly today. Otherwise, how the hell could a stranger's casual concern move her like that?

"Thanks. I'm good. Gotta bounce." Everly declined Vincent's offer of help. She needed to head back to the Hastings' house to handle some serious s**t.

Vincent stood there, watching her skinny figure walk away. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "We'll meet again."

Everly hobbled her ass into her and Thomas' damn "love nest." Looking at the empty room, she knew that Thomas wouldn't be back tonight.

Feeling all kinds of f****d up, she decided to clean up the house. Finally, her gaze landed on the damn wedding photo of her and Thomas.

She stared at the damn thing quietly, the pain in her eyes fading away, replaced by some cold indifference. She grabbed a pair of scissors and tore through the goddamn smiling image.

After getting rid of all the traces, Everly sat on the sofa, from dusk till dawn, lonely. Just as she was feeling sleepy and dizzy, finally, there was a noise at the door.

Unlike before, she didn't rush to greet Thomas with joy this time. Instead, she just sat quietly on the sofa.

Not seeing any remorse on Everly's face, Thomas tiredly sat his ass on the sofa and pinched his temples. "Go get me a glass of water."

Everly sneered. "Thomas, we're done."

Her words were resolute, without a hint of hesitation.

Thomas stared at her with a deep and brooding look, lost in thought.

Everly looked at him. A sarcastic smirk formed on her lips. "Why are you making that expression? You already had this s**t planned when you ditched me at the wedding, even on Grace's first day back from abroad, didn't you?"

Thomas picked up a box of cigarettes from the table, skillfully shook one out, lit it, and took a long drag.

After a moment of silence, he responded coldly, "Breaking up is the best choice for us, especially since you f****d up and misunderstood Grace so damn deeply. Carrying on with this s**t would only keep hurting Grace."

Everly fixed her eyes on him and straighten-up sneered. "I'm really curious. Is there anything you wouldn't do for Grace?"

Thomas put out his smoke and looked a bit annoyed. "I've tried to get over Grace for three freaking years, but love just couldn't be forced. I hope you can forgive me and not blame Grace for this. She's innocent."

When Everly heard that, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

In the past three years, when they were together, she had put all her effort into everything, thinking her love could him, believing her passion could eventually melt his hard heart.

She gave up a lot for him, even turning against her own family. But what did she get in return? Just a lame-ass "love just couldn't be forced."

Thomas frowned at Everly, who seemed to be going bananas and felt a brief stab of pain in his heart. "Here's a million bucks in this card. I think it's enough for you to live a good life in the countryside."

It turned out that her three years of hard work were just worth a measly million dollars in his eyes.

But little did he know that the one million just meant jack s**t to Everly.

"Thomas, I was with you simply because I love you. Never have I wanted anything from you. I don't give a damn about your family's wealth and fancy s**t. Nor do I care about that wannabe Mrs. Hasting title that everyone's so jealous about." Everly's lovely face turned sour, eyes cold and determined.

"I'm not accepting any apologies or compensation from you. I'll never forget you. Never ever!" With that, she got up, held her head high, and strutted confidently toward the door.

Thomas felt some tightness in his chest while watching her storm away with such determination. His breath hitched, and he instinctively reached out.