"Joan!" Nola Lane darted out from behind Donovan Hale, trying to chase after Joan Shaw and explain, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"And now, if the new couple would please exchange their wedding rings..."
The officiant's words came from behind her, followed by a roar of applause, as if the earlier interruption had never happened.
Every step Joan Shaw took was a struggle. She staggered, on the verge of collapsing.
She didn't head for the helicopter. Instead, she wandered off in another direction, all alone, like some pathetic creature.
"Boss, she's walking off on her own," the assistant in the helicopter advised.
Miles Xavier glanced at the wedding ceremony outside the window and coolly commanded, "Send them a hefty cash gift. Put my name and Joan Shaw's on it."
"Yes, sir!"
—
The theme park was huge, and Joan Shaw wandered aimlessly, lost in her own heartbreak.
Tears streamed down her face, and she wiped them away.
