Chapter Four
Eliza's POV
For the next two days, Tessa kept sending me photos of her and Owen every chance she got.
First her hospital room, then a fancy restaurant, then the passenger seat of Owen's sports car.
In every single one, Owen was looking at her with the softest expression.
I didn't reply to any of them. Once I'd seen them, I blocked her.
The night before the wedding, Owen's best friend texted me out of nowhere.
[Eliza, Owen's just too stubborn to admit it. You're still the one he cares about most.]
[Come to the Summit Hotel tomorrow. He's gonna propose again in front of everyone and give you the wedding you missed!]
I smiled and texted back.
[Sure. I'll be there.]
Of course I'd be there.
My wedding to Damian was being held on the top floor of the Summit Hotel.
Not long after, a number I didn't recognize sent me a video.
In it, a few of Owen's buddies were red-faced from drinking and hyping him up.
"Owen, your fiancée really thinks she's something, huh? Looking like that and she's still giving you attitude?"
"For real. She's not even half as hot as Tessa!"
The camera shook, then finally landed on Owen.
He raised his glass and laughed, clearly drunk.
"I used to spoil her because she did what she was told. Now that she's stopped listening, it's time she learned her lesson."
"That's what I'm talking about! Now that's a real man!"
They all pounded the table laughing, then started hollering for him and Tessa to kiss right there.
I didn't watch the rest. I blocked that number too.
The next day, in the bridal suite on the top floor of the Summit Hotel, the makeup artist removed the freckles and the dull, sallow tone from my face one layer at a time.
When the last of my disguise came off, even the makeup artist couldn't stop staring.
I put on the diamond-covered dress the Carringtons had sent, along with the sapphire necklace Eleanor had given me.
Meanwhile, down on the hotel's second floor, Owen had filled the entire ballroom with roses. It was supposed to be a party for Tessa, but he couldn't stop watching the door, too restless to sit still.
Tessa had her arm through his and spoke to him gently.
"Don't worry. She'll be here."
But an hour went by, and I never showed up.
The hope on Owen's face slowly turned into irritation.
He was about to lose it when the hotel manager rushed in, drenched in sweat.
"Mr. Holloway, I'm sorry, but I really need you to wrap this up right away!"
"The Carrington wedding is happening on the top floor today. Everyone who's anyone in New York is here. If any of this bothers the guests upstairs, I'm out of a job!"
Tessa froze for a moment, then leaned in and whispered in Owen's ear.
"Why don't we go up and take a look? If Eliza was telling the truth, we should at least go congratulate her."
Owen sneered. "Yeah, right. Come on, let's go see for ourselves."
He took Tessa and his buddies up to the top floor.
When they reached the ballroom doors, he pulled out his phone and sent me a voice message.
"Eliza, quit pretending. The Carringtons are having their wedding today. I already know you lied."
"You've got ten minutes to get over here. Do that, and I'll act like none of this ever happened."
He'd barely sent it when the two heavy doors in front of him slowly swung open.
The lights came up, and I walked out in that dress with every eye in the room on me.
This time, I didn't hide my face.
Owen, standing just outside, looked like he was rooted to the spot.
He stared at my face, then at a figure he knew better than anyone's, and it took him a long time to get a word out.
"Eliza...? No... There's no way..."
Then he lunged at me like a madman.
But he was still ten feet away when several bodyguards in black tackled him and pinned him to the floor.
Behind me, a man spoke, his voice low and cold.
"Where'd this trash come from? And who said it could get in my wife's way?"
