Chapter 2: The Voice in the Chaos
"Savannah, stop!"
The voice belonged to Caleb, Travis’s younger brother, who stood up from the front row, his hands shaking. He looked directly at Travis, then at the woman in the dirt.
"She’s telling the truth," Caleb shouted, his voice echoing off the rustic wooden beams of the pavilion. "Everything she’s saying is true. Travis got her pregnant six months ago, and he paid her to leave town so this wedding could go forward."
The celebration transformed in an instant. The romance of the ranch dissolved into something dark, toxic, and volatile. Savannah froze, her hands hovering over her wedding dress as realization hit her like a physical blow. She looked at Travis, her voice trembling. "Is this true?"
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Travis couldn't speak. He stepped back, his eyes darting toward the edge of the property where the ranch's patriarch stood.
Arthur Vance—Travis and Caleb’s father, a man whose word was law across three counties—slowly walked up the aisle. He wasn't looking at the bride, and he wasn't looking at the weeping girl on the ground. His eyes were locked entirely on his eldest son. In his calloused hands, he gripped a thick, worn leather folder that seemed to pulse with heavy, dangerous secrets.
