The officiant's voice carried through the ballroom with practiced solemnity. "If anyone here has reason why these two should not be joined in matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."The traditional pause followed, usually nothing more than a formality, a brief silence before moving forward with the vows.James stood.The sound of his movement rippled through the crowd like a stone dropped in still water. Three hundred heads turned as one. Gasps echoed off the crystal chandeliers.Sophia's face cycled through emotions in rapid succession: shock, fury, and finally something that looked dangerously close to fear. "James, what are you—""I object," James said calmly, his voice carrying without needing to shout.Simon laughed, but it came out strangled, desperate. "This is ridiculous. Security, we have a jealous ex-husband disrupting—""I have evidence," James interrupted, reaching into his jacket. He pulled out a manila folder, thick with documents. "Evidence that the groom is m

The bridal suite felt like a mausoleum. Elena helped guide Sophia through the door while Margaret fussed with the train of the wedding dress that would never fulfill its purpose. Sophia moved like a sleepwalker, her body present but her mind somewhere far away.Then her knees buckled.Elena caught her before she hit the floor, lowering her onto the velvet settee. Sophia's hands came up to cover her face, and the sound that came out was something between a sob and a scream."Sweetheart, I know this is hard—" Margaret started."Hard?" Sophia's head snapped up, mascara streaking down her cheeks in black rivers. "This is hard? I just got humiliated in front of three hundred people! My wedding became a circus! Everyone saw—everyone knows—""We'll handle this," Margaret said firmly. "We'll release a statement. Your publicist can spin this as—""Spin this?" Sophia laughed, the sound broken and bitter. "How do you spin 'actress so desperate she almost married a con artist'? How do you spin 't

James turned back slowly. Sophia's face was a mixture of hope and fear, mascara still streaking her cheeks, wedding dress crumpled from hours of emotional devastation."You're right," he said, his voice steady. "You made a mistake. But it wasn't leaving me, Sophia. It was how you treated me while we were together."Sophia flinched as if struck."You criticized my cooking every single morning, even though I woke up early to make your favorite meals." James's tone wasn't cruel, just factual, like he was reading a list. "You excluded me from industry events because you said I'd embarrass you. You introduced me as 'just my husband' like I was an afterthought.""James—""You called me a substitute for Simon. To my face. Multiple times." He took a step closer, and Sophia had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. "You didn't just stop loving me, Sophia. You stopped seeing me as human."Sophia opened her mouth to defend herself, then closed it. What could she say? Every word was true. Every a

James stood frozen, the scattered needles at his feet forgotten. His mind struggled to process Harrison's words, each one landing like a physical blow. *Your grandfather. William Thorne. Your grandfather.*Elena's hand found his arm, steadying him. "James?"He couldn't speak. Couldn't move. The room felt too small and too large at the same time.Harrison's voice broke through the fog. "Forty years ago, William Thorne saved my life using that exact same technique you just performed. I was dying—hemorrhaging internally after a car accident. Every doctor told my family to prepare for my funeral." He paused, drawing a shaky breath. "Then this man appeared at my hospital room. Older, weathered, with hands that moved like yours. He spent three hours with needles and herbs, and by morning, the bleeding had stopped. I never forgot him."James finally found his voice. "Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he say he was my grandfather?""Because he was protecting you," Harrison said. "The Thorne f

The villa was quiet when they arrived, the kind of silence that felt heavy after the chaos of Harrison's near-death and the revelations that followed. Elena unlocked the door and stepped aside, letting James enter first.He moved through the space like a ghost, his mind clearly elsewhere. Elena had seen him composed under pressure, steady during medical emergencies, even calm when facing Sophia's cruelty. But now, standing in her living room with his shoulders tight and his jaw clenched, he looked like a man barely holding himself together."Sit," Elena said gently, guiding him to the couch. "I'll make tea."James didn't argue, which told her more about his state of mind than words could. He sank into the cushions and stared at his hands—the same hands that had just saved Harrison's life, that performed medical miracles, that carried secrets he'd never asked for.Elena prepared the tea in silence, giving him space to breathe. When she returned, two steaming cups in hand, James still h