True Love Won’t Wait

Chapter 2

Adrian's car disappeared down the road, leaving the ballroom in a terrible silence.

At 11:40, two messages came through from him.

Adrian: Chloe's foot still hurts. I'm sorry, but we'll have to postpone the wedding until this afternoon.

Adrian: I'll come back as soon as her examination is over. I swear this is the last time.

He still believed that I would wait for him forever, ready to take him back the moment he returned.

I blocked him.

Gabriel came to stand beside me, his voice gentler now. "Evelyn, do you still want to go through with the wedding?"

I smoothed a hand over the wrinkles in my gown, forcing down the last trace of hesitation. Then I pulled out my phone and searched for a name I hadn't contacted in eight years.

Evelyn: Damian, you once told me that if I was ever in trouble, you'd help me.

Damian: What do you need?

Evelyn: Come to my wedding. Be the groom.

Less than 10 seconds after I hit send, my phone lit up again.

Damian: Turn around.

I froze, then slowly looked over my shoulder.

At the very back of the ballroom, a man in a black suit rose to his feet.

Damian Moretti met my eyes from across the aisle, a black ring box already resting in his palm.

He had come prepared.

I watched him make his way toward me. When he reached me, I stared at the ring box in his hand.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard Cross left with another woman in his arms," he said, stopping in front of me. "So I cleared my schedule, brought the ring, and came to see—would you give me a chance?"

"And if he hadn't left?"

"Then I would've stayed in the back row and watched you marry him." Damian held my gaze, his voice low and steady. "But if he walked out on you, I was taking the bride."

A trace of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

Adrian had done exactly that.

The hotel manager approached us cautiously. "Miss Hart, would you like us to cancel the ceremony?"

"No."

I looked toward the altar, where Adrian's name was still printed on the place card.

"The wedding is still happening. We're just replacing the groom."

The manager hesitated, clearly caught off guard, but professionalism quickly took over. Adrian's name was removed, the quartet prepared to start again, and the ceremony was rearranged around the new groom.

Through it all, Damian stayed beside me without once trying to rush my decision.

"Evelyn," he said quietly, giving me one last chance to change my mind, "are you sure?"