CHAPTER 2 The Groom Who Ran
"What did you just say?"
Grant's voice was barely a whisper.
Claire looked at her daughter and smiled.
"I said I just gave birth."
The noise from the church disappeared completely.
Grant felt his pulse hammering against his ribs.
A baby.
A newborn baby.
His mind raced through dates, memories, and accusations.
Six months ago, during the divorce proceedings, he had stood in court and declared that Claire could never give him a child.
He had used it as one more reason to leave.
One more reason to justify his affair.
One more weapon.
And now—
A baby was crying through the phone.
"Whose child is it?" he demanded.
Claire laughed softly.
For the first time in years, she sounded free.
"Goodbye, Grant."
The line went dead.
Grant stared at his phone.
The church doors opened behind him.
Guests turned toward the entrance.
The wedding coordinator hurried over.
"Mr. Kingsley, everyone is waiting."
But Grant couldn't move.
His hands shook.
His lawyer's words suddenly echoed in his head.
"The conception date overlaps with the final months of your marriage."
At the time he hadn't cared.
Now he cared.
Desperately.
Inside the church, Sienna waited in a custom-made wedding gown worth more than most people's annual salary.
The orchestra began playing.
The guests stood.
The doors remained closed.
Five minutes passed.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Then someone saw Grant running down the church steps.
Still wearing his tuxedo.
Still wearing his wedding boutonniere.
Jumping into a black car.
Leaving his bride at the altar.
The story exploded across Manhattan before sunset.
By the time Grant reached Lenox Hill Hospital, reporters were already asking why one of New York's richest men had abandoned his own wedding.
But Grant didn't care.
He only wanted one answer.
Was the baby his?
Meanwhile, in the bridal suite, Sienna's perfect smile finally cracked.
She watched the livestream chaos unfold.
Then her phone rang.
It was Grant's chief financial officer.
His voice sounded terrified.
"Miss Vale... we have a problem."
"What problem?"
"The board just received anonymous documents."
A pause.
Then:
"Documents proving you accessed Claire Whitmore's private medical records during her marriage."
Sienna froze.
Color drained from her face.
The documents she thought had been erased.
The evidence she thought nobody would ever find.
May you like
Someone had just exposed everything.
And the board was demanding an emergency meeting.
