Chapter 9
That night, Tyler Horton called me multiple times, but I didn’t answer.
He left a haughty voicemail:
“Elizabeth, you’re in no position to play hard–to–get with me. Get back here now.”
I turned off my phone and tossed it aside, completely ignoring him.
Over the next month, I stayed at Jeff Vince’s villa, focusing on my recovery.
As time passed without a word from me, Tyler grew increasingly impatient.
His messages became more frequent and aggressive:
“Elizabeth, are you using this child to threaten me?”
“I’m warning you–after what you’ve done to Sarah, don’t even think about negotiating with
me!”
“Don’t make me resort to force.”
Reading his texts, I couldn’t help but laugh.
His arrogance was absurd, almost comedic.
He still believed himself to be perched on a high moral pedestal, accusing and trampling me
for crimes I never committed.
Meanwhile, he shamelessly justified his betrayal with Sarah as if it were nothing.
Tyler Horton, let’s see how long your arrogance lasts.
A month later, my body had fully recovered.
Jeff easily pulled some strings to obtain my ID from the Horton family.
Not long after, he personally drove me to the civil affairs office.
Ha Forgot It Ho Porroted it
When the staff handed me the small red booklet, it felt surreal.
“Jeff, we don’t need to take this so far. Pretending to be married would’ve been enough,” I said, hesitant.
Jeff carefully tucked the marriage certificate away and took
my
hand.
“I never said we were pretending.”
strange warmth coursed through me, but I dared not define it.
Everything had happened so fast, like a beautiful yet fragile dream.
The things Tyler Horton had denied me–an official marriage certificate, a white wedding dress–Jeff had given me, one by one, with care and sincerity.
But I had fallen too hard under Tyler’s betrayal.
Once bitten, twice shy.
If a man I had loved for ten years could betray me so easily,
how could I trust someone who had appeared suddenly and whose motives were unclear?
Even with our shared past and his years of silent care, I questioned the authenticity of Jeff’s feelings.
What if this was just another elaborate trap?
In the following days, Jeff personally oversaw every detail of our wedding preparations.
From the dress to the rings to the venue, everything was meticulously planned.
A month later, the wedding was held at Vince Villa, surrounded by a crowd of distinguished
guests.
Under everyone’s gaze, Jeff bent down to take my hand and helped me step out of an
elegant carriage.
I was dressed in a white satin gown, crafted to perfection, like a blooming camellia.
L
14:52
He Forgot It. He Regreted It
With my arm linked in Jeff’s, we walked gracefully toward the altar, accompanied by the murmurs of the guests.
“Isn’t that bride familiar? Isn’t she Tyler Horton’s wife? I went to their wedding just months ago!”
“Yeah, it really does look like her…”
“But I haven’t heard anything about her divorcing Tyler.”
“Wow, there must be some juicy story behind this…”
Jeff and I ignored the whispers, our expressions calm as we passed by Sarah Carlisle and
Tyler Horton.
Sarah’s face, despite the meticulous makeup, couldn’t mask the pallor caused by her health
issues after the removal of her ovaries.
Tyler, on the other hand, stared at me with wide eyes, gripping his wine glass tightly. His disbelief was written all over his face.
The ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Finally, the moment came for Jeff and me to exchange rings.
Just as we were about to complete the ritual, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:
“Stop! I object!”
