Mitchell’s expression shifted from shock to fury. He grabbed Bethany’s wrist tightly, his jaw. clenched as he demanded, “Why is it you? Where’s Heather?”
Bethany gasped, trying to pull her hand free. She feigned confusion, her voice dripping with faux innocence. “Mitchell, what are you talking about? We already got our marriage certificate, so of course I’m the bride. Everyone’s watching. Don’t make a scene.”
But Mitchell ignored her attempts to calm him. His gaze was fixed on the wedding ring on her finger. It should have been Heather’s ring, but now it was on Bethany’s hand.
Mitchell’s grip tightened as he forcibly yanked the ring off her finger. Heather’s ring, which should have fit her delicate finger, was now cutting into Bethany’s, leaving a red mark from just this brief moment.
The people in the audience, all of whom were from Kennethville’s elite, started murmuring as they watched the scène unfold.
Vanessa caught her husband, Ryder Bennett’s, eye and stood up, walking toward Mitchell. Mitchell, calm down. We’ll sort this out after the ceremony…”
Everyone tried to urge him to stay calm, but Mitchell felt like he was on the verge of losing control. His heart raced, and his body trembled with anxiety.
It wasn’t until then that he noticed the large screen behind him. The images playing weren’t of him and Heather in their wedding photos, but of him and Bethany. These were the photos Bethany had insisted on taking after he had agreed to marry her.
One photo after another flashed across the screen. Mitchell’s mind suddenly raced back to Heather’s last message to him.
[I can’t wait for you to see the surprise I’ve prepared for the opening of the wedding.]
His heart skipped a beat, the tight cord in him snapping completely.
Now everything made sense–Heather’s surprise was this moment, the one he was experiencing right now.
Bethany moved closer to him, her grip
