Chapter 3 - The Broken Vows
The silence that followed Ethan's declaration was deafening.
Senator Hastings, who had walked down from Table 1 to see what was delaying his daughter’s wedding, stepped into the circle. His face was red with frustration. "Ethan, what is the meaning of this? Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"Senator," Eleanor tried to intervene, her voice high and panicked. "Please, let us handle this family matter privately—"
"Family matter?" Senator Hastings cut her off sharply. "My daughter is standing here in a wedding dress while your son is staring at three illegitimate children from his ex-wife! If this gets out to the media, it will ruin my campaign!"
"They are not illegitimate," Ethan said, his voice rising with a strength I hadn't heard from him in half a decade. "They are my sons, Senator. Look at them! Look at their faces!"
"Ethan!" Caroline shrieked, tears finally spilling over her heavy bridal makeup. "Are you seriously doing this right now?! Today is supposed to be about US!"
"I didn't know, Caroline!" Ethan shouted back, his composure finally breaking. "I didn't know she was pregnant when she left! I didn't know I had three sons!"
"And whose fault is that?!" I chimed in, my voice icy calm, contrasting sharply with their drama. "You were too cowardly to look me in the eye when your mother forced me out, Ethan. You chose your family's empire over your marriage. Don't play the grieving father now."
Caleb tugged on my dress. "Mama, my ears hurt from the shouting."
"I know, baby," I said, crouching down to rub his back. "We're leaving soon."
"You're not going anywhere, Maya," Ethan pleaded, reaching out toward me, though he refrained from touching my shoulder. "Please. We need to talk about this. Privately. In the house."
"We have nothing to talk about, Ethan," I said, standing back up. "You’re getting married today. Remember? You have a senator's daughter waiting for you at the altar, and your mother spent millions arranging this fairytale. Go get married."
"He isn't marrying anyone today!" Senator Hastings roared, grabbing Caroline’s wrist. "Caroline, we are leaving. The Hastings family will not be dragged into the mud by the Montgomerys!"
"Dad, no!" Caroline cried, trying to pull away. "Ethan, tell him! Tell him you'll fix this!"
Ethan didn't look at Caroline. He was staring at Liam, Noah, and Caleb.
"I can't marry you, Caroline," Ethan said quietly.
Eleanor gasped, stumbling back into one of her security guards. "Ethan! No! Do you have any idea what you're throwing away?! The merger with the Hastings Group is the only thing that can save our European holdings!"
Ah. There it was.
The real reason for the grand wedding. The Montgomery empire was crumbling behind its gilded walls, just as my intelligence reports had indicated. They needed the Hastings political influence and capital injection to survive.
A small, cruel smile touched my lips.
"It seems your grand plan fell apart, Eleanor," I said softly. "You invited me here to watch me crawl. You wanted to humiliate the girl from the wrong side of the tracks."
I stepped closer to Eleanor, looking her dead in the eye.
"You thought I was nothing without the Montgomery name," I whispered. "But the truth is, the Montgomery name is nothing without my sons. And you will never, ever touch them."
I turned to my boys. "Liam, Noah, Caleb. Tuxedos straight, hands together. We're going home."
"Maya, wait!" Ethan took a step forward, but two of Senator Hastings’ bodyguards moved in to block his path as the Senator dragged a screaming Caroline toward the estate exit.
I didn't look back. I led my three sons up the center aisle, past the stunned elite of Chicago, through the wrought-iron gates, and back into the waiting black SUV.
May you like
As the heavy door clicked shut, Liam looked up at me. "Mama, is that man really our daddy?"
I smoothed his dark hair, my heart swelling with love. "He was half of where you came from, Liam. But he isn't your family. I am."
