Chapter 21
Another wave of people stormed into the venue.
“Don’t move! Hands up!”
Police officers who had been lying in wait suddenly appeared.
Shaw’s face changed instantly–he lunged forward, trying to get Wilder out of there.
But one officer, fast and sharp–eyed, fired a shot into his leg.
The bullet tore through flesh. Blood splattered.
Shaw let out a cry of pain and fell hard to the ground, quickly pinned by officers.
The lead detective stepped forward to calm the crowd.
“These men are major suspects in an international criminal case. The state has been tracking them for a long time. Because they stayed abroad and evaded prosecution, we’ve been unable to bring
them in until now.”
“Fortunately, with the cooperation of Mr. and Mrs. Stone, we received a crucial lead on the primary suspect. Please rest assured–we’ll ensure your safety.”
The crowd finally began to settle.
The frustration and confusion gave way to admiration and respect.
Wilder turned to Summer, stunned.
His eyes were suddenly red.
“Summer… I know I’ve done terrible things to you. Punish me however you want. But are you really not going to give me even a single chance?”
Summer looked at him calmly.
But the tenderness that once filled her gaze was gone.
“Wilder, how dare you ask me for a second chance?”
Her words were like a blade–plunging into Wilder’s chest.
He winced, curling in on himself slightly from the pain.
One by one, his men were taken away in cuffs, their faces filled with unwilling rage.
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The venue descended into chaos.
What had been a flawless wedding was now completely upended.
And the woman he loved the most… was standing beside another man.
“Summer, I-”
Suddenly, Shaw, who was being escorted away, broke free and charged forward.
He grabbed Mrs. Hunt–Wilder’s stepmother–and yanked her into a chokehold.
He smashed a wine bottle on the table and held the jagged edge to her throat. Blood began to drip.
Screams erupted. Chaos broke out again.
In the commotion, someone slipped in through the back door and tossed a smoke grenade near
Summer.
Using the distraction, they rushed Wilder out of the building.
Caleb’s first instinct was to shield Summer behind him.
Police chased after them immediately, while others stayed behind to control the crowd.
Summer stared at Caleb. Her voice was low but firm.
“You swapped out my people… brought in your own men. It was you,
Caleb looked around, then nodded.
wasn’t it?”
“Summer, I can’t let anything happen to you. I’m your husband now. From now on, let me bear the risks for you.”
He knew exactly what she had been planning.
She’d deliberately leaked her location in New York, baiting Wilder into coming after her.
Meanwhile, her people had moved in and destroyed everything Wilder had built–both at home and
abroad.
He was a man with nothing left.
She had planned it all perfectly.
The only thing she hadn’t accounted for… was how much it would cost her emotionally to do it
herself.
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Caleb hadn’t wanted her to dirty her hands for a man like Wilder.
So he had stepped in and helped her in his own way.
The wedding was abruptly called off.
Mrs. Reeves looked at her daughter, exasperated and amused.
“I swear, do you have something against marriage? Every time you try to get married, something
explodes!”
Summer was too drained to respond.
Her silence only made her mother more furious.
“Stop right there! I’m talking to you–do you even see me as your mother anymore?”
Summer suddenly froze in place.
“Mother?” she scoffed. “Do you really think you deserve that title?”
After her father died, her mother had hooked up with a sleazy younger man barely a week later.
By the second week, he had already moved into their home.
That man lazed around, scammed her mother out of a large sum of money, and then disappeared.
From then on, her mother stopped chasing younger men.
She targeted rich older ones instead.
Age didn’t matter–money did.
As long as they’d buy her clothes, handbags, jewelry… she was theirs.
Summer had grown up watching her mother float between men.
She once ran a high fever of 104°F, all alone, with no one to look after her.
From that moment on, the word “Mom” had ceased to mean anything to her.
Mrs. Reeves looked like she’d swallowed fire. Her face twisted in rage.
But then her phone rang.
When she saw the caller ID, she spun around instantly, putting on a smile to answer.
Summer didn’t even flinch. She was used to it.
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For a long time, she’d thought Wilder was her salvation.
But he had turned out to be just another abyss.
She had learned–no one could be trusted.
No one could be leaned on.
The only person she could count on… was herself.
Chapter 21
