Chapter 54 JC DISASTER

Chapter 54 JC DISASTER
The silence in the room was so heavy you could literally hear the bubbles in my sparkling water popping. My mom was looking back and forth between us like she was watching a tennis match, but Rowan and I were just frozen. JC looked like she had seen a ghost, and Rowan’s face had gone from happy groom-to-be to totally stone-faced in two seconds.

I could feel the energy shift. This wasn't just a "small world" moment. This was a "the universe is glitching" moment.

"Mom," I said, my voice sounding way sharper than I intended. "Can you give us a second? Like, actually, can you go check on that chocolate cake or something? We need to talk to JC. Privately."

My mom looked confused, her eyebrows basically hitting her hairline. "Althea, baby, is everything okay? Is the cake not good?"

"Mom, please. Just five minutes," I begged.

She looked at Rowan, then back at me, and shrugged. "Okay... I’ll be in the kitchen. Don't take too long, the frosting is at peak perfection." She walked out, and the second the door clicked shut, the air in the room got even colder.

JC finally seemed to find her voice. She straightened her blazer, trying to get her "boss" vibe back, but her hands were still shaking. She looked at Rowan with this weird mix of regret and total saltiness.

"Nice to meet you, Rowan," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I guess... it's been a while."

Rowan’s jaw was so tight I thought his teeth might actually crack. "Nice to meet you too, JC. I didn't realize you were the 'expert' Isabella was talking about."

JC let out a dry, hollow laugh. She turned her attention to me, and her eyes went from cold to straight-up wicked. "I hope you’re ready for the big day, Althea. Though, if I were you, I’d keep a pair of running shoes under that wedding dress."

I blinked. "Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?"

JC leaned against the table, a nasty grin spreading across her face. "I just hope he won’t leave his bride-to-be at the altar. Again."

The world literally stopped spinning. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I turned slowly to look at Rowan, who was staring at the floor, his face pale.

"What?" I whispered. "What did she just say?"

Rowan didn't answer immediately. He looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"You’ve been married before?" I asked, my voice rising. "And you didn’t tell me? Rowan, we just got engaged! You let me say yes without telling me you literally left someone at the altar?"

"Oops," JC chirped, looking way too happy about the drama she just dropped. "My bad. I totally thought you would have told your fiancée about our... little history. You know, the part where I was standing there in a five-figure dress and you just never showed up?"

She was grinning now, enjoying every bit of the chaos. She looked at me with this "poor you" expression that made me want to scream. "I guess some things never change. He’s still the same guy who keeps secrets until they blow up in his face."

At that point, I couldn't even look at the chocolate cake. Everything felt poisoned. My stomach was in knots, and my head was spinning with a million questions. Was I just another girl he was going to ghost when things got real?

My mom walked back in right then, probably sensing the vibes were totally rancid. "Is everything okay? Why is everyone standing so far apart?"

"Mom," I said, grabbing my bag. "We are not using JC. Absolutely not. Never. Please get your money back from her right now."

My mom looked shocked. "What? But Althea, she’s the best! The deposit was—"

"I don't care about the deposit!" I snapped. "Fire her. Now."

JC’s grin vanished. She crossed her arms and looked at my mom. "Actually, Isabella, the contract is very clear. The deposit is 100% non-refundable. That’s a lot of money to just throw away because your daughter is having a little tantrum."

I turned to JC, my eyes narrowed. I was done being nice. "Eat it," I said. "Keep the money. Consider it payment for the therapy I’m going to need after dealing with you for ten minutes. Just get out of my sight."

"What’s with the attitude?" JC said, acting all innocent. "I only told the truth. If you can't handle your man’s past, that’s a 'you' problem, not a 'me' problem."

I didn't even wait for her to finish. I stormed out of the house, my heels clicking loudly on the driveway. I needed air. I needed to be as far away from Rowan and his secret life as possible.

By the time I reached the end of the driveway, the sky had turned a dark, bruised purple. A second later, the clouds literally broke open. It wasn't just raining; it was pouring. I was getting soaked in seconds, my hair getting ruined, my clothes sticking to my skin, but I didn't care. I just kept walking.

I heard a car crawling along beside me. It was Rowan’s. He rolled down the window, looking desperate.

"Althea, please! Get in the car. It’s pouring. We need to talk."

"Go away, Rowan!" I shouted over the sound of the rain. "Go find another altar to stand next to. I’m done!"

"Babe, just listen to me for one second!"

"No! You lied! Or you didn't tell me, which is basically the same thing!"

I kept walking, shivering as the cold rain drenched me. Suddenly, the car stopped. Rowan hopped out, not even caring that he was getting soaked too. He ran up to me, and before I could even protest, he swept me off my feet.

"Hey! Put me down!" I yelled, kicking my legs.

He didn't say a word. He just carried me like a baby in his arms, his grip firm and steady. He walked over to the passenger side, opened the door, and tucked me into the seat. He shut the door before I could jump back out and ran around to the driver’s side.

He sat there for a second, dripping wet, breathing hard. The sound of the rain hitting the roof of the car was deafening.

"Just listen to me, Althea," he said, his voice cracking. "Please. Just give me five minutes to explain."

I hugged myself, shaking from the cold and the anger. "You’d better have a really good reason, Rowan. Because right now, I’m looking at you and I don’t even know who you are. Why would you leave a woman on the altar? Do you have any idea how messed up that is? That’s some villain-level behavior."

Rowan turned to look at me, his eyes dark and full of a pain I hadn't seen before. He looked like he was haunted by something way bigger than just a failed relationship.

"If you knew what she did," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, "you would know that I was justified. I didn't just leave because I got cold feet, Althea. I left because that woman deserves to be jailed for life."

I froze. My anger was still there, but it was suddenly covered in a layer of pure shock. "Jailed? Rowan, what are you talking about? What did she do?"

He just stared out the windshield into the pouring rain, his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were white.

"I can't even say it out loud yet," he muttered. "But believe me... she is not the victim in this story."

I sat back in the seat, the rain blurring the world outside, realizing that the "wedding of the century" was the least of my problems. I was about to find out exactly who I was about to marry—and what kind of monster he had been running from.