Dammit!
“I’m sorry we’re –” Her eyes focused on the person entering the shop and she could have sworn her heart stopped for a fraction of a second.
You have got to be shitting me, as if this day couldn’t have gotten any worse!
Squaring her shoulders she glared at the person whose body was framed in the store entrance.
“What are you doing here?”
Three Weeks Ago – Genevieve “I’m sorry Genevieve, but I just can’t go through with it,” Alex Cane stated, looking more uncomfortable than Genevieve had ever seen him – though she supposed breaking up with her on their wedding day, while she stood before him in her wedding dress would make anyone uncomfortable. Even her slick, rising-star defense attorney fiancé wasn’t immune to the shame of the heinous way he was breaking up with her.
“Is there someone else?”
He shook his head, but she saw it in his eyes. There was.
“We’ve been together since high school, Ginny. Since we were seventeen.”
“Exactly, eight years, Alex!” She wasn’t sure what she felt more upset by, humiliation or anger. The emotions switched up every few seconds, but currently, it was anger winning out, causing her body to vibrate with the emotions.
He stepped forward and grasped her upper arms in his hands, but she stepped away from him, batting his hands away. She didn’t want him near her, or touching her. Never again.
“It’s better this happen now than getting a divorce in a year’s time.”
“So you chose our wedding day to decide this!”
“I wanted to make sure.”
She shook her head. “You selfish asshole. How dare you!”
He sighed, taking a step back from her. “I’m sorry. I can… I’ll go down and tell the guests the wedding is off.”
Genevieve’s emerald green eyes widened in alarm. Oh my God, the guests!
Everyone is downstairs. Waiting.
“Don’t do me any favours!” she spat, venom in her tone. “Allow me.” The anger within her increased as she pushed past him with so much force he stumbled backward a step, and out the door. She raced down the hallway and down the stairs heading toward the chapel, Alex in hot pursuit.
“Ginny, hold on. Wait!”
At the bottom of the staircase he caught up with her, grasping her arm and stopping her from proceeding into the chapel. “Let go of me Alex, or I swear to God!” Her hands fisted at her sides. She wanted to hit something… she wanted to hit him! But she didn’t. She didn’t want this day turning into more of a fiasco than it already was.
Seeing the rage in her eyes, Alex released her, allowing her to continue to the chapel. “I can do this,” he protested from behind her. He was following, but at a safe distance.
She ignored him. She’d tell everyone herself. Knowing Alex, the weasel that he was, he’d somehow make it sound like breaking off the wedding was her idea. She refused to take any blame for this.
“Everybody,” she called out to the half-full church. Not everyone had arrived yet, but there were close to two hundred of the three hundred guests invited already seated and mingling.
Every head turned toward her, their eyes questioning.
“Everyone. I have an announcement to make.” She made her way to the altar and turned to face the crowd. The priest for the ceremony looked up from his notes, his brow furrowed, but said nothing. Their friends and family, all waiting, all shocked to see her in her wedding dress standing in front of them before the ceremony.
Alex lingered at the back, keeping his eyes averted. Coward.
“Everyone. Alex has informed me that after eight years together, he no longer wants to be with me.” Gasps and murmurs erupted within the church. “Apparently he wants to explore other possibilities and has just recently made this decision.
And I guess our wedding day felt like the right time to inform me.” The crowd’s stares shifted from her to Alex, and back to her.
She was humiliated, but at the same time, she wanted him to feel part of this humiliation and by the redness in his face as he sulked at the back of the church, she was certain he got a small part of what he deserved.
Alex’s mother leapt from her seat and she hurried over to her son; his father followed behind. A look of shame and disappointment was evident in both their expressions.
She looked to her own parents and her older brother. She could see her parents were still trying to digest the information, but her brother Brian had already processed it and by the look of fury in his dark eyes as he stood and began to make his way down the aisle toward Alex, she knew what he intended to do. He and Alex had been friends up until that moment, but Genevieve was his baby sister and he was nothing if not protective.
A part of her wanted to see Alex hurting, like she hurt, but not like this. Her wedding had already become a circus; she didn’t want it to turn into a brawl in addition. Kicking off her shoes she raced barefoot down the aisle in pursuit of Brian, but she wasn’t quick enough. Brian grabbed her former fiancé by the front of the shirt, pushed him against the wall and slammed his fist into the other man’s jaw.
Brian’s hand pulled back a second time and his fist again made contact. Alex slumped against the wall, his knees buckling under him. Brian was about to hit him a third time when Genevieve grabbed his arm, stopping him.
“Don’t Brian. Please.”
Brian looked over his shoulder and caught her gaze, indecision filling his eyes.
“He’s not worth it. Just take me home. Please.” Genevieve held her breath, waiting.
Brian looked back at Alex, hesitated, and after what felt like an endless second released him. “Fine.”
They both looked down at Alex, his nose and lip bleeding, cowering on the floor. His mother had begun fussing over him, but when she looked up and her eyes locked with Genevieve’s there was only sympathy. Alex had such a wonderful family, they’d welcomed her into the fold and treated her as if she were their own. She was going to miss them and she was sure they would feel the same.
She and Alex had been and should be perfect together; this made no sense. But it was.
“He’s not worth it anyhow,” Brian growled, placing an arm around her waist and ushering her away “No, Brian, he’s not.”
Once they were out of ear and eyeshot of the onlookers, Brian stopped and pulled a handkerchief from his suit jacket pocket and passed it to her. “For what it’s worth, you make a stunning bride, little sis.”