"Oh, you're too rough~" her voice cooed from the speakers. "You'll hurt our baby… We're counting on him to inherit all of Mark's assets someday."
"I know, little darling~ I just can't hold back anymore~"
A sharp electric buzz interrupted the feed, and the video was abruptly cut off.
In the silence that followed, Chloe stood frozen, her face drained of color, her legs trembling.
Then came the chorus of gasps, murmurs, and stifled laughter from the stunned wedding guests. Whispers turned to mockery.
In a blind fit of rage, Chloe turned on me, her eyes bloodshot. "Clara! You bitch! How dare you humiliate me like this?!"
She lunged toward me, fingers curled like claws, ready to attack.
But before she could even reach me—
SMACK!
Mark slapped her across the face, so hard that her head snapped to the side.
Chloe reeled back, her bravado instantly shattered. Panic flashed in her eyes. She stumbled and clutched at the hem of his suit, crying hysterically.
"Mark, I didn't do it! I swear! She's setting me up! I'm innocent!"
But Mark merely looked at her coldly and said in a voice devoid of emotion, "I played the video myself."
His words silenced the entire room.
Chloe stared at him in disbelief, her face crumbling. "You… What?"
Her gaze flicked from me to him and back, eyes wide with tears. "This video—Clara gave it to you, didn't she?! You actually believe her over me?"
"This video is fake! It's clearly edited! She's trying to ruin me!"
Mark's lips curled into a sneer. "Is that so? Then you won't mind taking a paternity test—for the child you claim to be carrying."
That single sentence broke her completely.
Her body swayed, and her eyes lost focus. Her voice cracked as she whispered, "So you knew all along…"
"You proposed to me… You announced this wedding… just to destroy me in public?"
When Mark didn't answer, the truth hit her like a landslide.
Her expression twisted into desperation and fury. "Mark, do you think Clara will come back to you after this?!"
"You were the one who crossed the line with me! You were the one who let her go!"
"You drove her out into the storm! You killed her baby! She'll never forgive you!"
Her scream echoed through the venue, but no one moved to help her.
Mark clenched his jaw, his eyes burning. "Security. Get her out."
Two guards approached, grabbing Chloe by the arms as she kicked and screamed, hurling curses at everyone.
Thus, the chaotic, scandalous wedding ended in disgrace.
After the crowd dispersed, Mark approached me, sincerity in his eyes for the first time.
"I'm sorry, Clara," he said softly. "If she hadn't lied to me… if she hadn't twisted everything, I would've never gotten so angry. I would've never thrown you out."
He paused, his voice breaking. "And our baby…"
I held up a hand and cut him off coldly. "Enough. Don't bring up the past."
"If you're done talking, I need to go. My fiancé is waiting for me."
Without giving him a second look, I turned and walked away with no regrets.
Later on, I heard that the spectacle Mark caused at the wedding became a laughingstock in the business world. His credibility plummeted, and the shareholders—alarmed by his instability—unanimously voted to remove him from his position as chairman.
Meanwhile, I was thousands of miles away, walking along a sunlit beach in Greece with Ethan. We were on our honeymoon.
Happiness, I've come to learn, is fragile and fleeting.
And so, more than anything, we must cherish the ones who are truly there for us—before it's too late.