Chapter 4

Two days later, the hospital room door swung open and Ethan Miller walked in. He was wearing a new, expensive-looking suit and a smug expression. He looked me up and down, taking in the cast and the bandages, a smirk playing on his lips.

"O' Connell. Heard you had a bit of a fender bender," he said, his tone dripping with false sympathy.

"Get out," I said, my voice low and steady.

He ignored me, sauntering further into the room. "Chloe feels terrible, you know. She' s just very sensitive. The stress of the wedding, your... aggressive driving. It was all too much for her."

"Get out, Ethan."

He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "Look, I' m not here to fight. I' m here because Chloe is worried about you. And about the wedding. She wants to know if you' re still going through with it."

I stared at him. The audacity was breathtaking.

"She sent you? Her pimp? To ask me that?"

Ethan' s smirk faltered. "Hey, watch your mouth. Chloe and I have a history. We were high school sweethearts. We were meant to be together before you came along with your big bank account and played the white knight."

He said it with such conviction, as if I were the villain in their great love story.

"You left her with a mountain of debt and went chasing poker games across the country. That' s the history I know," I shot back.

"Details, details," he waved a dismissive hand. "The point is, we' re back together now. But Chloe... she' s practical. That wedding is paid for. The venue, the caterers. It would be a shame to let all that money go to waste." He smiled, a truly predatory smile. "Like a peacock showing off its feathers, you' ve already put on the big display. Might as well finish the show."

I couldn' t believe what I was hearing. He was insulting me to my face, in my hospital room, while I was lying there broken.

Just then, the door opened again. It was Chloe, followed by her mother, Susan. Chloe was wearing a new dress, her hair perfectly styled. She rushed to my bedside, her face a mask of practiced worry.

"Liam! Oh, honey, you look awful!" she cried, reaching for my hand.

I pulled it away.

Her face hardened for a split second before she turned to Ethan. "What did you say to him?"

Before he could answer, she slapped me.

A hard, stinging slap across my face.

"How dare you!" she screamed, her voice shrill. "How dare you upset Ethan! He came here out of the goodness of his heart to check on you, and you treat him like this! You' re a monster, Liam!"

The few other patients and nurses in the hallway turned to stare. Whispers broke out.

"Did you see that? She slapped him."

"He' s the one in the hospital bed. What could he have done?"

"She' s yelling about him being a monster. Maybe he deserved it."

Susan Davis immediately stepped forward, playing her part perfectly. She put a comforting arm around Chloe. "There, there, my poor baby. Don' t get upset. He' s not worth it. He' s always had a temper."

She turned her venomous gaze on me. "Liam O' Connell, I am so disappointed in you. After everything we' ve done for you, making you a part of our family, this is how you repay us? By hurting my daughter' s feelings?"

The world felt like it was tilting on its axis. They were the ones who had betrayed me, used me, injured me, and now they were standing here, in public, painting me as the abuser.

"Your daughter crashed the car, Susan," I said, my voice shaking with rage. "She grabbed the wheel."

"Lies!" Chloe shrieked. "He was driving like a maniac! He was yelling at me! I was terrified for my life!"

"Ethan is a gambler and a con artist," I said, looking directly at Chloe. "He' s using you for my money. The ten thousand dollars from last month? I tracked it. It didn' t go to any loan sharks. It went directly to the Bellagio' s casino cage in Vegas."

Chloe' s face went white.

But Ethan just laughed. "You think she cares? She knows who I am. The difference between you and me, O' Connell, is that she actually loves me. You' re just the guy who pays the bills."

"That' s enough!" Chloe shouted, turning on me again. "If you don' t apologize to Ethan right now, the wedding is off! I mean it!"

She was threatening me. Threatening me with the very thing I now wanted more than anything in the world. The end of us.

I looked at her tear-streaked, furious face. I looked at Ethan' s smug grin. I looked at Susan' s greedy, judgmental eyes.

And I felt a sudden, profound sense of peace. The struggle was over. The delusion was shattered.

I reached over to the bedside table and picked up the thick binder my assistant had brought me. It was the complete wedding plan. Every contract, every deposit, every detail I had meticulously arranged.

I held it up for her to see.

Then, I let it drop to the floor.

"Fine," I said, my voice clear and cold. "It' s off."