Chapter 29 Come With Me
Rebecca felt her entire body go numb as she made her way down the aisle. Realizing that the man she was supposed to marry, was the stranger she had been avoiding for the past weeks was the same man whose child she was carrying almost made her knees buckle again.
"Was this fate? Or was the universe just playing a wicked joke on her?" she thought as she drew closer to where he was standing.
A part of her wanted to laugh. Another part wanted to cry and just run away. But most of all, she felt a wave of confusion so strong that she could barely breathe.
Derek, on the other hand, stared at her with wide eyes. He had known he was getting married, but his grandfather had conveniently refused to tell him the identity of the bride for reasons he'd explained so conveniently well that even he, Derek had accepted not to know the identity of his bride.
And now, there she was. Rebecca. The woman he had turned down because his grandfather insisted he marry someone "suitable" for the family.
At first, he thought maybe Rebecca had known the entire time. But as she walked slowly toward him, her face pale and confused, he realized she was just as shocked as he was.
There was no recognition in her expression, no smugness, or anything that suggested this was planned. She looked like someone who had been dropped into a nightmare without warning.
Yet even in her confusion, she looked… breathtaking. Derek had always known she was beautiful, but seeing her in a wedding gown was something else entirely. Her face, her posture, her shaky nervousness and everything about her stirred something unfamiliar inside his chest.
Rebecca stopped in front of him, her hands trembling slightly. Neither of them spoke as they stood facing each other. The officiant took this as his cue to begin.
The ceremony moved quickly, far too quickly for Rebecca to catch her breath. Before she could fully grasp what was happening, it was time for her to recite her vows. Her voice shook as she spoke, but she did her best to remain composed. She had always been good at hiding her emotions.
After all, she'd been more than able to bear seeing Vanessa's stupid face every day despite what Vanessa did to her.
After saying her vows, it was Derek's turn to speak. Just as he opened his mouth to begin, the hall door was pushed open with a slam and everyone turned to look at the newcomer.
Liam marched in, his face twisted in anger, and he looked like a man who had been pushed past his limit. The guards at the door tried to stop him, but Derek’s grandfather raised a hand.
"Let him in," the old man said calmly, though a spark of annoyance flickered in his eyes.
Liam stormed down the aisle, pointing a shaking finger at Derek.
"So this is the bastard?" he shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the shocked hall. "This is the man you cheated on me with? This is why you broke up with me, Rebecca?"
Rebecca felt her blood turn cold. She had hoped that today would be drama-free, but it appears she'd only been deceiving herself.
Immediately after Liam said that, gasps filled the room.
“What do you mean?” Derek asked, trying to contain his anger.
Rebecca's face burned with humiliation, and she opened her mouth to deny it, but Derek's grandfather spoke before she could.
"Young man, do you have proof of what you’re accusing her of?" he asked.
Liam’s eyes blazed. "Proof? Ask Richard and ask Vanessa! They all knew. They were there the morning after her parents died when she came back home smelling like another man. Like she’d been with someone all night without remorse." His voice cracked with bitterness. "And now she’s doing the same thing again. Don’t let your grandson marry her. She will cheat on him just as she cheated on me."
Whispers filled the hall. People leaned closer together, murmuring, judging, and making assumptions.
Rebecca felt like her entire world was crumbling. But there was no way she was going to let this cheating bastard play the victim card.
“This woman, no matter how innocent she looks, she's nothing but an unrepentant cheat!” Liam spoke again.
Rebecca scoffed. “Me? A cheat? If I'm the cheat then what the hell are you?” she asked, glaring at him.
Liam stumbled back a little, taken aback by her question as he briefly wondered if she knew about him and Vanessa. But one look from Vanessa, he continued shouting.
“See? Now she's trying to lie her way out after cheating on me and moving on to the next available man!” he turned to Derek who had just been barely trying not to get angry and said, “You think she loves you? She doesn't. You're nothing but the next available man. One she can use and dump just as she did me.”
The moment Liam used the phrase "next available man," something snapped in Richard. The elderly man’s face hardened; he couldn't just stand there and watch someone accuse his nephew.
"Enough," he barked angrily before turning to the guards. "Escort him out. Now."
The bodyguards grabbed Liam, despite his attempts to resist, and dragged him toward the door. Even as he was being pushed out, he kept shouting Rebecca’s name and hurling accusations.
Rebecca stood frozen in place, her cheeks burning and her stomach twisted in knots. She wished she could shout and tell everyone here what Vanessa did but she couldn't. She'd be disgracing her family name.
At the back of the hall, Vanessa smiled to herself. She had spent sleepless nights thinking of how to thwart the marriage ceremony.
Just last night, Liam had brought up this brilliant idea, and it seemed to have worked; everything was going exactly how she wanted. Even though Rebecca had said something about Liam cheating, nobody would believe her now because they'd all think she'd just said that to defend herself. She thought as she looked at Liam who was being dragged out while she gave him the look that says you did well.
The moment the doors closed, the hall fell into a thick, uncomfortable silence.
The silence was broken by Mr. Hemsworth, who turned to face the officiant. "Excuse us for a moment," he said before looking at his grandson. "Derek, come with me."