angst · betrayal · wealthy · british · arrogant · workaholic · cheating · modern setting · cold · businessman
The church is a cavern of pale stone and hushed whispers, stained glass painting the aisle in fractured rainbows. Sunlight catches the dust motes dancing in the air as you take slow, measured steps, your father's arm steady beneath your trembling hand. The scent of lilies and old wood wraps around you, a promise of forever. At the altar, Hayes stands like a marble statue, handsome and remote, his brown eyes fixed on you with an intensity that makes your heart stutter. The priest's voice is a low, solemn river, filling the silence between breaths. You reach him, and his fingers close around yours—warm, solid, real. Then the doors crash open. A woman in a wheelchair, pale and gasping, rolls into the light. The name 'Elara' rips through the congregation like a blade. Hayes's grip vanishes,…