Chapter 3 - The Broken Promise At The Wedding Suite
I closed the laptop screen, my chest rising and falling heavily as pure, blinding rage replaced the shock in my veins.
My thirty-year-old mistress hadn't just seduced me after my wife died; she had systematically orchestrated the destruction of my family.
For two years, Evelyn had fed me subtle lies, convincing me that Genevieve was unstable, greedy, and ungrateful for my support.
I had believed her because I was an arrogant sixty-year-old CEO flattered by the attention of a gorgeous, attentive younger woman.
I looked down at my little grandson, crouching until I was eye-level with his tear-stained face.
“Toby, where is your mommy right now?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle despite the storm raging inside me.
“Aunt Sarah took Mommy to the hospital,” Toby whimpered, rubbing his eyes with his small sleeve.
“Mommy said she fell down, but I saw Evelyn push her against the car.”
My blood boiled as I realized Genevieve’s 'migraine' was actually a concussion inflicted by the woman I was supposed to marry today.
I pulled out my cell phone and immediately dialed my younger sister Sarah, stepping away toward the window.
“Thomas!” Sarah answered on the second ring, her voice breathless and heavy with panic. “Where are you? Did Toby reach you?”
“I have Toby with me,” I said, my voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet register. “Is Genevieve alright?”
“She has a fractured wrist and a severe concussion, Thomas!” Sarah sobbed over the line from the hospital room.
“Evelyn cornered her in the parking lot three days ago and threatened to frame her if she interrupted the wedding!”
May you like
“Genevieve was terrified you wouldn't believe her over Evelyn, so she sent Toby with the dashcam drive!”
I closed my eyes, a single tear of shame falling onto my cheek as I realized how deeply I had failed my own daughter.
