He Left Me At Wedding, So I Married The Billionaire

Chapter 2

It was true. I had put up with a lot.

When Vanessa came back from overseas, Lucas ignored my protests and left me burning with a high fever so he could pick her up at the airport.

"Emmy, it's just a fever. Stop being so dramatic. I promised Vanessa ages ago. She's one of my closest friends. If I don't pick her up, who will? Be good and wait for me at home."

That night, I called 911 myself. The doctor said I had been lucky to arrive when I did. If I had waited much longer, the fever could have caused brain damage.

When Lucas found out, he brought me a signed copy of a book by my favorite author.

"I went all the way out of town and stood in line forever to get this. I even lost a 50-million-dollar deal because of it."

He looked at me with pleading eyes. "Emmy, please don't be mad at me anymore, okay?"

My heart softened, and I forgave him.

But ever since Vanessa came back, things like that happened over and over again.

He ran out to buy her pads.

He rushed over to deal with the aftermath when she got into a car accident.

One night, when her refrigerator broke, he immediately drove to her place to fix it.

The most disgusting incident happened at a karaoke bar.

We were playing a game where we drew slips of paper, and Vanessa drew one telling her to kiss someone of the opposite s*x.

She looked straight at me, then turned to Lucas. "I pick you."

She smiled innocently. "We're just friends. A little kiss between friends is no big deal. Your girlfriend won't get mad, right?"

That was the last straw.

I picked up my ice-cold beer and poured it over her head.

Vanessa ran a fever for 3 days afterward, and Lucas stayed by her bedside for all 3 days.

I told him I wanted to break up. He responded by bringing up my grandmother, who had been seriously ill for a long time.

"You don't want your grandmother to lose access to treatment, do you?"

I needed the money, so I gave in.

After that, Vanessa stopped stirring up trouble for a while.

'I really thought she'd learned her lesson. Turns out she's just been saving her biggest stunt for last.'

In Adrian's car, I gave him the address of the hospital.

"Going to see your grandmother?"

I whipped my head around to look at him.

'Then again, why am I surprised? If he's willing to steal my nightgown, of course he can find out about my seriously ill grandmother too.'

But Adrian didn't drive to the hospital. Instead, he stopped in front of a villa.

"Why don't you change out of the wedding dress? It can't be comfortable."

A housekeeper led me into a huge pink walk-in closet filled with dresses, gowns, and casual clothes.

Every single piece was in my size.

Curious, I opened the door to the room next to it.

One wall was covered with photos of me from college.

There were pictures of me hosting events, giving acceptance speeches, and sitting alone by the lake, clutching a book as I studied.

There were more than I could count.

Lucas wasn't part of a single one of those moments.

I reached out and brushed my fingers over one of the old photos. For the first time in years, I felt a little like my old self again.

Somewhere along the way, I stopped being that bright, cheerful girl. That hopeful look in my eyes was gone.

After I changed, Adrian still didn't take me to the hospital where my grandmother had been staying. He drove to a private hospital instead.

"I already had your grandmother transferred here. A friend of mine specializes in her condition. I called him and asked him to fly back from abroad."

He held my gaze. "Come with me tomorrow, and we'll get legally married. From that day on, no matter what happens, I'll be there for you."

Lucas's threats suddenly came rushing back to me.

I asked, "If I say no, are you going to kick my grandmother out of the hospital too?"

Adrian stared at me. "Emma, do you really think I'm that much of a bastard? You really think I'd use a sick old woman to threaten you?"

He looked so serious—and so genuinely offended—that I finally nodded.

"Okay."