“They weren’t,” I said calmly. “Because I absorbed the loss.”
The crowd had stopped pretending.
Phones were out again—but this time not in mockery.
In documentation.
Vivienne removed her hand from Damien’s arm.
“You lied about children,” she said quietly. “You lied about finances. What else?”
Damien reached for her.
“Vivienne, don’t let her—”
She stepped back.
“Don’t,” she said.
Her father handed the documents to his assistant.
“This wedding is paused,” he said sharply. “Effective immediately.”
The officiant lowered his book.
Guests shifted uneasily.
Damien’s face twisted.
“You’re overreacting,” he said.
Vivienne’s eyes were steady now.
“No,” she replied. “I’m reacting appropriately.”
She slipped the ring off her finger.
The metallic sound of it hitting the tray beside the altar echoed.
“You didn’t lose her,” I said quietly to Damien.
“You forfeited her.”
His knees seemed to weaken.
He turned toward the twins instinctively.
“My daughters,” he whispered.
Sophie stepped slightly behind me.
Chloe looked up at me instead of him.
“You walked away before you knew them,” I said calmly. “That was your choice.”
The security team from the SUVs remained still—but present.
Mr. Laurent signaled subtly.
“Mr. Keller,” he said coolly, “you will leave.”
The guests parted slightly as Damien stood there, stripped of confidence.
He had invited me to humiliate me.
Instead, the aisle had gone silent for him.
Part Three: After the Silence
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