Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Julie POV
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As Damien and I stepped into the grand reception hall, all eyes were on us. It was as though everyone had stopped what they were doing and focused on us. Then the whispers came.
“Isn’t that the ex-wife?”
“What is she doing here?”
“Why does she look so unkept and who is that beside her?”.
“Did she come to beg for her husband back? How pathetic.”
“Is that not Damien Blackwood? Why is she with him?”
The whispers were everywhere, some loud enough for us to hear, but I didn’t bother with them as I tried to maintain my composure. I refused to let these people get to me, and I surely had no reason to explain myself to them.
Damien, walking beside me, gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as he held it.
“Ignore them. They’re just losers who want to feast on your downfall,” he said.
I looked up at him with a smile and was about to thank him when I was rudely interrupted by Alex’s bride.
“You just can’t take a hint, can you?”
A voice from behind spoke.
I turned to face Bella, who was already standing in front of me, staring at me with a dead look.
“You just can’t take the hint, can you? Must you always flaunt your desperation in front of us all?” she yelled, “He chose me. I’m his wife. Get over yourself and stop trying to steal the spotlight at my wedding!”
The room fell silent. All eyes were on us now.
I took a slow breath. She was definitely good at creating a scene.
And to think this was the woman Alex had left me for? I had expected more-dignity, sophistication-but all I saw was an insecure person standing in front of me, wearing an expensive wedding dress.
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Chapter 49
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I chuckled a bit. “I thought Alex left me for a woman with class,” I said, tilting my head back. “Clearly, I expected too much.”
“Such an insecure lowlife,” I murmured.
Before she could snap back, Alex had already come to her rescue.
“Is that you, Julie?” he asked.
“I must say, I didn’t think you would actually show up. But I suppose I should’ve known better. And you even brought someone with you? Your little toy, I guess?”
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I looked up at him. How dare he call Damien a toy?
“Alex,” I said, my voice filled with pride. “I’ll ignore the statements you made about my man.”
But why don’t you stop pretending like you didn’t personally invite me to this wedding?”
“I gave you the invitation card, in case you’ve forgotten,” I said, annoyed. I came for my daughter, not for this.
“And one more thing,” I added.
I raised my voice so everyone could hear me. “I want to make something very clear-I wouldn’t have stepped foot in this place if it weren’t for my daughter. I don’t care about this wedding. I don’t care about either of you. So stop pretending like I’m here for anything other than Avery. You sent me a photo of her here, probably to spite me and lure me in. Well, I guess it worked.”
I scoffed.
Alex’s smile disappeared as he stared at me, then at Bella,
“You’re still communicating with her?” Bella asked.
He didn’t bother to respond to her; instead, he moved toward me
I barely had time to process it before Damien stepped in.
Alex’s fist clenched as he pointed at me, but Damien caught his hand.
“Don’t,” Damien warned. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
I exhaled slowly, grateful that Damien had stopped him.
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Chapter 49
55 vouchers
“I’m not here for this,” I said, almost in a whisper. “So if you’ll excuse me, Damien and I will go find Avery. You two can get back to your circus-just pretend I’m not here.”
And with that, I turned and walked away, Damien following close beside me.
Behind me, I heard Bella’s loud voice.
“Who does she think she is?” she yelled. “Walking away like she’s better than us?!”
I didn’t bother to look back.
My main focus was finding Avery.
As I moved around the reception in search of my daughter, I could still hear whispers, but I tried to ignore them. I didn’t care what they were saying-I just wanted my daughter. My poor baby.
Damien saw my worried face and held my hand. “She’ll be fine, Julie,” he said. “She won’t do anything stupid.”
“But… what if something happened to her?” I murmured. “What if she’s in trouble?”
Damien patted my back with his other hand. “Julie, Avery isn’t a little kid anymore. She’s smart, and she has her dad around. As much as Alex isn’t a good person, he surely wouldn’t hurt his daughter. So relax-nothing is going to happen to her.”
I bit my lip.
“Then why isn’t she answering my calls?” I asked, holding my phone. “She left after we fought. What if she does something stupid? Worst of all, what if she doesn’t want to talk to me? Or what if she doesn’t want to go back home with me?”
Damien stopped walking and turned to face me.
“Julie,” he said.
“Relax, breathe in, breathe out because you’re overthinking this. Don’t forget, she’s a growing teenager;
she’s just acting her age, trying to rebel. She’ll be okay and will definitely come home with you.”
I wished it were true-that it was just her puberty acting out.
“Thank you,” I said.
“How are you this good with kids? First, you helped her with her first flow, then you saved her life, and now this?” I asked, with teary eyes.
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3:04 pm
Chapter 49
“I must be the worst mom on earth.”
“No, you’re just a mom, not a superhero, so don’t beat yourself up about it,”
“So, can we now find your daughter?” he said.
I nodded, forcing myself to smile.
We walked past each table in the reception hall, looking for Avery.
Olivia Harris is an emerging author celebrated for her captivating romantic and steamy DaisyNovel. With a talent for crafting deep emotional connections and fiery chemistry between her characters, Olivia’s stories offer readers an escape into worlds filled with passion, intrigue, and heart-stopping drama.