I pressed the phone to my ear. The line rang twice before dropping to voicemail.
"Pick up, Kael," I muttered to the empty room.
Nothing.
I tossed the device onto the kitchen island of our shared penthouse. The silence in the massive apartment felt suffocating. Just hours ago, I imagined walking through these doors as his wife. Now, I was just the punchline to a cruel joke.
I walked into his study, looking for any clue. My eyes landed on his charcoal gray jacket, the one he wore to the rehearsal dinner, draped carelessly over the leather armchair.
A white slip of paper peeked from the inner pocket.
I pulled it out and unfolded the crisp sheet. It was a medical record from City General Hospital.
*Patient: Serena Miller.*
*Condition: Acute Myocardial Infarction.*
*Admission Date:* Today.
The paper crumpled in my fist. Serena.
Kael’s first love. The woman who broke his heart five years ago and fled to Europe. He swore he was over her. He promised me she was just a ghost.
Apparently, ghosts could still ruin weddings.
I didn't bother calling my driver. I grabbed my keys and drove straight to City General.
The VIP cardiology wing was eerily quiet. I bypassed the nurses' station and marched down the sterile corridor, scanning the room numbers until I found 412.
I pushed the door open.
Kael sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He was leaning forward, his large hands gently cradling a pale, fragile hand.
The woman in the bed looked like a porcelain doll. Serena.
"So this is the board meeting," I said.
Kael’s head snapped up. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before hardening into a glare. He gently placed Serena’s hand back on the blanket and stood.
"Evelyn," he hissed, stepping toward me. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." I held up the crumpled medical record. "You left me standing at the altar for this?"
"Keep your voice down," he demanded, glancing back at the bed. "She needs rest."
"I needed my groom!"
"It was a life-or-death emergency."
"You couldn't send a text? You couldn't have your assistant call me?" I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. "You let me stand in front of three hundred people, waiting for a man who was never going to show up."
Serena shifted on the pillows. She let out a weak, raspy cough.
"Kael?" she murmured. Her eyelids fluttered open. She stared at me, her gaze wide and perfectly innocent. "Is this... is this your fiancée?"
"Go back to sleep, Serena," Kael said softly, his tone shifting from ice to velvet.
"I'm so sorry," Serena whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't know today was your wedding. I just... I couldn't breathe. Kael was the only emergency contact I had left."
I let out a sharp, unexpected laugh. The sound bounced off the cold hospital walls.
Kael frowned. "What is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me?" I pointed at the woman in the bed. "She just happened to have a heart attack at the exact hour we were supposed to say our vows? And you bought that?"
"Are you listening to yourself?" Kael’s jaw clamped tight. "Her parents died in a plane crash last month. She has no family. No one else to rely on. She nearly died this morning, Evelyn."
"So you rushed to play the hero."
"I rushed to save a friend's life."
"She’s not just a friend, Kael. Stop lying to my face."
"Miss Thorne, please," Serena whimpered. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't be angry with him. It's my fault. I'll leave the hospital right now. I don't want to ruin your relationship."
She made a pathetic attempt to sit up, clutching her chest as if the movement caused her agonizing pain.
Kael rushed to her side, pressing a firm hand against her shoulder to keep her down. "Don't move. You're straining your heart."
He turned his head and shot me a look of pure disgust.
"Look at her, Evelyn. She is sick and completely alone. Have you no empathy?"
"Empathy?" My chest tightened. "My father was ready to destroy your entire company today because you humiliated me. I begged him to give you twenty-four hours to explain. I fought for you."
"Then go back and tell Dominic Thorne to do his worst," Kael snapped. "I don't care about the company right now. I care that a woman almost died, and my so-called future wife is throwing a tantrum out of jealousy."
The words hit me like a physical strike.
Three years of hiding my true background, three years of supporting his ambitions, cooking his meals, and playing the supportive partner. All erased in an afternoon because his ex-girlfriend shed a tear.
"A tantrum," I repeated, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"You're being completely unreasonable," Kael said. He didn't even look at me. His attention remained fixed on the heart monitor next to Serena's bed. "I will not let you stand here and harass a patient."
"I am your fiancée!"
"Right now, you are acting like a spoiled brat."
Serena let out a soft sob, burying her face in the pillows. "Kael, make it stop. My chest hurts."
"I'll handle it," he promised her.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed a button.
"Mark," Kael ordered into the receiver. "Get in here."
Within seconds, his head bodyguard walked through the door. Mark took one look at me and hesitated.
"Sir?"
"Escort Miss Thorne out of the building," Kael commanded.
"Kael, you can't be serious," I said, my nails digging into my palms.
"Take her home, Mark. If she refuses to leave, carry her out."
Mark stepped toward me, his expression apologetic but firm. "Please, Miss Thorne. Let's go."
I refused to move. I locked eyes with the man I loved.
"If you throw me out of this room," I warned him, "there is no coming back from this. The wedding is off. We are done."
Kael finally met my gaze. There was no hesitation in his eyes. No regret.
"Get out, Evelyn."
I turned on my heel and walked out the door before Mark could touch me. My vision blurred as I marched down the hallway, the sterile smell of the hospital making my stomach churn.
I pushed through the exit doors into the cool evening air.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out.
It was a text message from an unknown number, containing a single photo.
I tapped the screen.
It was a picture of Kael and Serena, taken just moments ago. He was kissing her forehead.
Below the image was a short message: *He always belonged to me. Check your bank accounts, Evelyn.*
My blood ran cold. I immediately opened my banking app, and the screen flashed an error.
*Account frozen.*
Kael hadn't just left me at the altar. He was stealing my money.
